Nokia has announced the appointment of Shaun Durandt as general manager for Nokia South Africa.

As of June 2013, Durandt has been tasked to lead the Nokia business within the South African market, ensuring that short and long term objectives are met. With the goal of providing strategic, operational and people leadership, Durandt will develop and deploy an ongoing business strategy that will facilitate the continued growth and success of Nokia in South Africa.

With more than a decade of industry experience, Durandt held senior management roles within MTN’s Retail and Operational structures prior to joining Blackberry, where he held various sales and strategic positions over the past five years, the most recent being  Head of Distribution for Africa.

Durandt, who hails from Pietermaritzburg, will be based at Nokia South Africa’s headquarters in Johannesburg, reporting directly to the vice president of Nokia South East Africa.

Of his appointment at Nokia South Africa, he says “I consider my new role at Nokia as an enormous opportunity, with good timing being absolutely key. I look forward to being part of this chapter in the Nokia story and to contributing to the emotional affinity that customers throughout South Africa have for the Nokia brand.”

In related news, Nokia has recently unveiled the Lumia 1020 with a 41 megapixel camera.