MTN Group has announced two internal executive appointments, effective September 2026, as the telecommunications company strengthens its leadership team to support the execution of its Ambition 2030 strategy.
Ashutosh Tiwary has been appointed Operations Executive for MTN’s Francophone markets, effective September 1, 2026, while Ikenna Ikeme will assume the role of Executive: Group Regulatory Affairs from September 7, 2026.
Tiwary brings more than 27 years of leadership experience in the telecommunications sector across Africa and India. His career includes work in business growth, transformation, operational management and turnaround initiatives in competitive markets.
He has held several leadership positions within MTN. In South Africa, he served as General Manager for the Prepaid Consumer Business, where he was involved in efforts to stabilise and grow the segment. He later became Acting Chief Executive Officer of MTN Guinea Bissau, where he led a turnaround mandate and subsequently supported the group’s portfolio optimisation process, which resulted in the sale of the business.
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Most recently, Tiwary served as General Manager for Customer Operations. In that role, he worked with MTN Group’s Home Broadband Business team on initiatives aimed at building and scaling customer operations through operational excellence programmes.
As Operations Executive for the Francophone markets, Tiwary will provide strategic and operational support across MTN’s businesses in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Congo Brazzaville. His responsibilities will include supporting the implementation of strategic priorities, improving operational and commercial performance, strengthening governance and working with operating company leadership teams to align regional activities with Group objectives.
MTN said his experience in African telecommunications markets and his background in transformation and operational management would support the Group’s activities across the Francophone region.
Meanwhile, Ikeme’s appointment as Executive: Group Regulatory Affairs will see him join MTN Group’s regulatory leadership team with more than 30 years of experience spanning the telecommunications, banking and insurance sectors.
He currently serves as General Manager for Regulatory Affairs at MTN Nigeria. His experience includes regulatory affairs, public policy, compliance, stakeholder engagement and business transformation.
During his career, Ikeme has been involved in a number of telecommunications industry initiatives, including regulatory processes relating to spectrum transactions, national roaming arrangements, 5G licensing, infrastructure sharing and mobile virtual network operator partnerships.
He has also participated in engagements relating to the development of regulatory frameworks for the telecommunications industry.
In his new role, Ikeme will provide strategic leadership on MTN Group’s regulatory agenda, working with the Group Legal and Regulatory Affairs office as well as regulatory teams across the company’s markets.
His responsibilities will include strengthening regulatory governance, managing regulatory risks, supporting policy advocacy and strategic business initiatives, and maintaining engagement with regulators and other stakeholders.
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Ikeme holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Enugu State University of Science and Technology. He is a qualified Barrister-at-Law and has completed the Advanced Management Programme at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional for Europe.
The appointments add to MTN Group’s operations and regulatory leadership as the company continues the implementation of its Ambition 2030 strategy across its markets. The Group said the two executives bring experience in operational management, regulatory affairs and telecommunications to support its activities in an increasingly competitive business and regulatory environment across Africa.
