Global Telecoms Business has published The GTB Power100, its annual list of the 100 most powerful and influential people in the telecoms industry. Those listed are senior executives from around the world who the judges feel have the ability to move the industry.
Nic Rudnick, founder and CEO of the Liquid Telecom Group has been named 60th position, up from 73rd last year and 96th in 2012.
Top of the 2014 list is Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook, followed by other senior executives from Facebook, Netflix and Skype alongside executives from telecommunications operators such as AT&T and Verizon, plus heads of equipment companies such as Huawei and Ericsson and handset makers such as Samsung and Apple.
Nic is one of only four CEOs from companies focused entirely on Africa to appear in the list; Chris Wood, CEO of WIOCC, is number 62, Sifiso Dabengwa, Group President and CEO of MTN, is number 87 and Shameel Joosub, CEO and Executive Director of Vodacom, is number 91.
Liquid Telecom is based on his conviction that every individual has the right to telecommunication services and the vision of Africa being connected by one independent, open access network. Some years ago he realized that, with the huge investments in the various new sea cables, international capacity wouldn’t be the problem in Africa – bringing the fibre inland into landlocked countries and crossing borders would be far more difficult to achieve.
To this end, Nic has worked tirelessly hands-on to navigate the multitude of legal, political, logistical and geographical barriers he encountered when building what is now Africa’s largest independent fibre network, which currently spans over 18,000km across borders. The network currently connects 17 African countries and is complemented by a pan-African satellite network.
Nic Rudnick said “Of course it is brilliant to be personally recognised in this way but this achievement would not have been possible without the support of the very talented Liquid Telecom team spread across Africa. We are an ambitious and innovative organisation, determined to continue improving telecoms in Africa because we believe that every individual has the right to be connected”.
