Expert Areas
Chief Information Security Officer at Ethio telecom

Mekdes Mintesnot is the Chief Information Security Officer at Ethio telecom, with over 37 years of experience in IT leadership, transformation, Program/Project Management and Change Management, technology enhancement and business and IT strategic alignment in the Telecom Industry. She has a BSc Degree in Information Management Systems. Her extensive experience in the ICT field began with a computer programmer position at Ethio telecom. Since then, she has earned numerous leadership positions in the company, including IT service officer, Business analysis and Road map manager, and Billing and customer care division manager. She was first named as the Chief Information Officer eight years ago, making her the only female to land this position in the company’s history. One of her major achievements as a CIO was her successful leadership during the implementation of the Telecom Expansion Project (TEP) in the IT domain, which migrated over 30million subscribers in 4 systems within 24 hours. This was followed by a position as the Chief Quality and Process Officer in 2018, during which time she played a major role in the transformation of new leadership that is currently in place at Ethio telecom. In 2019, Mekdes was named the Chief information security officer; her responsibilities include fraud prevention and management, cyber security strategy development and operation, Revenue assurance and Enterprise risk management. As CISO, she ensured the overall business continuity of the company with her team.

In addition to her academic and professional achievements, Mekdes’s expertise are also backed by countless short courses and trainings in ICT, leadership, and management, including those with Oracle DB, PMI and Risk management. Moreover, Mekdes is an active participant in multiple societal work. She has mentored young girls with aspirations to join the tech world, which is an area of interest for her as she believes in the education and encouragement of the youth and the significant role it plays. In 2018, was a trainer and coordinator during the training program for the African Girls Can Code Initiative, which was organized by ITU, AU and UN Women. She is one of the motivators and speaker at the Annual “Girls in ICT day” organized by ITU, which is a platform that inspires and educates Girls and young women to enter the ICT sector. Mekdes is known and admired for her exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills. She manages and leads by example, while taking into consideration the various personalities and attitudes of her colleagues. Her achievements and expertise has earned her well-deserved honorary spot in the ICT field.