Is trouble brewing at Sentech?

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 1 September 2007

One can ask this question after several key Sentech staff members, including MyWireless and Biznet product managers, decided to look for greener pastures elsewhere.

The following key staff members already left or are in the process of leaving Sentech:

• Winston Smith – ‘Sentech lost Winston Smith – who has looked after the MyWireless product since its inception – earlier this year and Marcel Steyn subsequently took over as product manager’ (Sentech loses key staff, MyBroadband, 30 August 2007).

• Marcel Steyn – ‘Only a few months after this shift, Marcel Steyn also left Sentech for Neotel , placing the MyWireless portfolio in the hands of Michael Kuczimierczyk’ (Sentech loses key staff, MyBroadband, 30 August 2007).

• George Wenhold – ‘Sentech’s BizNet Product Manager, George Wenhold, moved to Internet Solutions as a product manager for their Africa services. Sentech’s Kuczimierczyk will now also look after the Biznet product range’ (Sentech loses key staff, MyBroadband, 30 August 2007).

• Pranill Ramchander – ‘Pranill Ramchander, who took over from Michelle Potgieter as Marketing & Communications manager at Sentech, is packing his bags for the Anglo American Corporate Office where he will be their new Country Media Manager. Hulusani Rasivhaga, who has only been with Sentech for a few weeks, will take over in an acting capacity from Ramchan’ (Sentech loses key staff, MyBroadband, 30 August 2007).

One thing is clear from the above: Sentech is losing key staff members to competitors quite rapidly and replacements seem to leave Sentech sooner rather than later.It might be the case that competitors are offering better remuneration packages and that no real trouble is brewing at Sentech, but we all know the devastating effect the departure of key staff members can have on the morale and performance of a company.

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) wishes Sentech all the best in turning the ship around especially now that iBurst has crawled closer to Telkom.