Robert William Collymore, popularly known locally as simply Bob Collymore, has served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director of SAFARICOM LTD since November 1, 2010.
He joined the Board of the Safaricom which is 40-percent owned by Britain’s Vodafone, on September 5, 2006. Prior to joining Safaricom, Bob Collymore was the Chief Officer for Corporate Affairs in Vodacom Group responsible for the Group’s Corporate Communication, Ethics and Compliance, Legal, External Relationships and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Prior to that, Bob Collymore was Vodafone’s Governance Director for Africa where he was responsible for developing and driving Vodafone’s strategy for its investments in Africa as well as representing Vodafone as a key direct foreign investor in a number of African countries.
He has more than 25 years of commercial experience working in the telecommunications sector. He is also a trustee of Holding companies in Kenya and Tanzania for M-PESA, Vodafone’s pioneering money transfer service.
Bob Collymore was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board in 2012 in recognition of Safaricom’s commitment to sustainability and responsible business and its work to address the Millennium Development Goals of maternal health and child mortality. He has also served on the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for women and children.
In Kenya, he sits on The Vision 2030 Delivery Board and the United States International University advisory board and, in 2012, he was awarded the honor of Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear by the President of the Republic of Kenya for his services. He is also the chairman of the TEAMS (The East African Marine System) Board and a Trustee of the M-PESA Foundation.
In late 2015, Bob Collymore joined the board of directors of Acumen, a nonprofit social venture fund founded by Jacqueline Novogratz. He had been sitting on the Advisory Council of Acumen.
