In a surprise development, Werner Kapp has stepped down as CEO of Dimension Data. Parent NTT Ltd announced on Wednesday that he is being replaced in the role by Alan Turnley-Jones.
The appointment of Turnley-Jones, who has been with the IT services group since 1999, comes 14 months after Kapp was appointed as CEO to replace the long-serving Grant Bodley.
“In line with the succession plans of the business, Kapp will complete a handover to the incoming CEO to ensure a smooth transition,” Dimension Data said in a brief statement.
Kapp will vacate the role at end-June.
It was during Kapp’s tenure as CEO that a serious fraud scandal hit Dimension Data: several former executives at the company were implicated in a forensic probe into the December 2019 sales of The Campus, its iconic head office in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
This emerged after NTT Ltd appointed the international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills to conduct a forensic investigation into allegations brought forward by a whistle-blower, TechCentral reported in January.
According to an anonymous source who leaked the details of the investigation to TechCentral, the evidence from the whistle-blower was compelling enough to prompt NTT to appoint the law firm to probe the matter. It implicated several former Dimension Data executives in an allegedly unlawful enrichment scheme, the source said.
Personal interest
Dimension Data confirmed to TechCentral at the time that the former executives (it didn’t name them) had failed to disclose their personal financial interest in the sale of The Campus. This created a crisis for Dimension Data – and for parent NTT – because the disclosure was required under the Companies Act and “could affect the validity of the transaction”, it said.
Dimension Data has not provided any further information about the investigation since that time.
The new CEO, Turnley-Jones, has been the lead for Dimension Data’s managed cloud and infrastructure services business since 2021.
“He is a seasoned and highly respected strategic leader who has held various roles over his 23-year tenure at Dimension Data,” the company said. “He brings a wealth of global expertise to his role including a strong track record of innovation and transformation and leading cross-functional teams.
His experience across industries and in service delivery, managed services and digital transformation will support the region’s growth ambitions and deliver on NTT’s global business strategy in the Middle East and Africa,” it added.
Abhijit Dubey, group CEO of NTT Ltd, said: “Alan’s entry into this role will continue to ensure that we deliver the right innovation and transformation strategies for our clients in the region. His experience across industries, managed services and digital transformation will support the region’s growth ambitions and deliver on NTT’s global business strategy in the Middle East and Africa.” — (c) 2022 NewsCentral Media