Zak Van de Merwe

Group Chief Commercial Officer / Group Chief Operating Officer @ Huge Group Limited

About

I am a South African telecommunications executive and board director with more than two decades of leadership experience, including 16 years at C-suite level across listed and private companies in Africa. My career spans the full range of commercial complexity — founding and start-up environments, large-scale consumer and enterprise operations, and high-stakes corporate turnaround and transformation. I have held CEO, COO and CCO positions across the telecommunications and digital services sectors, with executive and advisory experience across more than 20 African markets. I currently serve as an executive director of a JSE-listed group and as a Non-Executive Director of an NSX-listed telecommunications company. My areas of expertise include commercial and market strategy, telecoms product, proposition, and market development, operational transformation, business rescue and restructuring, as well as governance and leadership.

Country

City

South Africa

Industry

Computer Software

Skill

Executive Leadership, Organizational Development, Go-to-Market Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Commercial & Strategic, Operational & Technical, Leadership & Transformation, Governance & Board, Business Transformation, Board Governance, Emerging Markets, Leadership Development, Board of Directors, Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), Non-Executive Director, Board level experience, Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Staff Management, Telecommunications

Experience

Group Chief Commercial Officer / Group Chief Operating Officer

Huge Group Limited

2022-6 - Present · 4 yrs 4 mos

City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Executive director and 2IC to the Group CEO, providing commercial and operational oversight across a portfolio of telecommunications, payment connectivity, software and digital services businesses. Responsibilities span portfolio oversight, commercial transformation, operational integration and board governance across JSE-listed group entities.

Non Executive Board Member

Paratus Namibia Holdings Ltd

2024-9 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

Windhoek, Khomas, Namibia

Independent non-executive director of NSX-listed company. Chair of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee and member of all board sub-committees.

Chief Executive Officer

Virgin Mobile South Africa

2019-3 - 2022-1 · 2 yrs 11 mos

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Appointed to lead the turnaround and restructuring of a distressed telecommunications business. Guided the company through a formal business rescue process, managing creditor and stakeholder interests and concluding a successful acquisition transaction.

Chief Executive Officer

MVNE

2013-1 - 2019-2 · 6 yrs 2 mos

South Africa

Co-founded one of Africa's first Mobile Virtual Network Enablers in a nascent industry. Built the business from concept through to profitability, with personal accountability across strategy, platform development, business development and client acquisition.

Chief Executive Officer

Digital Solutions Group

2014-7 - 2015-12 · 1 yr 6 mos

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Appointed by the board to lead the transformation of ICT business into a structured, scaleable entity, encompassing subsidiaries across digital services, mobile enablement, software and business process outsourcing.

Chief Information Officer / Head of Product Development

Virgin Mobile South Africa

2005-12 - 2012-12 · 7 yrs 1 mo

City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Founding leadership team member of Africa's first MVNO. Led product design and launch, expanding scope to include operations, customer experience, IT, billing, CRM and base management. Only founding executive to remain with the business through to its sale.

Senior Manager: Commercial & Operations

MTN

2003 - 2005 · 2 yrs

Part of a small leadership team commercialising innovation, products and services across MTN's African operations. Responsible for the introduction and launch of new technology services across multiple markets.