Another SA exec leaves Glo

Richard Morse, who has followed former Virgin Mobile boss Steve Bailey out of the door, has lamented what he calls a "total lack of corporate governance" at the Nigerian mobile operator. By Duncan McLeod.

Added by Duncan McLeod on 13 August 2012.
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Another senior SA telecommunications executive, recruited recently to Nigeria’s Glo Mobile, has resigned. Richard Morse, who was appointed three months ago to head up strategy and innovation at Glo, says he left as a result of the way the company is being managed.

Glo is Nigeria’s second biggest mobile operator after MTN and has more than 20m customers.

The departure of Morse, who was previously group technology executive for telecoms at Dimension Data’s Plessey division, comes just weeks after former Virgin Mobile SA CEO Steve Bailey, who had been named as Glo’s chief commercial officer, quit.

Bailey returned to SA after less than two months in the job, saying he resigned when Glo paid him late and then paid him an amount that was less than what had been agreed.

“I was tempted to resign when Steve Bailey left but decided to stick it out in order to implement a rural telecommunications initiative that … could have increased Glo’s subscriber base by 25%,” says Morse.

“SA expats who have joined the company this year have been taxed more than agreed and the company has used a lower than agreed exchange rate to pay them. Most of the expats are disillusioned and are looking for a way out.”

Morse alleges that Glo’s human resources department pays people late and “does not adhere to what it has commited to in employment contracts”.

“Glo has a total lack of corporate governance,” he says.

A source close to some of the South Africans working at Glo says the company changed its leave policy for expats last week Friday.

In terms of the new rules, they are not entitled to paid annual leave for the first 12 months of their contracts and will also not be allowed to take unpaid leave for their first six months on the job.

“It seems to be a response to expats coming back to SA and then just not returning to Nigeria,” the source says. “The mood among the SA expats is very gloomy.”

Glo chairman Mike Adenuga could not be reached on his mobile phone on Monday for comment.  – (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media

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  • glo expat

    Duncan, please ask Richard why he did not tell you that he was fired for non performance?

  • SA expat

    Richard, you were fired. Please tell the truth?

  • Anonymous

    Richard Morse, Steve Bailey, and South African expats, Please think off what you are
    doing and also not writing the truth about yourselves.

    It is very nice
    to go on a smear Compiegne with Glo, but be aware that other Companies reading
    this might not offer you a Job after all. The way you go about Glo means that
    the same you will do to other Companies and is a fact.

    And as for Richard Morse, Steve
    Bailey, and SA expats who have joined the
    company this year accepted
    the contract with GLO, and some was aware of the roomers previously and still
    accepted. Question Why?

    Ever since you landed the only thing you could
    do was complaining. Any Company you are working for got their own way to manage its Company and is working in the fifo
    way. It means all other Companies like Dimension Data, Virgin Mobile SA, etc got the same rule.

    “Maybe all of You has a total
    lack of governance,” Do you think that the above mentioned Companies
    will give you a fully furnished apartments for you and your Families, Cleaner for
    housekeeping, paying your DSTV, company vehicle with fuel, all expenses paid
    plus a Driver and not even to speak of your salary.

    All has been given clean apartments,
    fitted with new TV, Fridges, Washing machines, etc, new Vehicles, some vehicle
    has been written off because of the Expat behaviour going out at Nights to
    clubs, picking up woman, drunkenness, making accidents by writing the vehicle off.
    What a jolly life and you expect that Glo chairman Mike Adenuga must accept this kind of behaviour of
    the South African Expatriates.

    “A source
    close to some of the South Africans working at Glo says the company changed its
    leave policy for expats last week Friday”. Yes it is true.

    In terms of the rules in any given Company, you are not entitled
    to paid annual leave for the first 12 months of your contract and will also not
    be allowed to take unpaid leave for their first six months on the job. Unless
    prior arrangements been made with your HR with a valid reason.

    “It is to
    the response that expats going back to SA and then just not returning to
    Nigeria,” After they have already received their reallocation funds and Glo is losing
    all the way and no Expat will think of returning some of the funds. “The mood
    among the SA expats is very gloomy because they did it to themselves and
    persons like you with a attitude problem caused a lot of problems for the Expat
    which really do need this work.”

    Richard Morse, who was appointed three months ago to head up strategy
    and innovation at Glo, was asked to leave because he left for leave to SA and
    did not resume as arranged and signed on his leave form handed to HR department,
    Therefore HR ended his Contract with Glo. Richard Morse has not left as a
    result of the way the company is being managed.

    Glo chairman Mike Adenuga, do not need
    to put up with the arrogance and bad attitude behaviour from some the South
    Africans. There is South African that appreciates the opportunity to work for
    Glo and earn an income. Anonymous

  • SA expat

    Anonymous, please dont generalise about all the SA expats. There are a select few that will always complain, but the majority of us are here to work and earn a honest living!

  • Not surprised

    I can confirm and am not surprised that Richard Morse was fired – his arrogance and ego got the better of him. SA expat, you are right that there are a number of people there who want to make Glo work. Come guys, South African expats have a fantastic reputation the world over – don’t let the behaviour and attitude of a few pull you down.

  • Also Anonymous

    I notice with great interest that not a single person leaving comments will identify themselves. If life is so rosy at Glo then I’d expect them to be proud to name themselves.

  • Judy

    Bad for Glo… Now most expats (across the world) will think twice before moving to Nigeria…

  • Andre

    A company does not just get 26 million customers without having some backbone to it. Especially in market where it’s competing with MTN and Airtel. This might have been different to what we are used to in SA – might well have been outdated and in urgent need of change. But still to be respected for its past.

    If you want to be an expat worker you need to learn how to adapt to different cultures first. Is 1 month really long enough to understand the difference between this and governance?

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