Susan Gordon, Business Reporter

Left: Junaid Munshi has gone back home to South Africa. Right: Mark Linehan, new CEO of Digicel Jamaica. - File photos

Digicel Jamaica's new commercial director, Junaid Munshi, who in May replaced Harry Smith, has quit his job at the mobile phone company.

Wednesday Business understands that Munshi left two months ago, after being with the company for less than three months.

He is the second top executive to hit the revolving door in recent months, following behind David Hunter, who severed ties with Digicel after four months as chief executive officer.

Patria-Kaye Aarons, public relations officer, told Wednesday Business that Munshi, a South African, left primarily because of the challenges his family had adjusting to Jamaica.

The company has not replaced the commercial director, according to Aarons.

Strong team

New CEO Mark Linehan does not believe the post is required under Digicel's existing business model, she said.

"If you have two strong persons doing sales and marketing, you don't need one (commercial director)," Linehan told Wednesday Business, when asked whether, given the highly competitive nature of Jamaica's mobile market, he would be replacing Munshi.

"We've got a strong team. We don't see the need for one," added Linehan.

Digicel is the number one mobile phone company here, with a customer base of 1.9 million. But after six years, its growth has slowed considerably.

The Denis O'Brien-owned company has jousted for seven years with Cable and Wireless Jamaica, but now faces new rivalry from Mexico's America Movil, a large multinational whose near 60 million subscriber base dwarfs the Digicel Group's six million.

Last year, America Movil bought up Jamaica's MiPhone to take a position in this market with some 220,000 to 250,000 subscribers.

MiPhone and Digicel are already quarrelling over cell tower access.

Promotions

Linehan said that Wayne Miller, formerly marketing manager (consumer), was promoted to head marketing, while Jason Corrigan is now the director for sales and distribution.

Of Munshi's contribution to Digicel, Linehan said: "He was well liked and was doing a good job here, but I don't think his family really settled here and there was an opportunity which came up in South Africa."

Corrigan has worked in sales for 10 years and was at Digicel Vanuatu as sales manager before joining the team a week after Linehan joined in July. He also worked with O2 Retail in Ireland for over five years.

Miller started with the Digicel group in 2005 as marketing com-munications manager, was seconded to Digicel Haiti in 2006 as acting head of marketing, then returned to Jamaica in May 2007.

susan.gordon@gleanerjm.com