Safaricom Ethiopia recently announced the departure of its inaugural CEO, Anwar Soussa, who began leading the telecommunications company in August 2021.
According to Safaricom Ethiopia, Soussa will be leaving the company at the end of July 2023.
It was also disclosed that Wim Vanhelleputte will be taking over as CEO.
Wim will assume this new role following his tenure at MTN Group, where he served as operations executive—markets since August 2022.
Read Also: UBA Opens Braille Account Opening Form for The Blind
Safaricom Ethiopia Statement
In a statement issued by Safaricom Kenya, it was stated that Anwar Soussa, the CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, will be stepping down in July, and Wim Vanhelleputte from MTN Group will assume the position in September.
“We are delighted to appoint Wim Vanhelleputte as the chief executive officer of Safaricom Ethiopia, effective September 1, 2023. Wim brings extensive leadership experience and profound industry knowledge, having worked in the telecommunications industry across various sub-Saharan African markets for over 25 years. He joins Safaricom Ethiopia from MTN Group, where he held the position of operations executive—markets since August 2022 and was responsible for overseeing the performance and governance of four operating companies in West and Central Africa.”
About Safaricom Ethiopia New CEO
Prior to his time at MTN Group, Vanhelleputte served as the CEO of MTN Uganda from 2016. He also held the position of CEO of MTN Côte d’Ivoire between 2009 and 2015. In addition, Vanhelleputte briefly worked at Airtel Africa from 2015 to 2016, initially as the regional director for francophone Africa and later as the cluster CEO for Airtel DRC and Congo.
Throughout his career, Vanhelleputte has gained significant experience in the telecommunications industry, including his roles as CEO at Sentel GSM in Senegal, managing director of TchadMobile in Chad, and general manager at Telcel Gabon, among other notable positions.
“As Wim joins us, we have meticulously planned for a smooth transition to ensure the continuation of our progress in delivering our vision to empower all Ethiopians through a digital future,” Safaricom concluded.
Conclusion
Since commencing commercial operations in October 2022, Safaricom Ethiopia has achieved revenue of KES 562.4 million (over $4 million) in the last fiscal year and has amassed a user base of over 4 million customers.
Follow techkudi.comtechkudi.com for more
