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  • Dimension Data founder Jeremy Ord quits amid massive exec exodus

Dimension Data founder Jeremy Ord quits amid massive exec exodus

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 22 Jun 2021
Jeremy Ord, founder and executive chairman of Dimension Data.
Jeremy Ord, founder and executive chairman of Dimension Data.

Dimension Data founder and executive chairman Jeremy Ord is leaving the company he started 38 years ago.

Other executives that are also leaving the systems integrator are understood to be Saki Missaikos, chief strategy officer, and Steve Nathan, chief corporate finance officer.

Pearl Mngomezulu, Dimension Data head of communications for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, tells ITWeb: “I can confirm that several executive leaders have chosen to pursue interests outside of the business and will be leaving us at the end of June.”

In a holding statement to ITWeb, Dimension Data says: “The leaders have made great contributions to our business over the years; they have been instrumental in many ways to the success of the company to date. We wish them the best in their next endeavours.

“In May, NTT Ltd, our parent company, increased its commitment to the MEA region. The decision to remain invested in Dimension Data was driven by the company’s belief that the MEA region is of strategic importance to the company’s vision and also represents a substantial growth opportunity.”

However, the company did not disclose why the executives were leaving en masse.

The resignations come a few months after long-serving Dimension Data CEO Grant Bodley also stepped down from his role after serving 20 years at the firm.

The systems integrator then appointed Werner Kapp as Bodley’s replacement, effective from 1 April.

Dimension Data recently brought its four brands of Dimension Data, Internet Solutions, Britehouse and ContinuitySA together into a single operating entity, trading under the Dimension Data name.

The systems integrator says Ord has held numerous executive roles, accelerating the group’s ambition to deliver comprehensive, innovative and award-winning ICT results across the globe.

As one of the founders of Dimension Data in 1983, it says, Ord’s roles within the company have been that of managing director, chief executive officer and executive chairman.

Outside of Dimension Data, Ord is also non-executive director of Britehouse and Tradebridge.

Saki Missaikos, chief strategy officer.
Saki Missaikos, chief strategy officer.

Spending over 23 years at Dimension Data, Missaikos has filled many executive roles, including Dimension Data MEA sales director and Internet Solutions business CEO.

Nathan was working with the group on its mergers and acquisitions strategy.

In October 2010, Japan-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), one of the largest global telecommunications service providers, acquired 100% of Dimension Data for £2.1 billion, or R24 billion, making Dimension Data a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NTT Group.

Following the acquisition, Dimension Data delisted from the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

In 2019, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation unveiled NTT, a global technology services provider that unites the capabilities of 28 companies, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data and NTT Security, into one $11 billion company.

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