Phuthuma Nhleko

Mobile networks. Nhleko led South Africa's MTN from 2002 to 2011 as it grew from a domestic operator into one of Africa's largest, building on its costly 2001 Nigerian licence and buying Investcom in 2006 to enter markets from Ghana to Sudan. MTN's Nigerian business became its largest, and also exposed it to heavy regulatory fines, a reminder that cross-border scale brings cross-border risk.