Management team

Francis Létourneau, President & Chief Executive Officer

Francis Létourneau is a seasoned and accomplished Sales and Marketing executive with over 25 years of experience in the telecom industry. Mr.Létourneau is a results-oriented and self-driven professional with 20 years of experience at NuRAN Wireless Inc. Mr. Létourneau was initially promoted to member on the Board of Directors at NuRAN in 2015.

This experience has now earned him the title of President and CEO of NuRAN Wireless. Mr. Létourneau has been instrumental in steering NuRAN into a new direction through the implementation NAAS business model, which now defines NuRAN as Mobile Network Operator. As a result of this strategic initiative, NuRAN Wireless has now generated over $550 Millions Dollars in contracts in its initial year as an MNO.

Mr. Létourneau holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Laval University, Quebec, Canada and is a Registered Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Jim Bailey, Chief Financial Officer

25+ years of experience working with Telecoms, Media and Technology companies. Roles include Director of M&A, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Executive Officer and Director. A significant role in the NuRAN space was CFO and later CEO of Telecel International, a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Holdings, which had operations across sub-Saharan Africa. He also worked in Business Development for the group cover the EMEA region and was CFO of Orascom Telecom WiMAX Limited, a joint venture with Intel Capital. For the last 10 years Jim has worked as a financial consultant to SMEs providing corporate finance advice in M&A, business planning and as interim/part-time CFO. He is holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary, an MBA from London Business School and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

David Parsons, Chief Technology Officer

Graduated from the University of Bath (England) with a master’s degree in Electronic and Communication Engineering. He has worked with many MNOs and equipment vendors across Latin America for over 15 years to support network planning and optimization activities. He has led engineering teams to streamline and improve the internal work processes of customers, from simple coverage planning activities to traffic forecasting algorithms. David has been with NuRAN Wireless for 7 years and in his CTO role drives product development to overcome the rural connectivity challenges and support MNOs and organizations in their endeavours to bring people closer together through technology.

Esther Bibeau, Human Resources Vice President

Esther is a professional with 17+ years of human resources management experience. Working for multinationals and growing companies for 13 years, she has abilities to support teams in constant movement and evolution, such as NuRAN Wireless. She has notable experience in strategic human resource planning, performance management, staffing, work relations, employee benefits, compensation and payroll, training and development, and management coaching. She is an Industrial Relations graduate from Laval University and is currently completing a coach training program at Coaching de Gestion Institute.

Denis Lambert, Vice President of Sales | Wireless Network Solutions | NuRAN Wireless

Navindran Naidoo, Strategic Operations Advisor

Navi Naidoo has over 25 years telecommunications experience, in the fields of mobile and fixed network planning and optimisation, encompassing network facilities development, spectrum planning, transport systems including IP networks, next generation core and enterprise networks. He was responsible for the efficient and strategic evolution of Networks (RAN, Transport, Core, OSS and Energy & Infrastructure) to offer the best customer experience to MTN’s customers, globally. He was also instrumental in advancing the rural network rollout across Africa by introducing alternative vendors, such as NuRan and other ORAN suppliers. Navi represented MTN Group at the Facebook TIP initiative and facilitated numerous lab and field testing of Open Source equipment and other RAN vendors for rollout in Africa.

Navi joined MTN in 1997 and has held various Senior Management positions in Group Technology as well as being the Network Executive from 2013 to 2021. He has had previous assignments in Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon and Swaziland, where he was instrumental in the initial planning, deployment and operation of MTN’s mobile networks in these countries.

Navi holds a Master of Business Administration Degree, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management, Master of Science in Engineering & Electronics and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering & Electronics from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (formerly the University of Natal) in South Africa.

Gerard Lokossou Strategic Commercial Advisor

Mr. Lokossou is a senior executive and strategic advisor with nearly 30 years of leadership experience across Africa in telecommunications and other sectors, including FMCG, renewable energy, and capital markets. He has held regional, group-level, and Executive positions with leading Telecom players like MTN, Airtel Africa, and Orange, among other companies. Widely recognized for his impact on Africa’s telecom sector, Mr. Lokossou has led business turnarounds, growth acceleration strategies, and commercial transformations across West,

Central, and East Africa. He brings a strong pan-African network of relationships with operators, regulators, investors, and strategic partners. Mr. Lokossou holds an Engineering Diploma from the National Polytechnique Institute (INP-HB) in Ivory Coast and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and HEC Paris.