Jean-Pierre Célestin Kabanda
Sutton,United Kingdom
Summary
Accomplished professional with expertise in business development and market expansion, driving revenue growth through strategic planning and go-to-market strategies. Proven track record in sales leadership and pipeline management, excelling in product marketing and account management. Skilled in PPP and government negotiations, adept at contract negotiation to maximise business opportunities. Committed to leveraging skills for continued success in dynamic environments.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Vice-President, Sales, & Business Development
MITRELLI
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
05.2023 - 05.2025
- Spearheaded a landmark Private Public Partnership (PPP) with the Ivorian Ministry of Construction, leveraging drones and AI to enable continuous monitoring of active construction sites in Abidjan, thereby enhancing operational efficiency of the GUPC and eliminating the number of unauthorised constructions.
- Drove national IT and G-SOC cybersecurity discussions with the Ivorian Ministry of Digital Transformation, positioning Mitrelli as a key government technology partner.
- Enabled a telemedicine pilot project in the South Comoé Sanitary region between the Ivorian Ministry of Health and Mitrelli Healthcare, demonstrating scalable healthcare solutions to roll out nationally in underserved areas.
Founder & Managing Director
GASABO LTD
Sutton, United Kingdom
08.2016 - 04.2023
- Established the company from ground up to advise firms on B2B trade/investment opportunities in the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology sectors across Africa;
- Advised fintech eTranzact on its African expansion strategy, directly leading to a contract to implement Cameroon's unified National Digital Payment Switching Infrastructure (NPSI), managed by CamPost.
- Enhanced Movicel Angola’s operational capabilities by brokering a strategic consultancy agreement with Vodafone Partners.
- Authored a go-to-market plan for a regional broadband satellite operator with Comsys; conducted due diligence on an African broadband satellite transaction for Analysys Mason on behalf of a financial investor.
Vice-President, Sales, Marketing & Business Development
GLOBAL IP
El Segundo, USA
01.2017 - 08.2019
- Built and managed a robust sales pipeline across 5 key African markets (South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Niger, and Ethiopia), and secured multiple MoUs worth millions of USD ahead of the launch of GiSAT-1, a major Ka band broadband satellite venture for Africa with 150 Gbps of capacity.
- Supported cellular backhaul product development and negotiated key partnerships with MNOs and OpenRAN suppliers to ensure product-market fit.
- Represented the company at key industry events (MWC, TIP, ITU, IAD, AfricaCom, Transform Africa) to generate qualified leads and forge new channel partnerships.
Vice-President, Business Development: Sub-Saharan Africa
SES
Johannesburg, South Africa
03.2011 - 07.2016
- Defined and executed the teleport strategy for SES in Accra, Lagos and Djibouti, cementing SES’ position as a leading provider of Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast services in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Played a key role in the deployment of $1B USD investment for the design, manufacture and launch of the SES-4, SES-5, ASTRA-2F/2G satellites, which expanded significantly the company’s inventory and enhanced its competitive edge in the Sub-Saharan African TV broadcasting sector.
- Expanded the client base and drove revenue growth, surpassing $100M USD in annual turnover in Africa.
Vice-President, Market Development: Africa & Middle East
SES WORLD SKIES
London, United Kingdom
03.2008 - 03.2011
- Developed strategic options for medium- and long-term growth in Africa and the Middle East and contributed to O3b due diligence which resulted in $1B USD strategic investment.
- Assisted Fleet and Spectrum Departments in preparatory meetings to successfully defend C band spectrum at the ITU 2012 World Radio Conference and to safeguard the satellite industry business interests.
Director of Sales, Africa
NEW SKIES SATELLITES
London, United Kingdom
03.1999 - 03.2008
- Directed the Africa sales and cross-functional support teams, monitoring performance and increasing annual revenue from $5 MUSD in 1999 to $40 MUSD.
- Elevated the company profile as a premier provider of satellite services to African Telcos, MNOs, Broadcasters, ISPs, Corporates, Governments, and Institutional Customers.
