Last checked at 
* MTN CEO Rob Shuter to start at BT in early 2021
* MTN to announce Shuter's successor in next 4-8 weeks
* MTN scraps first half dividend
* MTN shares down more than 4%
(Adds BT CEO quotes, MTN scrapping dividend and background)
By Nqobile Dludla
JOHANNESBURG, July 31 (Reuters) - The chief executive
officer of South Africa's MTN Group, Rob Shuter, has
been appointed to head the enterprise unit of British broadband
and mobile operator BT from next year, the two firms said
on Friday.
MTN will announce Shuter's successor in the next four to
eight weeks, Africa's biggest mobile operator by subscribers
said in a separate statement.
In March MTN announced that Shuter would step down at the
end of his four-year term in March 2021, with the 52-year old
saying he chose not to renew his contract.
"I'm delighted to welcome Rob to BT. He brings a wealth of
international telecoms experience and has a track record of
driving innovation in business and consumer markets," BT Group
CEO Philip Jansen said in a separate statement.
"This will make him ideally suited to drive forward the
support we provide to UK businesses and public sector
organisations."
Prior to joining MTN, Shuter served as CEO of Vodafone's
European Cluster as well as CEO of Vodafone Netherlands.
During his tenure, Shuter has helped MTN navigate major
regulatory challenges, especially in Nigeria, and returned the
mobile operator to growth.
MTN, which will release its interim results on Aug.6, has
decided not to declare a 2020 interim dividend due to the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic and related ongoing uncertainty, it
said in its trading statement.
Should conditions warrant a final dividend, it would be no
more than 390 cents per share, which is aligned to its current
dividend policy, it added.
"The key factors to consider will include the general
macro-economic environment, the status of cash upstreaming from
operating companies and the outlook for the holding company
leverage ratio," the telecom operator said.
Shares in MTN fell 6.88% after the announcement but
recovered some losses to stand 4.70% lower by 1045 GMT, on track
for their biggest daily fall in nearly two months.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; editing by Jason Neely and
Kirsten Donovan)
