MTN Group announce the appointment of Fatima Laher as Group Executive: Group Legal, effective 1 October 2022. Fatima re-joins MTN from Samsung Electronics, where she held the role of Head of Africa Disputes, for the past six years.

Lele Modise, Group Chief Legal and Regulatory officer said, “Fatima is adept at providing expert strategic and innovative advice to senior leadership in the prestigious institutions she has worked for locally and internationally.” 

“As Executive: Group Legal, Fatima will provide support in overseeing all legal areas and managing legal risk, supporting strategic projects and initiatives across MTN Group, as well as supporting the implementation of the Group Legal & Regulatory strategy,” concluded Modise. 

Fatima Laher is a seasoned multi-skilled Legal Executive with expertise across various disciplines, including but not limited to managing high value cross border litigation, legal risk mitigation and corporate investigations, mergers, and acquisitions, as well as commercial law. 

Fatima brings more than 25 years of legal experience to MTN, having held various roles at pan-African (Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Africa) and international law firms (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (Dubai) and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP (Dubai). Some of her previous roles include being Partner (Director) at Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group, responsible for corporate compliance and investigations and Executive: Group Commercial Legal, Regulatory and Compliance at MTN Group.

Fatima is an Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She holds Master of Laws, Honours in Law, and Bachelor of Arts degrees, all obtained from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.   

Qatar Airways Wins the “Airline of the Year” Award by Skytrax for an Unprecedented Seventh Time and Takes Home Three Other Major Awards

DOHA, Qatar – As the airline proudly celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2022, Qatar Airways has been named “Airline of the Year” by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax, for an unprecedented seventh time. At a glittering event in London earlier today, the leading global airline also took home three additional awards including World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East. Qatar Airways has been named ‘Airline of the Year’ in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and now 2022.

The prestigious 2022 Skytrax awards are coveted within the industry due to their reputation as the benchmark for excellence and distinction. Qatar Airways home airport and hub, Hamad International Airport, was also recently voted the World’s Best Airport 2022, taking home the award for the second year in succession, ensuring that passengers can relax and enjoy their flights knowing they are travelling with the World’s Best Airline through the World’s Best Airport.

The airline’s premium cabin featuring the patented Qsuite, has been voted World’s Best Business Class for the sixth year running while the Al Mourjan lounge was recognised for its outstanding culinary excellence and was awarded the World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining. In a further endorsement of its leading role not just in global aviation, but also within a highly competitive region, Qatar Airways was also announced as Best Airline in the Middle East, a strong affirmation of its reputation for excellence, a strong global network, leading global partnerships and every passenger journey having a touchpoint with Hamad International Airport.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “To be named as the World’s Best Airline was always a goal when Qatar Airways was created, but to win it for the seventh time and pick up three additional awards is a testament to all the hard work of our incredible employees. Their continued dedication and drive is to ensure our passengers have the best experience possible when they fly with Qatar Airways. To win these awards in the same year that we celebrate our 25^th anniversary is even more rewarding and I want to offer a sincere thanks to all our passengers who voted for us. Your support drives us to greater achievements every day, we value your loyalty and aim to create memories of a lifetime when you fly with Qatar Airways.”

Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “To receive the 2022 World’s Best Airline award is a great recognition of Qatar Airways high standards, and recognises the hard work and dedication from every member of the airline’s staff to satisfy customers. Qatar Airways were the largest airline to have flown consistently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with their network never falling below 30 destinations, and that determination has clearly been well recognised by customers with this award as Airline of the Year 2022. For Qatar Airways to achieve this top accolade for a seventh time is both a unique and remarkable achievement, and we congratulate them for this success.”

The awards, widely known as “the Oscars of the Aviation Industry”, covered the 12 months from September 2021 to August 2022 with over 14 million eligible entries counted in the results, a period when Qatar Airways increased its global network back to over 150 destinations. The airline also earlier became the first global airline to receive the Skytrax COVID-19 Safety Rating in January 2021.

The full list of awards won by Qatar Airways at the 2022 World Airline Awards by Skytrax are:

·         Airline of the Year

·         World’s Best Business Class

·         World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining

·         Best Airline in the Middle East

The Skytrax World Airline Awards are independent and impartial, introduced in 1999 to provide a customer satisfaction study that was truly global. Travellers across the world vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to decide the award winners.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021).

Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as the ‘World’s Best Airport’.

JOHANNESBURG – For some participants, Day 1 of the much anticipated DStv Delicious Festival began on a negative note due to  long queues into the event premises.

The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand hosted the international culinary and music event on Saturday.Festival guests had a wide selection of food and drinks to choose from.

For some festival goers, the event’s opening was marred by unexpectedly long lines to enter the venue.

Many festival goers aired their dissatisfaction on social media, which helped the event rise to the top of the Twitter trends list.

Many people voiced their displeasure, but others made suggestions on how to enjoy it the next time: like be there as early as 10am. 

The event would not have received good marks from festival goers if Burna Boy had not been the headlining act.The artist lit the stage on fire while performing his hit songs Last Last, Ye, and Soke.

His performance single-handedly saved the event and helped others to feel less guilty about going to the festival .

DStv Delicious apologised on Saturday night, citing a delay at their doors caused by the need to verify tickets due to fake ones.

On Sunday, a number of local acts as well as the Grammy-winning Babyface will perform to conclude the event.

Attendees hope a better Day 2 that won’t let them down and, ideally, will make up for the logistical problems of Day 1.

Cybersecurity experts at Check Point Software explain that in an increasingly digitalised world, educating all users on cyber threats, no matter their age, is critical

On Technology Education Day, Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, shares its top advice on cybersecurity skills for young people. Technology Education Day assumes more significance than ever as so much course work and classroom teaching relies on digital platforms. No matter what field of study they choose, be it engineering or business, there is no way students can progress without embracing technology. However, with this increase in tech across all sectors also comes increased risk of cyberattack. In Africa, organisations experienced an average of 1,896 cyberattacks per week over the last six months.

So, Check Point Software explains the cybersecurity skills that each student should have, depending on their age group:

• Cybersecurity in primary schools: Experts recommend 10 years of age as the ideal time to begin addressing cybersecurity in the classroom – as long as the different devices have security software and parental controls, and they are used under adult supervision. At this stage, the most useful knowledge that can be taught to pupils is about privacy, responsible use of the internet, basic security settings for devices and advice on cyberbullying.
• Secondary school knowledge: This age group needs to learn the most common cybersecurity threats and dangers on the internet, such as phishing and how to identify a suspicious email or text, account theft, malware, ransomware and their signs. Following this, it is also possible to introduce and deepen knowledge of basic concepts such as bugs, vulnerabilities, exploits, or human failure as well as sophisticated social engineering – what it is, how it works and how cybercriminals use it.
• Higher Education: Whether pursuing a university degree or a vocational training cycle, it is at this stage that a student focuses on the subject in which they want to specialise and develop for their professional life. Subjects such as computer engineering, telecommunications, a degree specialising in cybersecurity or computer science are the ones that will expand the cybersecurity knowledge beyond what was learned at school. It should not be forgotten that the digital world, and likewise the threat landscape, is constantly evolving, and at a much faster rate than other disciplines, so training does not stop. After completing higher education, students can always continue to expand knowledge and skills with courses or master’s degrees.

“Cybersecurity education is becoming more and more important, as it will not only be useful for people working in the sector, but it will be crucial for everyone’s day-to-day life. Everything is becoming more digitalised and any action we take will carry dangers both in our work and in our private lives”, explains Pankaj Bhula, Regional Director for Africa at Check Point Software. “Today’s children are technology natives, so let’s give them the tools to feel safe in a fast-changing environment where they spend most of their day”.

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About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. 

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions to corporate enterprises and governments globally.  Check Point Infinity’s portfolio of solutions protects enterprises and public organisations from 5^th generation cyberattacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and other threats. Infinity comprises three core pillars delivering uncompromised security and generation V threat prevention across enterprise environments: Check Point Harmony, for remote users; Check Point CloudGuard, to automatically secure clouds; and Check Point Quantum, to protect network perimeters and datacenters, all controlled by the industry’s most comprehensive, intuitive unified security management; Check Point Horizon, a prevention-first security operations suite. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.