Safaricom is a telecommunications company based in Kenya. It is one of the largest and most successful mobile network operators in Africa, providing a wide range of mobile, voice, data, and payment services to over 40 million subscribers across the country.
Established in 1997 as a fully owned subsidiary of the telecommunications giant, Vodafone Group, Safaricom has grown to become a key player in the Kenyan economy, contributing significantly to the country’s GDP.
Over the years, Safaricom has received numerous awards for its innovative and customer-focused services, including the prestigious Global Mobile Awards in 2010 and 2015.
The company has also been recognized for its commitment to corporate social responsibility, particularly in the areas of education, health, and environmental sustainability.
In this article, we will take a closer look at Safaricom’s senior management team in 2023.
The senior management team is responsible for the daily running of the company and ensuring that we are achieving set goals. The team is led by the CEO and is made up of chief officers responsible for different functions.
Peter Ndegwa – CEO
Peter Ndegwa is the CEO of Safaricom PLC, and he joined Safaricom in April 1st.
He is an experienced Board level leader with a wealth of experience in General Management, Commercial and Business Strategy, Sales and Finance Operations, having spent over 25 years in various roles within Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors in Africa and Europe.
He holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
In his most recent role, Peter was responsible for Diageo PLC operations in 50 countries in Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa regions.
Previously, he served as CEO in Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, transforming the two operations to deliver double-digit growth by investing in people, introducing new brands, and re-organizing the businesses.
Peter served for eight years across a range of senior Executive Director roles at East Africa Breweries Limited, a Diageo subsidiary, based in Nairobi.
Serving as the Group Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Group Strategy Director, Sales Director, and as an Executive Director on the EABL Board, he was part of the team that saw the EABL business more than doubled in value and winning the coveted Most Respected Business Award in East Africa for five years in a row.
Peter is credited with the development of an affordable-beer strategy for EABL resulting in the production of new brands such as Senator beer which became one of the most successful innovations by Diageo.
He started his career at PwC, the global consulting firm, where he worked for 11 years. Peter draws his inspiration, in particular from his early upbringing laying the foundations for his strong value set, from his teachers and the legendary Dr Geoffrey Griffin – the late founder of Starehe Boys Centre- his alma mater and his parents.
Dilip Pal – Chief Finance Officer
Dilip Pal, who joined Safaricom as the Chief Finance Officer in November 2020, has more than 29 years of experience in Finance, spanning various industries including Telecoms, Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Engineering in international and multi-cultural environments.
His Division is responsible for the overall financial planning, management and oversight of the organization.
Previously, he was the CFO with DTAC Thailand, a part of the Telenor Group, since 2017. Prior DTAC he was the CFO of Grameenphone Bangladesh, a role that he held for three years.
Before Grameenphone, Dilip held various finance roles in Vodafone India in Mumbai, rising to the role of EVP Finance. He has also held senior finance roles in other organizations, namely Hutchinson Essar, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages and Tata Tinplate.
He has a Master’s in Commerce from Calcutta University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Goennka College of Commerce. He is a Chartered accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a Cost Accountant from Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India.
Stephen Kiptinness – Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Stephen Kiptinness is responsible for Safaricom’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs.
He is in charge of steering the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy as well as overseeing internal and external communications.
Stephen has more than 27 years of cumulative legal experience. He joined Safaricom from Kiptinness & Odhiambo Associates LLP where he was a Senior Partner heading the Technology and Intellectual Property practice for the last 10 years.
Before starting his practice, Stephen worked at Telkom Kenya Orange, heading Regulatory Affairs for 3 years, from 2009 to 2012.
Prior to his role at Telkom Orange, he held various legal roles including Legal Officer and subsequently Senior Legal Officer at the Communications Authority of Kenya, and Legal Manager at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, having commenced his legal career as a Trainee Advocate at Oraro & Co. Advocates.
Stephen also teaches at the University of Nairobi School of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B Hons) from the ILS Law College, University of Pune, a Diploma in Computer Science, a Certificate in Human Resource Management, a Post graduate Diploma in Law and a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Information Technology & Telecommunications Law from the London School of Economics.
Stephen is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a Member of the Law Society of Kenya and is a Certified Public Secretary with Institute of Certified Secretaries.
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi – Acting Chief Consumer Business Unit Officer
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi is the Acting Chief Consumer Business Unit Officer since July 2022.
Fawzia joined Safaricom in 2007 as a Senior Manager Reporting, Accounts Receivable and M-PESA. Since then, she has grown her career and expanded her breadth through various leadership roles.
She has been the Head of Regional Sales & Operations – Coast, Head of Consumer Planning and Pricing, Head of Consumer Segments and Head of Digital Products and Services. In October 2021, Fawzia was appointed the Mobile Data Tribe Lead.
She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nairobi and an MBA from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She has also attended multiple leadership programs and is a Certified coach.
Paul Kasimu – Chief Human Resources Officer
Paul joined Safaricom in July 2017 from the East African Breweries where he was the Group HR Director, a role he held since May 2011. He held similar roles, for a combined 9 years, at Kenya Airways and Barclays Bank.
Paul was the Chairman of the Institute of Human Resource Management in Kenya for 7 years (2008 to 2015) and led in the enactment of the 2012 Human Resources Professionals Act.
Some of his accolade includes being named the Manager of the Year at the Company of the Year Awards (COYA) in Kenya (2008).
He holds a first degree in Economics and Sociology (University of Nairobi) and a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Development (USIU-Africa).
He is a past Chairman of the Institute of Human Resource Management, Kenya; Vice-Chair of Amref-Kenya Board; and member of the United States University – Africa (USIU-A) University Council.
