Media24 CEO Raj Lalbahadur, Datatec CEO Jens Montanana and Jerusha Raath, general manager: English media at Media24.

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News24’s CEO of the Year is Datatec Group CEO, Jens Montanana.

Now in its fourth year, the award recognises a business leader who has helped to achieve excellent returns through strategic execution and innovation, while also being a transparent leader who makes a larger contribution.

The winner of the award is determined by looking at JSE-listed companies that have delivered the strongest investment returns in recent years.

From a shortlist of contenders, News24 consulted fund managers and analysts on their views of the CEOs of these companies and how well they are delivering on commitments and operational excellence.

The News24 team also scrutinised the leaders for their ability to turn plans into results, as well as how accessible and transparent they are.

Datatec was among the top-performing companies over the past five years, with its share price gaining almost 60% in 2025 alone.

Montanana founded the company in 1986, which has grown from a Joburg-based supplier of computer modems and other equipment to a global ICT giant with 11 000 employees in 50 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

In recent years, Montanana is credited with achieving an impressive strategic reset of the group, with a big shift towards software and services, including cybersecurity.

This is paying off in a big way, and he is lauded by analysts for expanding margins and unlocking value while forging key partnerships across the world.

“Execution has been exceptional. Everything they’ve guided, they’ve delivered on,” one fund manager told News24.

Montanana is also praised for being a straight talker, with a clear vision of where the company is heading.

READ | Datatec dividend up 133% as AI, cybersecurity fuel profit increase

Receiving the award at a gala event in Cape Town on Thursday, he said: “None of this would have been possible without the long term commitment to our own business sustainability.”

He said: “AI is going to be yet another disruptor in the continual, continual evolution of technology, but it will also be an enabler for humans to significantly improve both their adaptability and usefulness.”

He dedicated the award to Datatech’s 10 000 employees worldwide.

The awards function was sponsored by Uber, with investment data for judging the award provided by PSG Old Oak.