Ricky Chabedi

I worked in the ICT industry for a total of 27 years. I started off with TELKOM SA Pty Ltd (fixed line) in the Radio Planning and then moved to wireless networks in the doing mobile devices testing for networks compatibility. Testing new network software and features to ensure that all existing mobiles are compatible with the new changes.

Later I moved to Ericsson Consumer Products division as a Technical support Manager in the customer services division. Here my responsibilities included training the trainers in mobile handset repairs, certification and auditing of Ericsson partner mobile repair centres in the sub-Saharan Africa. Then I moved to customer solutions division when the consumer products merged with Sony to form SonyEricsson and all personnel in the South African office was closed down. I joined the Network Consulting group within customer solutions as the Transmission Network Planning & Design engineer. Responsibilities included support of the sales team during the bid process, and as an Implementation PM during the after sales process.

After being at Ericsson for a total of almost 9 years I decided to move for growth. I needed a change and different experience in project management. I joined Motorola as TSI (Territorial System Integration) Lead, which other companies name Program Manager/Director in the Customer Services division. Motorola was later bought by NokiaSiemens Network where I moved across with the acquisition and still with the company which also later was renamed Nokia after the buying out of Siemens by Nokia from the partnership. My responsibilities since moving across have been the regional PM on the Vodacom network swap-out of the RAN in the Eastern region in South Africa based in Port Elizabeth.

From Nokia Networks I then joined Cisco International on a short term contract before moving to BT (British Telecoms) and thereafter I joined SIAE Mircoelettronica. After SIAE I joined DFA in their wireless division As the National Wireless Project Manager but also supporting the fibre projects on the government projects. After DFA closed the wireless division I joined TNJ Projects as a Senior Projects Manager on their fibre projects.

I studied electrical engineering in communications electronics in 1996 at Pta Technical College, and then later did my Project Management with Unisa in 2004. Apart from these I did lots of manufacture in-house training courses.