Naeem Kola has been appointed as the new group CFO for Net1 UEPS Technologies, replacing Alex Smith.
Net1 UEPS Technologies has appointed Naeem Kola as its new group CFO, taking over from Alex Smith. Alex, who has been appointed into the newly created role of group chief accounting officer, will remain in the role of CFO until Naeem steps in from 1 March 2022.
“I am very excited to join Net1 during a transformational period for the business,” Naeem said. “I am highly aligned with the vision of financial inclusion and I am excited to work alongside my new colleagues, board directors and shareholders to pursue the very attractive growth opportunities facing Net1.”
Naeem explains that he is a firm believer in financial inclusion and growth opportunities as markets transition towards digital payments and acceptance. “This is an exciting opportunity and I am looking immensely forward to being part of Net1.”
Naeem has held various senior finance roles across the Middle East and Africa, most notably as group CFO of the Emerging Markets Payments Group EMP). Prior to becoming CFO, he was the senior vice president of finance, investments, strategy and business planning at Network International. Since the acquisition of EMP by Network International in 2017, Naeem has been an operations director and strategic advisor to the emerging market private equity firm Actis.
“We are excited to have Naeem join us as group CFO,” said Net1 group CEO Chris Meyer. “Naeem is a highly experienced executive with a successful track-record as CFO of high-growth emerging market fintech businesses. [He] has extensive experience in merger and acquisition and post-merger integration, capital raising and overall management of high-performing finance functions within fintech businesses. His extensive global fintech expertise, combined with his strong knowledge of Net1’s core South African geography, makes him an ideal choice to help drive our company’s growth.”
