Safaricom’s chief of special projects and acting chief business development strategy officer Joe Ogutu has retired.
His retirement was announced by Safaricom chief executive officer Peter Ndegwa.
“Throughout his career, and indeed the 17 years he has been at Safaricom, Joe has built a reputation as an outstanding business leader, mentor, and coach to many; qualities that we at Safaricom have benefited greatly from,” said Ndegwa.
Ogutu joined Safaricom as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in May 2005 from Telkom Kenya where he was the Principal Assistant to the Managing Director and Chief Strategy and Regulatory Officer.
He then served as Chief Human Resource Officer from 2008 before taking on the role of Director, Resources Division in the March 2011 company reorganization.
“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,” said Ndegwa.
In October 2012, Mr. Ogutu was appointed as the Director, Strategy & innovation Division. He also effectively steered the company alongside our former CFO, Sateesh Kamath, when the late Bob Collymore was on medical leave and has been the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation since 2012.
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After his retirement, Ogutu will however continue to serve as the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation where he has been instrumental in driving partnerships that transform the lives of millions of people and enable communities to be self-sufficient.