The Minister of Transport and Communication has appointed Paul Taylor as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Botswana Telecommunication Corporation (BTC) to replace Thapelo Lippe, who was praised for turning the fortunes of the state-owned telecommunications outfit around in his short stay at the helm.
Board chairman, Leonard Makwinja, revealed that Taylor was appointed to the position by the BTC board, with the approval of Minister Frank Ramsden. The appointment is with effect from July 20, Makwinja said, adding that Taylor was the candidate most suited to the job profile from among those shortlisted.
“Taylor is a well-experienced engineer who has dealt with privatisation in many the countries,” said Makwinja.
According to Makwinja, Taylor has been all over the world, including the Middle East and Dubai, and has a positive record in telecommunication and marketing.
Taylor was amongst the three shortlisted candidates. Human Resources Management Consultants (HRMC) firm was engaged in appraising the merits of shortlisted applicants. Keabetswe Segole has been the acting CEO since the axing of Thapelo Lippe last October.
Makwinja stated that Taylor, who is British, is expected to influence the legacy investment in BTC by implementing strategic commercial and network initiatives designed to converge fixed, mobile, and broadband services within a seamless, synergistic, and cost-beneficial environment.
Reliable sources have revealed that the post was re-advertised externally because no one had met the requirements locally.
According to industry sources, MTN Managing Director, Katlego Nkwe-Arnone, be Mobile General Manager Anthony Masunga and BTC acting CEO, Keabetswe Segole, were among candidates shortlisted for the post.
Initially, the BTC board targeted the month of April to make an appointment but it ended up extending it to the month of July.
Segole has been acting for almost a year.  
Lippe was sacked after he had been put on suspension for close to a year.
Minister Ramsden said the appointment of Taylor is fair as the post was open to everyone, locally and internationally. He stated that the recruiting agency HRMC processed the applications and the best candidate was taken. He, however, did not reveal how many citizens were shortlisted.
“The law again does not prohibit foreigners from job applications and what is important is the relevant expert who will deliver,” said Ramsden. ┬á┬á┬á┬á
BTC was established in 1980 to provide, develop, operate and manage Botswana’s national and international telecommunications services. It is a parastatal in which the Botswana government holds 100 percent equity.
