Gerard Henning

Part of Technology-team building and establishing new Cellular-network in Ethiopia. Responsible for the strategic management of CAPEX Programs and projects within the Radio Access Network (RAN) and Transmission domain for Safaricom Ethiopia PLC. This relates to the High-level management throughout the project lifecycle, including budget & financial management, project-tracking, vendor and contract-management, and the logistics process.

• Spearheaded network investment strategy and planning, overseeing multi-million-dollar capital expenditure projects for network expansion, upgrades, and modernization.
• Developed and managed annual Capital-budgets, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and adherence to financial targets.
• Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams including engineering, operations, finance, and regulatory departments to align investment plans with organizational goals and industry standards.
• Responsible for Network Capex Budget-process conducting strategic planning, feasibility studies, budgetary planning and project scoping.
• High-level Radio-roll-out project-tracking, managing, and reporting. Support Project-planning.
• Supplier and Contractor-management related to pricing, quality, and services as well as support in managing of supply-chain process.
• Managing of Tech / Commercial Acceptance-process
• Overseeing High-level Logistics-process supporting roll-out, related to order-planning & management, forecasting, supplier delivery-plans & import-process, equipment-tracking and deliveries ensuring support for capex-projects.

• Areas of control include:

Radio Capex Budget; Project Management; Logistics; Line-management functions; Network-management

• Managed radio Capex budget, project management, logistics, line management functions, and network management.
• Oversaw the radio Capex budget process, leading strategic planning through feasibility studies, budgetary planning, and project scoping.
• Led commercial processes related to project fund allocation, budget control, and procurement according to company requirements.
• Directed the implementation of radio capital projects, including 2G, 3G, and LTE roll-outs, capacity upgrades, RAN-swap projects, and site upgrade projects.
• Executed all EBU Vodacom-business transmission projects.
• Controlled the full project life cycle from planning and implementation to quality control, acceptance, and payment.
• Managed supplier and contractor relationships, focusing on pricing, quality, services, and supply chain processes.
• Oversaw logistical control of radio assets, including stock control, distribution, and database management.
• Developed and implemented internal and external processes related to project management.

• Responsible for the execution of telecom infrastructure projects, new telecom systems, enhanced upgraded network-systems
• Led project planning and scheduling for regional-wide network upgrades, coordinating activities across multiple teams and locations
• Successfully delivered projects within budget and set timelines through efficient resource management
• Conducted stakeholder meetings, providing regular updates on project progress, risks, and mitigation strategies
• Reporting to Head of Department relating to Project-progress, Budget-Status and Risk-mitigation
• Managed relationships with key vendors and contractors, negotiating scope and contracts and ensuring timely delivery of services.

• Developed and implemented a comprehensive property maintenance program for regional infrastructure
• Created building specifications for base station construction projects
• Managed the entire site build process, ensuring quality control and project management of base station construction
• Conducted site-specific design for regional base station sites
• Served as a part-time lecturer in Engineering at the Central University of Technology (CUT) Free State.

• Led structural design projects (as Structural Design Engineer) encompassing multi-storey buildings, roof structures, reservoirs, steel structures, and foundations
• Managed civil services design for residential development projects, including roads, water reticulation, sewer systems, pump stations, and channels
• Design Engineer on numerous housing complexes, relating to foundation and internal services designs
• Oversaw project planning, design, implementation, and management of various housing projects and townhouse complexes, including budgeting, payment verification, and construction oversight
• Registered as Professional Engineer with Engineering Council of South-Africa in 1998 (ECSA Pr Ing: 980407)