Safaricom has announced their new CEO.
Peter Ndegwa, on Tuesday, was unveiled as the new head of the telecommunications giant in the country.
Ndegwa will take over the reigns of the firm after the position was left vacant with the death of Bob Collymore.
His appointment will be effective on April 1 2020.
The new CEO joins from Diageo PLC where he is currently the MD of Diageo Continental Europe.
According to Safaricom, Ndegwa brings a wealth of experience in General Management, Commercial and Business Strategy, Sales and Finance Operations, having spent over 25 years in various roles within the Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors in Africa and Europe.
“In his current role, Peter oversees the operations of Diageo PLC in 50 countries in Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East and North Africa region. He had previously served for seven years as CEO in Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, where he transformed the two operations to deliver a double digit growth by investing in people, introducing new brands and reorganising the businesses,” a statement from Safaricom stated.
The man who is set to step into the big shoes of the late Collymore, is credited with the development of an affordable-beer strategy for EABL resulting in the production of new brands such as Senator beer.
His ingenuity made the beer become one of the most successful innovations by Diageo that has been featured in the Harvard Business Review.
The new boss is remarked to have 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).
Ndegwa, started his career at PwC, the global consulting firm where he worked for 11 years.
The dominant mobile company expressed its confidence declaring that it made the right pick.
“We are confident that Peter will carry on our vision of transforming lives while keeping us focused on meeting our customers’ needs and holding us to our new commitment of being Simple, Transparent and Honest,” read a part of the statement from the telecommunication firm.
Michael Joseph, who is currently the acting CEO, took the leadership mantle when Collymore passed away in July this year at his home in Nairobi.
The service provider noted that Joseph was the best person to hold down the firm for a temporary period due to his remarkable contribution during his tenure.
The 61 year-old succumbed to cancer that had made it difficult for him to render his duties.
The Guyanese-born British was forced to take a leave in October 2017, to seek medical treatment abroad.
Upon his comeback in 2018, the deceased opened up on his journey battling the condition.
“I went to London and they told me I had acute myeloid leukaemia- a rare kind of blood cancer that is curable. I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me at the time that I had probably had it for about 6 months he revealed,” explained Collymore.
Collymore succeeded Joseph in November 2010, and led the organisation to achieving exceptional results which included making a whooping Ksh 64 billion profit.