Mandlesilo (“Mandla”) Msimang is a regulatory expert and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. Mandla has worked in ICT sector in South Africa and across the continent, and established and ran pan-African ICT advisory firm, Pygma Consulting, for 11 years prior to joining Nozala Investments, where she is currently the Chief Executive Officer.
Mandla has been involved in the regulation of the ICT sector since 1998, when she joined the South African Telecommunications regulatory Authority (now the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, ICASA) as the Advisor to the Deputy Chairperson of the newly established Council. During Mandla’s time at ICASA she fulfilled various roles and was the Head of the Policy and Analysis Department, responsible for universal service, economic regulation and competition matters, when she left in 2003.
In addition to her public sector experience, Mandla has held senior and executive management positions with a mobile operator in South Africa, and a Pan African mobile broadband operator, where she gained experience on the other side of the regulatory equation dealing with regulatory and competition matters. As Managing Director of Pygma Consulting, she used her significant ICT and infrastructure sector insight and experience to assist public and private sector clients, including both established and start up mobile and broadband operators in the rest of Africa. Her roles have included strategy, operations, and policy and regulatory advice.
Mandla has worked at a global level. She has been appointed as a Regional Expert / International Expert by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on numerous occasions, working primarily on issues relating to broadband policy, universal service and access, and ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities. She was the primary author of the ITU/ G3ict Model ICT Accessibility Policy as well as a key contributor to the SADC Toolkit on Universal Access Funding and Universal Service.
Currently, Mandla is the CEO of Nozala Investments, a Johannesburg based women owned private equity firm. At Nozala she is responsible for managing a portfolio that includes listed and unlisted assets across a number of sectors including minerals and resources, and industrial and consumer services.
Mandla holds an MSc Regulation (Utilities) from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Qualifications
Mandla holds an MSc Regulation (Utilities) from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
