Carl von Graszouw
Operations Executive · Solutions Architect · Key Account & Business Development
Telecoms, IoT & Digital Transformation — 30+ years · 22 countries
Professional summary
Operations executive and solutions architect with 30+ years running large-scale telecoms, IoT, and industrial engineering programmes. Operational track record includes teams of up to 221 staff, R180M annual budgets, national PPM/CPM frameworks, HSE/QC governance, and turnkey P&L delivery across 22 African countries and internationally (UK, Australia, India, China, UAE). Commercial accountability — key account ownership, technical-commercial bid response, RFP/RFQ authoring, and partner/OEM ecosystem growth — has been a KPI in every role. Specialises in Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, BLE Hop, and Meshtastic for asset tracking, security, smart metering, and industrial monitoring across mining, municipal, and telecom sectors. Delivered R75M+ Capex savings through the Digital Twin and Cluster Bracket programmes and received the Vodacom CEO Award — 1st place (2021) for Technology & Innovation.
Core competencies
- IoT & connectivity Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, BLE Hop, Meshtastic, Wi-Fi sniffing
- Sensors & tracking Motion/tamper (MD1), asset tracking (AT1L), environmental, manhole & valve protection
- Integration SCADA, cloud dashboards, API/webhooks, digital twins, 5G modernisation
- Telecoms & digital infrastructure Tower engineering (TIA-222-G/H, SANS 10160/10162), capacity, co-location, 5G/4G programmes, DPS, PPM/CPM, OSS/BSS, Digital Twins, GIS, IoT.nxt
- Mechanical & industrial Structural fabrication, corrosion (ISO 12944), welding (GTAW, SMAW, SAW; AWS D1.1, ASME IX, ISO 3834), pipelines (HP/LP steel/HDPE/PP/PVC; CIPP, swage lining), bulk materials (WEBA chutes, conveyors), NDT
- Project & operations Turnkey PM (R180M+), BOQ, RFP/SoW, teams up to 221 staff, budgeting, P&L, KPI, risk, ISO 9001, HSE (ISO 45001, HIRA/JSA, PTW, fall arrest)
- Requirements engineering & document control Formal CRS (Client Requirement Specification) & URS (User Requirement Specification) authoring under controlled-document governance — issue control, amendments, approvals, traceability from business objective to technical and commercial sign-off
- Business development & key accounts KPI-driven BD across all roles; RFP/RFQ response, commercial negotiation, C-suite relationships, partner & OEM ecosystems, proposal authoring, pipeline growth
- Leadership EXCO-level operations, cross-border delivery, stakeholder management, executive reporting
Professional experience
- Requirement specification — lead formal Client Requirement Specification (CRS) and User Requirement Specification (URS) workshops under controlled-document governance, capturing business objectives, functional & non-functional requirements, regulatory/compliance needs, operating environment, ROI expectations, reporting, and stakeholder mapping as the baseline for all downstream design.
- Solution design — translate the CRS into end-to-end IoT architectures drawn from G-Matrix's hardware and software portfolio across Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, and BLE Hop platforms.
- Technical validation — prove end-to-end feasibility of each solution (connectivity, sensors, firmware, cloud integration) before commercial sign-off.
- Proposal authoring — produce technical-commercial proposals, BOQs, and delivery roadmaps for active engagements.
- Commercial modelling — build client-facing cost models, ROI cases, and bid responses.
- Key account management — own the client relationship from requirement gathering through delivery sign-off and commercial closure.
- Client engagement — lead technical-commercial engagements with top-tier South African enterprises across retail, security, defence, municipal, mining, and industrial sectors — delivering end-to-end IoT security, asset intelligence, and data-integration solutions.
- Consulting vehicle through which the current G-Matrix Systems engagement (and prior Glenshade Holdings advisory) is delivered.
- Delivered IoT and telecom consulting to 35+ clients across transport, logistics, security, municipal, and industrial sectors — covering digital transformation, asset tracking, and infrastructure protection.
- Conducted HSE and QC audits, reducing operational risk by 20% for telecom clients.
- Prepared RFQs, scopes of work, and technical-commercial proposals for smart city and industrial IoT deployments.