Airtel Kenya has appointed Djibril Tobe as Managing Director of Airtel Kenya, succeeding Ashish Malhotra, who departs after four years at the helm to take up a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Indus Towers Africa.
Malhotra’s exit caps a tenure in which Airtel Kenya emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing telecommunications companies. Under his leadership, the company carried out the largest network rollout in its history, deploying over 2,000 sites and driving significant gains in digital and financial inclusion.
He is credited with championing the growth of Airtel Money, whose market share rose from 2% to 11% over his four-year tenure. During the same period, Airtel Kenya doubled its revenues and grew its subscriber base from 16 million to more than 24 million customers.
Malhotra also oversaw a wave of customer-facing innovation during his time at the helm, including the rollout of 5G services, eSIM technology, fibre connectivity solutions, Spam Alert services, and the company’s largest-ever rollout of its Home & Office Smart Connect broadband platform.
The Board credited Malhotra’s contribution to the company’s growth journey as he transitions to lead Indus Towers Africa. “We would like to commend Ashish for his immense contribution to Airtel Kenya’s growth journey, and we wish him success in his new role,” the Board said in a statement.
Taking over is Djibril Tobe, a business leader with more than 20 years of experience across telecommunications, fast-moving consumer goods, and consulting sectors in multiple African markets, with a track record in business transformation and commercial growth.
Tobe joins from Airtel Congo B, where he has served as Managing Director since May 2023. He previously led Airtel Chad as Managing Director and served as Commercial Director at Airtel Burkina Faso. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Executive Officer at Expresso Guinea, and held business unit leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Coca-Cola.
“We welcome Djibril Tobe to his role and we are confident that his expertise will steer Airtel Kenya to the next level as we continue delivering innovative and relevant solutions,” the Board said.
The Board expressed confidence that Tobe will build on the momentum established under Malhotra, leading Airtel Kenya into its next phase of growth, innovation, and customer-centric transformation.
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