- Successfully persuaded the company to relocate the NSS-803 S1 Ku band beam from Brazil to West Africa, thus enabling sales of new DTH, VSAT and internet services; subsequently convinced it to add substantial new high-powered Ku band inventory over Africa on the planned NSS-7, NSS-8, and NSS-12 satellites.
Founder and Managing Director
DEXYS S.A.R.L.
Evry, France
06.1997 - 03.1999
- Designed and supplied turnkey analogue MMDS pay TV systems to operators in Cotonou, Douala, and Kara.
- Secured VIACCESS Conditional Access System license and negotiated a simulcrypt arrangement with Portinvest and Canal+ on LESAT C band bouquet on IS-803.
Export Manager
ENCOM ENGINEERING & COMMUNICATION
Bondoufle, France
09.1993 - 06.1997
- Coordinated exports of satellite television and telephone equipment into Africa and the Middle East, generating over $3M USD in annual sales.
- Designed and supplied turnkey MMDS systems for Lomé and Bamako and contributed to the launch of the Francophone bouquet for Africa funded by the French Ministry of Cooperation.
- Oversaw the procurement, inspection, shipping, and L/C documentation for a $1.2M USD supply contract to Iran national broadcaster.
Account Representative-Africa
ECHOSTAR INTERNATIONAL
Almelo, The Netherlands
09.1992 - 09.1993
- Built a continent-wide network of value-added resellers and installers which generated $500,000 USD in new revenue within a year.
- Initiated joint product development between Echosphere Corporation and Multichoice.
Market Development Intern
AT&T INTERNATIONAL
Cairo, Egypt
09.1989 - 07.1990
- Analyzed the Egyptian market for business telephones and supported the successful launch of AT&T Spirit and Merlin business telephone range at the 1990 Cairo International Trade Fair.
Education
Master of Business Administration - International Management
THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
Glendale, Arizona, USA 08.1991 - 08.1992
Bachelor of Science - Marketing & Management Information Systems
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The Bronx, New York, USA 01.1986 - 05.1989
Executive Programme - Finance Programme for Senior Executives
Oxford University
Oxford, EnglandSkills
- Business Development & Market Expansion
- Sales Leadership & Pipeline Management
- Strategic Planning & Go-to-Market
- PPP & Government Negotiations
- Product Marketing & Account Management
- Revenue Growth & Contract Negotiation
Websites
Languages
English
Fluent
French
Fluent
Portuguese
Beginner
Spanish
Beginner
Affiliations
Professional Memberships: Institute of Directors (IoD), British African Business Alliance, Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI)
Additional information
- Speaking Engagements: Frequent Speaker and Panelist at conferences organized by the Harvard Africa Business Club, Extensia, the CTO, Terrapinn, Informa, Capacity Media, BSP Media, SABA, Nigeria NBC, Kemilinks
- IT: Proficient in digital sales enablement platforms and AI productivity tools
Timeline
Vice-President, Sales, & Business Development
MITRELLI
05.2023 - 05.2025
Vice-President, Sales, Marketing & Business Development
GLOBAL IP
01.2017 - 08.2019
Founder & Managing Director
GASABO LTD
08.2016 - 04.2023
Vice-President, Business Development: Sub-Saharan Africa
SES
03.2011 - 07.2016
Vice-President, Market Development: Africa & Middle East
SES WORLD SKIES
03.2008 - 03.2011
Director of Sales, Africa
NEW SKIES SATELLITES
03.1999 - 03.2008
Founder and Managing Director
DEXYS S.A.R.L.
06.1997 - 03.1999
Export Manager
ENCOM ENGINEERING & COMMUNICATION
09.1993 - 06.1997
Account Representative-Africa
ECHOSTAR INTERNATIONAL
09.1992 - 09.1993
Master of Business Administration - International Management
THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
08.1991 - 08.1992
Market Development Intern
AT&T INTERNATIONAL
09.1989 - 07.1990
Bachelor of Science - Marketing & Management Information Systems
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
01.1986 - 05.1989
Executive Programme - Finance Programme for Senior Executives
Oxford University