Safaricom has settled on Kenyan, Peter Ndegwa, to replace the late Bob Collymore.
Ndegwa joins the telecommunications giant from Diageo PLC, where he serves as the managing director of Diageo Continental Europe.
His appointment takes effect on April 1, 2020.
“Peter 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,” said Safaricom Board Chairman, Nicholas Nganga in the appointment statement released to newsrooms on Thursday.
Among other accomplishments, Peter is credited with the development of an affordable-beer strategy for the East African Breweries Ltd, resulting in the production of the senator brand.
He started his career at PwC, the global consulting firm, where he worked for 11 years, Nganga said.
Peter holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
In addition, he is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya.
Following Collymore’s death there were reports that the Kenyan government lobbied to have a Kenyan at the helm of telco, but the firm insisted it would scour the globe to find a suitable replacement.
“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,” said Safaricom Board chairman in the media announcement.
In his role at Diageo, Ndegwa is said to oversee operations in 50 countries in western and eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East and North Africa region.
Before his current role, Ndegwa served for seven years as the Guinness Nigeria and Guinness Ghana CEO.
