Mi-fone appoints new head of operations

"I have been involved in a consulting capacity with Mi-Fone since it's inception in 2008. Since then, I have seen the company grow from what was merely a vision of the CEO to booming handset sales into more than 12 African countries with more to come, " said Patel.

Nikhil is an operations and business development focused professional, with over 11 years of experience within the hospitality, pharmaceutical and mobile industries, having worked with companies such as Razorfish, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, IHG, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Starwood, Dr Reddys, Teva, Aurobindo, Cardinal and McKesson.

Millions in Africa still not connected

"Africa has a population of over one billion people, of which 500 million are still not connected via mobiles. It is a mobile-centric continent, and my vision by joining Mi-Fone is that we will be able to empower people in this, the last emerging market, by supplying low cost mobile devices and relevant value added services and products to the mass market bottom of the pyramid segment," Patel said.

"We are delighted to have Nikhil on board," said Mi-Fone's CEO, Alpesh Patel. "One of our main responsibilities is to bridge the gap between the first world markets like the USA and emerging markets like Africa, with innovative ideas and value added offerings. Thus, by having Nikhil strategically based in New York, we are aligning ourselves to be a Western World meets African Brand."

Nikhil obtained a B.Sc (Hons) in Business Information Systems and Law from Middlesex University in London.