Mr. Lanre Kolade, CEO of CSquared, Announces Departure to Pursue New Opportunities 25 March 2024 – Mr. Lanre Kolade, Group CEO of CSquared Link Holdings (Mauritius) (“CSquared”), today announced his departure from the company, effective April 2024.
Mr. Kolade had been running the business as Group CEO for five and half years, having taken over shortly after the investment in the company by IFC, Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Convergence Partners. During his tenure, he led the maturation and commercialisation of the Google founded venture into a key player in the African digital infrastructure landscape. Lanre oversaw substantial growth in the business, having nearly tripled revenues under his leadership. The footprint of the network grew from 2,100 km in 3 markets to 7,000 km in 5 markets, including regional backbone and subsea infrastructure to complement best-in-class metro, FTTx and access networks. This included leading the entry of CSquared into new markets in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo and the landing of the Equiano submarine cable system in Togo.
The decision to depart CSquared comes as Lanre explores new opportunities and endeavors. He remains a passionate contributor to the pan African digital infrastructure community, driven by a vision to establish a lasting legacy of fostering intercontinental connectivity.
“It has been an honor to serve as the CEO of CSquared,” said Mr Kolade. “I am immensely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together during my time here. I am grateful for the support of the board, the leadership team, and all the employees of CSquared. I am confident in the company’s future and the talented team that will continue to drive its success.”
Mr. Ian Paterson has been appointed as interim CEO who is tasked with continuing the legacy and aggressively building on the CSquared platform whilst a process to secure a long term successor to the outgoing CEO is conducted by the Board. Mr Paterson has extensive experience in the African telecommunications industry and had previously been serving as Chief Investment Officer at CSquared.
About CSquared:
CSquared is a pan-African technology company, committed to a digitally connected Africa by making impactful investments into open-access broadband enabling infrastructure throughout Africa. CSquared provides wholesale broadband infrastructure and enables mobile network operators and internet service providers to deliver high-quality broadband access to businesses and consumers on the continent. With a mission to improve access to the Internet and drive economic growth, CSquared builds and operates reliable and resilient metropolitan fiber optic networks and fiber backbone infrastructure in Africa’s largest and most dynamic cities.