Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

SUMMARY:
Job Title: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Company Overview
Our Client, a distributor and a provider of technical infrastucture solutions across the ICT market, operating nationally and into Sub-Saharan Africa, is seeking an entrepreneurially minded and results driven CEO and leader, with strong ICT industry knowledge and background of products in the FTTX/Carrier, data-centres, structured cabling, security, access and fire categories. The company has built a reputation for reliability, agility, and customer service and the incumbent's role will be to build on this foundation while guiding the business through its next phase of growth and development. This role demands operational immersion (deals, pricing, stock ratios, and customer engagement), strategic leadership, and outstanding execution.

POSITION INFO:
Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership

• Champion and protect the brand.
• Define and drive strategic growth and market expansion plans.
• Lead the executive team with vision, accountability, and discipline.
• Build and maintain relationships with key clients, suppliers, and partners.
• Develop long-term business plans aligned with profitability and sustainability.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and innovations in network infrastructure.
• Drive execution with urgency—be on the ground, not just in the boardroom.

• Achieve exceptional overall revenue growth over the next 3 years, incorporating new country operations and reseller partnerships.
• Personally lead major account acquisition and new market entries.
• Own and evolve the company’s product range and pricing strategy.
• Embed market intelligence into company culture.
• Maintain and grow key customer and supplier relationships

• Ensure targeted levels of stock turns exceed across key product lines, regularly review inventory levels and drive appropriate inventory strategies.
• Set and monitor gross profit targets by category and customer segment.
• Maintain operational visibility—especially across warehousing, fulfilment, and logistics.
• Identify and address operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

• Drive the product / brand’s international growth through strategic channel partnerships and localized innovation.
• Drive the quarterly product committee and maintain close engagement with technical teams and OEMs.
• Oversee the annual launch and pricing targeted strategic products.

• Lead and sustain a high-performance culture.
• Foster an accountable environment where roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.
• Conduct regular operational site visits (including unannounced visits).
• Support skills development and internal talent pipelines.
• Build morale while enforcing professional standards.

• Maintain capitalization that supports sustainable ROE.
• Actively manage working capital (stock, debtors, creditors, overheads).
• Maintain a 90-day minimum cash runway.
• Personally review monthly cash flow forecasts and drive financial discipline.
• Scrutinize discretionary spending and challenge cost increases.
• Enforce strict payment and stock cycle discipline.

• Present quarterly strategic dashboards to the Board (revenue, profitability, capex ROI, risk).
• Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance in all operating regions.
• Build Board confidence through transparent, data-driven reporting.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, or related field (MBA or Postgraduate qualification preferred)
• 15+ years’ experience in ICT or technical distribution, with at least 5 years at executive leadership levels.
• Strong background in data cabling, telecoms or IT infrastructure.
• Proven success in growing high-performance, margin-sensitive, multi-product businesses.
• Hands-on experience in pricing, operations, and sales execution.
• Channel development and international expansion experience preferred.