Meet the CIO | Schalk Visser on Cell C’s big tech pivot

Schalk Visser has worked in telecommunications for more than 20 years, first at Telkom, then at Vodacom and now at Cell C, where he has served as chief information and technology officer since 2020.

Visser, an engineer, joined Cell C 13 years ago – during the tenure of former CEO Alan Knott-Craig – as an executive in the company’s programme management office, where he helped lead a renewal of its radio access network.

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro

TechCentral’s guest in the latest episode of the publication’s Meet the CIO podcast, Visser tells host Duncan McLeod about his career journey in telecoms before delving into his work in helping transform Cell C’s technology stack – with a focus on recent years as the operator moved to shut down its own radio access network in favour of partnerships with other mobile operators.

In the interview, Visser chats about:

• Where his interest in technology began;
• His time with Telkom and Vodacom, including his experience helping build Vodacom’s network in Mozambique;
• The changes that have occurred at Cell C in recent years and why they’re significant – including a look at the network partnership with MTN and Vodacom, and what that’s allowed the company to do differently;
• His day-to-day role as head of technology at Cell C;
• The role of technology in supporting what is essentially a technology business;
• The changes he has brought to Cell C’s technology stack and why;
• The recent ransomware attack – what happened, and what’s been done to address it; and
• What’s exciting him about what’s coming down the line in telecoms technology.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation, and if you’ve missed any of the previous interviews in the Meet the CIO series, you can find them here.

Listen to this episode of Meet the CIO

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