Safaricom’s long-serving Chief of Special Projects Joe Ogutu is set to retire after serving the company for 17 years.
Ogutu, whose experience in the telecommunications industry spans more than 30 years held instrumental positions at the organization during his tenure. Together with former CFO Sateesh Kamath, Ogutu steered the company when the late CEO Bob Collymore was on medical leave.
“Joe has held several roles since joining Safaricom in May 2005 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. In 2008 he was appointed to serve as Chief Human Resource Officer before taking on the role of Director – Resources, following a reorganization in March 2011,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said in a statement.
Mr.Ogutu was appointed Director- Strategy & Innovation, charged with crafting the company’s strategic direction in collaboration with th CEO.
“All the CEOs of Safaricom, from Michael, to Bob through to myself, relied on Joe in many situations and he never failed to live up to our expectations.” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said in a statement.
Mr. Ogutu was part of the team that steered the company’s entry into the Ethiopian market.
“The hallmark of Joe’s career and contribution to the success of Safaricom was his absolute willingness to step into an unexpected role whenever requested, even if it meant stretching his workload tremendously. All the CEOs of Safaricom, from Michael, to Bob through to myself, relied on Joe in many situations and he never failed to live up to our expectations,” The CEO noted.
Ogutu will continue to serve as the chairman of Safaricom Foundation.
At the same time, Safaricom has announced the appointment of lawyer Stephen Kiptiness as the company’s Chief Corporate affairs officer. Stephen will be responsible for the organisation’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs. He will also steer the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy as well as oversee our internal and external communications
Prior to his appointment, Stephen was a senior partner at Kiptness &Odhiambo associates heading the technology and intellectual property division. Before starting his practice, Stephen worked at Telkom Kenya Orange, heading Regulatory Affairs for 3 years, from 2009 to 2012. He has also previously 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.
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