Nicholas Mulila – Chief Corporate Security Officer
Nicholas has 20 years’ experience in Strategy Formulation and Execution, Financial Management, Business Analysis, Risk Management and Corporate Governance.
Prior to joining Safaricom, Nicholas had worked for General Motors (EA) and Eastern Produce (K) Ltd., where he held various positions in Finance.
Mr. Mulila holds a Master of Business Administration Degree in Strategy and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Accounting Option) from the University of Nairobi.
He is a Professional Accountant and Company Secretary, a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) as well as the Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya (ICSK), member of the American Society for Industrial Security International (ASIS) and a member of the Institute of Directors (Kenya).
Morten Bangsgaard – Chief Technology Information Officer
Before Maxis, Morten was at TDC Denmark, a Danish telecommunications company, for a decade where he was responsible for planning, designing and building mobile, fixed and coax networks.
He joined TDC in 2004 as a Strategy Consultant and Head of Market Support.
While at TDC, Morten became the Vice President Head of Network Development and Strategy in 2007; he would later be appointed Executive VP and CIO in 2008, VP Technology & IT in 2013 and Senior VP Network Planning and Build, a role he held until he joined Maxis in 2014.
Before working at TDC in 2004, Morten held several roles at Ericsson Denmark, Sweden and the UK for 10 years. Morten is a Danish citizen and holds a Master’s in Economics and Mathematics from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Cynthia Karuri-Kropac – Chief Enterprise Business Officer
Cynthia joins Safaricom from AT&T, where she was the Senior Director, Enterprise Mobile and IoT Technologies, since 2019.
Cynthia’s career at AT&T Inc. spanned 19 years, having joined BellSouth in 2003 as a Senior IT Client Account Management Lead before taking on the role of Director, Mobile Service Delivery and Operations, for Cingular Wireless in 2008.
In 2010, she was appointed AT&T Global Lead and Director, Enterprise Solutions and Sales Support, a role she held until 2019 when she took up her latest role as Senior Director, Enterprise Mobile and IoT Technologies.
Prior to joining AT&T, Cynthia worked for Accenture/Andersen Consulting as a Senior Manager for 7 years.
With over 20 years’ experience in the Telecommunications sector, Cynthia has a wealth of knowledge in various crafts, including Business Strategy, Industrial IoT, Enterprise Technology Solutions, Executive Advisory & Decision Support, Operational Excellence and Process Reengineering.
She holds a Bachelor of Finance from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and an MBA in Finance and International Business from Ken State University, Ohio.
Nicholas Kamunyu – Chief Channels Officer
Nicholas is Chief Channels Officer since July 2021. He joined us from Coca Cola, Nigeria where he was the Franchise Director from 2018 to date.
He has over 23 years’ experience in finance and commercial roles across various local and international corporations.
His career begun in the United Kingdom at Carluccio’s, Searcy Tansley & Co. where he started in an accounting role before growing to the role of Financial Controller. He then transitioned to Medicsight Inc. where he held a similar role.
Nicholas then joined Coca Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) where he was Finance Director in Uganda then Mozambique. In 2011, he was promoted to Sales and Marketing Director at CCBA Kenya, a role he held till May 2013.
Upon leaving CCBA, he joined Carlsberg Kenya as the General Manager from 2013 to 2016, when he joined Sema Mobile. In 2018, he joined Coca Cola, Nigeria in the role of Franchise Director.
Nicholas has a Diploma in Business Management, A.C.C.A, and a Master of Business Administration from the United Kingdom. He also has an Executive Development Certification from Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Michael Mutiga – Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer
Michael leads Safaricom’s business development and transformation agenda. He is responsible for Strategic Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions, Safaricom’s funding strategy and asset optimization.
With over 20 years’ experience in Corporate and Investment Banking, Michael joined Safaricom from Citibank where he was a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance for Sub-Saharan Africa from 2019.
Prior to this role, he was head of Corporate and Investment Banking for Citibank Kenya and was appointed a Senior Credit Officer in 2018. Michael was with Citibank for 15 years and has held various senior local and regional leadership roles.
Prior to joining Citibank, Michael worked in Barclays/Absa Capital, where he grew from a Management Associate to the Regional Coverage Head – East Africa, Investment Banking Division Africa, a role he held until he joined Citibank in 2006.
Through his career, Michael has managed numerous significant transactions, earning him ‘Corporate Banker of the Year’ 5 separate times at the Annual Banking awards, as well as leading his team to winning ‘Corporate Bank of the Year’ in Kenya a similar number of times, amongst other industry recognitions.
He was also listed for three years as a Top 40 under 40. He holds a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Nairobi, and Masters in Law degree from Temple University. He is an Advocate and a Certified Public Secretary and sits on the Board of Junior Achievement.
Esther Masese Waititu – Chief Financial Services Officer
Esther Joined Safaricom in February 2023. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight to Safaricom’s Financial Services Business.
She leads financial services tribes and teams, through the development of financial products, services and solutions for consumers and enterprises.
Esther has over 15 years’ experience in the financial services sector. She joins Safaricom from KCB Bank Group, where she has been the Director, Corporate Banking since 2021.
Prior to joining KCB, Esther was at Stanbic for 10 years, having joined the bank in 2011 as a Regional Product Head – Transactional Products and Services, East Africa.
In 2017, she was promoted to Executive, Strategy Development and Enablement in the Corporate and Investment Bank before taking up the role of Country Head, Client Coverage, Stanbic Bank Zambia, in 2020.
Esther worked at Standard Chartered Bank for 5 years, between 2006 and 2011 in Relationship Management and Product Management capacities, and at Commercial Bank of Africa (which merged with NIC Bank to form NCBA) where she began her banking career.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of East Africa, Baraton and a Master of Business Administration from University of Liverpool, UK. She is also an AoEC Accredited Executive Coach.