Since his arrival eight years ago, Mahomed Ebrahim Essof has played a pivotal role Ericsson’s rapid growth across the region. ‘There’s always a diverse range of matters we deal with and never a dull moment’. He helped build a holistic legal function supporting the Sub-Saharan business, which now encompasses 43 territories. ‘It’s a challenging environment’, Essof says.

His achievements have included developing comprehensive governance, ethics and compliance procedures, and he is particularly praised for his effective management of the company’s Black Economic Empowerment policy. He has also spearheaded efforts to bring the legal function into transactions at an earlier stage, and particularly impressed sources with his handling of risk management, amid the region’s rapidly-evolving regulatory framework.