User:FriendSurname/sandbox

https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekfr/

Derek Friend is a senior executive and specialised in interim ICT Business Analyst, who has assisted many international companies in stabilising and aligning their global business objectives.

Chief Executive, 3G Mobile (Botswana) board advisory, managing overall local business expansion operations at the multinational, after positive acquisition (Blue label & DNI Group) providing strategy direction, decision making, operational excellence, and increasing our organization's end to end FMCG import supply chain logistics and distribution at Africas leading multi-brand mobile handset distributor to major retail stores and telco providers.

'''Background Highlights ''' Derek Friend, 25+ years building & assisting telco service businesses as an external executive/principal Information Communication & Technology (ICT) management consultant with significant audit, advisory firms (Deloitte, BDO, RSM) a track record providing (KPO) knowledge process and digitally-led, outsourcing, staffing support and development strategies to multinationals achieving stakeholder value chain goals, after a positive restructure due to mergers or acquisitions. Managed a wide range of turnaround mitigation projects in emerging foreign markets, as a (NED) non-executive board director

Previously, a high energy agile consulting career, provided change, innovation & diverse Telco solutions, seconded to work & live across Europe, Middle East, N.Australia, Asia Pacific, & Africa as an ex-pat. Led various committees, as leadership management, & implemented business roadmaps, strategy negotiations, bringing global influence to impacted critical projects

(NED) Schneider Electrics, VP - board advisory, defined the group's EMEA business development Cloud & Service Provider strategy - Europe Middle East & Africa projects

(NED) Digicel Mobile Group (N.Australia) Head of Operations, board advisory, led the Asian telecom ISP expansion projects, broadband & cloud strategies for Australia / Asia-Pacific

Derek contracted to Huawei, developed the SADC Africa enterprise distribution channel strategy as the Regions Sales Director

Derek also implemented the foreign telco/ carrier business strategy positioning Asia - Europe & Africa data centres, network expansion, & high-impact communication portfolios for Commscope, GT-T (USA) Seagate, Tiscali (Europe), Dimension Data, Vodaphone, PPCW (HK), DFA, & CloudINX

He has also presented at global conferences on telco strategies.

1998, contracted to Orange (UK) & SITA Equant an MTN Acquisition, developing ICT strategies for Heathrow Airport

Memberships; Directors Support Platform, (Chairman) Addressing business challenges with CEOs & Directors SACIA - SA Communications Industry Association ISACA - IT Audit Control Association SAP HANA Exec Advisory

South Africa MyBroadband - Cloud Conference 2019 The premier event of its kind in South Africa. The conference is annually attended by South Africa’s top cloud, hosting, security executives and IT professionals. Keynote " EDGE

Progressive leaders SA JPN – Johannesburg Professional Network, Cyber Security and Best Practices, DR, Cloud and Backup –Nedbank Sponsor 2018

SMART City 2018 Conference Johannesburg, South Africa 2018  GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science) University of Pretoria Thought leadership - Guest Speaker 2018 -Tech and doing business in Africa (Forum Workshops ) Johannesburg, South Africa

Future of Trade C panel discussions African Pride Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa

Africa Security Summit 2018 Workshop Johannesburg, South Africa Independent Consultant

Continuous Improvement Strategy IPOS 2016

Speaker Breakfasts Various - Move beyond inefficient network designs and the connected Data Centres of tomorrow

'''Huawei Various Launch events Huawei Spokesperson 2013 -2014 SADC Huawei Product Launch 2016  Why you should be working with your Vendor, Distributor, and Consultant on your ICT projects''' Open source projects, products, and initiatives 2015 Panel Discussion- Dr. Louis Coetzee, CSIR; Derek Friend, (Huawei ESA); Barney Buchan, (Dev2); Gerrie Swart, (Flickswitch); Matthew Lee, (SUSE); Steve Davies, (Connection Telecom); Adrian Schofield, (Africa ICT Alliance) and Frits Kok, (Adroit Technologies.) https://www.engineerit.co.za/engineerit/virtual-panel-discussion-open-source/

Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing Safe Smart City of the Future - Asia Workshops – Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing

Italy '''Global Telecoms and Technology Forum – Italy representing South Africa 2012 The Future of Internet in Africa – Africa representative –Submarine connectivity'''

Kenya East Africa Com CIO Forum 2010 Nairobi, Kenya West African Cable System Africa Internet Conference - Discussing Global Internet Exchange Points and the need for local Points Of Presence (POP)

https://www.itweb.co.za/content/JKjlyr7w3Z57k6am https://www.itweb.co.za/content/XnWJadvbJybvbjO1 http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/significant-growth-for-telecommunications-in-africa-2014-05-16 https://www.itweb.co.za/content/nWJadvbaelWqbjO1 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/significant-growth-telecommunications-africa-news-derek-friend/?trk=mp-reader-card https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/379/120316.html https://www.itweb.co.za/content/8OKdWMDJYZEvbznQ https://www.itweb.co.za/content/rxP3jMB5m317A2ye https://mybroadband.co.za/news/derek-friend-schneider-electric-mybroadband-conference https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/379/120316.html