Game Changer Profile

Pieter de Villiers, Founder and CEO at Clickatell Read insights

Pieter de Villiers is a South African born, Silicon Valley based entrepreneur with a passion for mobile and the empowerment it leads to. Pieter is also one of the youngest mobile industry veterans with over 14 years of experience in global telecoms, mobile messaging and mobile payments backed by the likes of Sequoia Capital. As the CEO and co-founder of Clickatell, Inc., a leading Global Provider of Application-2-Person Mobile Messaging and Mobile Transactional Services, Pieter has successfully lead his team to grow a multi million dollar profitable business operating on multiple continents. Since its launch, Clickatell boasts one of the largest messaging-as-a-service footprints globally and fastest growing mobile pre-paid networks, serving more than 28,000 companies across 960 mobile operators in more than 220 countries and territories.

Pieter has been recognized for his leadership and achievement in the mobile industry by many industry organizations, including Global Technology Business who named Pieter as one of “top 40 under 40” executives who will likely “run the telecoms industry in 2020.” De Villiers has also been honored with the Mobile Village Mobile Star Award for Visionary of the Year in Wireless and the Visiongain Research Mobile Content Awards Industry Personality of the year.

Along with his work with Clickatell and the mobile industry, Pieter is also an active participant in socially responsible organizations and programs.  Pieter is an advisor for the SABLE Accelerator Network which provides mentoring and consulting services to South African companies, entrepreneurs, and institutions.  Pieter is also founder of the SiMODiSA Start-up Summit, a movement focused on exploring ways to accelerate tech startup success in South Africa and Africa as well as GSMA’s Hive Projects that work to power charities and communities through SMS.  In 2012, Pieter was awarded with the Social Economic Impact Award from the San Jose Business Journal.

Pieter is a familiar face in the mobile industry and an active participant in many leading mobile organizations.  Pieter has and continue to contribute in various forums and interest groups including: the GSM Association, CTIA, Open Mobile Alliance, Wireless Application Service Provider Association and Mobile Data Association. Pieter is an accomplished speaker and has presented his thoughts on mobile at various mobile conferences in the United States, Europe and Africa including: GSM Mobile World Congress – MMU, Mobile Money Africa, International CTIA Wireless Conference and the Rutberg & Co., Wireless Influencers Conference, etc.