regional executive management

Andile Abner Ngcaba
Chairman
Before joining Dimension Data in March 2004, Andile served as the Director General of the South African Department of Communications (DOC) for eight and a half years, where he was responsible for policy formulation, conceptual development and implementation in the ICT sector. Further areas of responsibility included the promotion and management of IT, telecommunications, broadcasting, postal services and e-commerce in South Africa. His leadership role contributed significantly towards the restructuring of numerous communications organisations such as Telkom, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the SA Post Office and Sentech.

Andile holds a Master of Commerce, majoring in Information Systems, qualification from the University of Witwatersrand. The University of Fort Hare honoured him with an honorary Doctorate in Commerce and he has also obtained a diploma in Executive Management Programme jointly offered by Stanford and Singapore University. Andile is leading a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) consortium owning a 25% interest in DDSA. The consortium includes prominent participants in the local ICT industry and certain BEE entities including broad-based empowerment parties. Additionally, Andile will be driving the development of an African growth initiative to aggressively expand our African business. 

Allan Cawood
Chief Executive Officer
Allan Cawood joined the Dimension Data Group in 1998 when Dimension Data acquired DNS, the company he founded 10 years earlier. DNS had grown to become South Africa’s third largest specialist networking organisation. When DNS and Dimension Data Networking were incorporated into a single business unit in 1999 – the forerunner to Dimension Data Network Services – he was appointed as the unit’s Managing Director. In October 2001 Allan was appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Dimension Data South Africa.

Allan holds a B.Com degree in Marketing and Accounting and spent the first years of his career in Sales and Marketing at Olivetti SA. Allan’s passion for technology, combined with his vision of sustainable economic growth in Africa has seen Dimension Data transformed into a company that delivers tangible value to both the South African and greater African market. Allan is married, and has two teenage sons, Mark and Nicholas. In his spare time enjoys playing golf, diving and flying helicopters.

Derek Wilcocks
MD: Internet Solutions
Derek joined Dimension Data's Internet business, Internet Solutions (IS), in August 1995 as MD of Trusted Network Solutions, later to become IS Security. In 1996, Derek was appointed to the board of IS and spent the remainder of the year in a consulting and business development role. During 1998, Derek was instrumental in starting Dimension Data Security, a joint venture between IS and Dimension Data Networking. In January 1999, Derek became Managing Director of IS and was appointed to the Dimension Data South Africa Executive Management team in October 2001 as Executive Director for Strategy and Technology. In 2005 Derek was appointed as Executive Director, Services Marketing. In late 2009, he was appointed MD of IS.

Derek's tertiary education includes a number of degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand - Bachelor of Economic Science, completed with distinction and Bachelor of Science (Honours), completed with distinction. Derek is married and has a daughter, and his interests include a keen following of arts and culture, reading history and philosophy, and bird watching.

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Hanif Randera
Executive Director
Hanif has been with Dimension Data since 1992 and was appointed to the South African Board in May 2002 as Marketing and Public Affairs Executive. His long career with the company saw him move though the Network Services ranks from sales to Key Account Management, which afforded him the opportunity to develop strong relationships with top corporate clients within South Africa. He has a clear understanding of the company and its customers and has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the highly sought after Top Salesman award for a number of years running. Hanif is married and has two children. In his spare time he enjoys travelling, cooking and entertaining. He aspires to play the piano.

John Ellse
Executive Director, Coastal
John's career with Dimension Data began in 1996 when the group acquired the company he began with two of his colleagues. From 1997 he successfully managed the Kwa Zulu-Natal region and among other things consistently generated above target service revenues for the region. In October 2001 he was appointed to the South African Board as the Executive for Services but was then transferred to the Western Cape early in 2002. John continues to represent the board in all coastal regions. John was educated in Natal and completed a B.Sc in Maths and Economics and later a Masters Degree in Business Leadership. Prior to joining Dimension Data, John worked with IBM. John is married and has two daughters, both currently completing degrees in Cape Town. As a youngster, John was a natural sportsman, excelling in a number of sports including cricket, league tennis and semi-professional soccer, but he now restricts himself to running and playing golf. He has completed five Comrades Marathons.

Sean Joubert
Chief Financial Officer
Sean Joubert joined Dimension Data's cabling arm, Advanced Cabling (now Advanced Infrastructure) in 1994 as their Financial Manager. Three years later Sean moved across to the group's Networking Division as Financial Manager for the Gauteng region. The following year, Sean was appointed Group Financial Director for Dimension Data Networking. Sean was recently appointed to the Dimension Data South Africa Board as Chief Financial Officer. Sean won a rugby bursary at the Rand Afrikaanse University where he obtained a B. Com Honours CA (SA). His interests include all sports but specifically rugby, cricket and horse riding. Sean is married to Irene and has two daughters.

Athanasios (Saki) Missaikos
Executive Director, Sales
Saki matriculated in 1987 and went on to complete a B.Sc. (Hons) Electrical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and then completed a Masters in Business Administration through Heriot Watt Edinburgh University, Scotland in 1995. Saki joined Internet Solutions in 1996 as a director of the company focusing on business development. Although his career at IS involved numerous roles and responsibilities (a symptom of a young, entrepreneurial company), his primary focus areas included managing the Strategic Account Management team both from a strategic e-commerce and underlying infrastructure perspective. Over the seven years, Saki built strong relationships with many key clients. He was appointed to the position of executive: sales for Dimension Data South Africa in October 2002. Saki is an active sportsman, cyclist and golfer and has climbed Kilimanjaro.

Jason Goodall
Executive Director
Jason, a qualified chartered accountant, completed his articles at Deloitte & Touche in 1992. Thereafter, as a bursary recipient from Barlow Rand, he joined ISM/IBM in the role of Financial Manager for the Solutions Group Resolve Technologies. At IBM, Jason held a number of roles in both finance and sales before being appointed as the Financial Controller – Industries and Product in 1996. In 1998 Jason started his career with Omnilink as Chief Financial Officer.  Omnilink later merged with Internet Solutions. From 2001 to 2003 Jason held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Internet Solutions and was instrumental in building the company into a highly profitable and successful Dimension Data company. In 2003 Jason joined Dimension Data South Africa’s Executive Team, heading up the Converged Infrastructure business. Jason is now Managing Director of Dimension Data and is responsible for Emerging Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Jason sits on the board of Britehouse Technologies. Jason is married with two daughters, and they enjoy frequent visits to the bush or scuba diving in exotic locations in their free time. Jason keeps fit by playing golf, running and going to the gym.

Linda Fine
Human Resources Director
Linda joined Dimension Data in 2001 and spent over three years helping to establish the Human Resource function within the group. She has been instrumental in the development and execution of a number of successful global HR initiatives for the group including a Sales & Technical Skills Assessment process; Sales Development and Training; Employee Satisfaction Survey, Performance Management and Career Development. Linda officially assumed the South African HR Directorship on 1 October 2005. Prior to Dimension Data, Linda worked for 3 years for various international blue chip companies in London as a Project Manager.  Prior to this she worked for 4 years within the Foschini Group in Cape Town. Linda graduated from UCT, top of her class, with a Business Science Honours Degree in Marketing and Economics. She also has a Post-graduate Diploma in Project Management through Unisa’s Graduate School of Business Leadership. Aside from her academic and career achievements, Linda has also contributed to the design (and lecturing) of various Marketing programmes - including the marketing module for a post-graduate diploma at UCT, as well as the design and authoring of various study guides for Intec College. Linda is married and enjoys reading, painting, gym and running, with numerous half marathons under her belt.