Long-serving Safaricom Executive Committee member Joe Ogutu is set to retire from the firm at the end of the month after a 17-year stint at the giant telco.
Mr Ogutu has been serving as the firm’s chief of special projects and was also serving the chief business development and strategy officer in an acting capacity.
He was part of the team that coordinated Safaricom’s successful bid for the second telecoms licence in Ethiopia and has also been serving as the chairman of the Safaricom Foundation since 2012.
“After 17 years of service, Joe Ogutu, our chief of special projects and acting chief business development and strategy officer, will be retiring at the end of this month,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa in a statement.
Mr Ogutu joined the firm in May 2005 as chief corporate affairs officer before he was appointed as chief human resources officer in 2008.
He would later take on the role of director in charge of resources following a reorganization at the firm in March 2011 before taking over as director in charge of innovation and strategy in the following year.
“Over the last 2 years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Joe and I have come to rely on his advice, candid feedback, and support,” said Mr Ndegwa.
The Safaricom boss also announced the appointment of Stephen Kiptinness as the firm’s new chief corporate affairs officer and new member of the Executive Committee effective May 1 pending relevant regulatory approvals.
Mr Kiptinness has been tasked with steering Safaricom’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs.
He will also oversight the development and implementation of the firm’s corporate investment strategy as well as its internal and external communications.
Joseph Ogutu was responsible for Special Projects including the Foundations. He also took up an interim role of leading the Business Development and Strategy team since January 2021. Joseph 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 in the March 2011 company reorganization.
In October 2012, Mr. Ogutu was appointed as the Director, Strategy & innovation where he worked closely with the CEO in formulating strategic direction for the business and focusing on developing Safaricom’s position as an industry leader in driving innovation in products and services. He currently also serves as the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation and sits in the board of TEAMS Limited.
Mr. Ogutu has had a dynamic career in the telecommunications industry spanning more than 25 years of which the last 12 have been at Executive Committee level. During this period, he was actively involved in the reform of the sector including the drafting of the Postal and Telecommunication Policy Paper that led to the restructuring of the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation and subsequent establishment of CCK, Telkom Kenya and Postal Corporation of Kenya. He has also been involved in the establishment of the institutional framework for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy).
Mr. Ogutu is a Kenyan citizen and a graduate of Economics from the University of Nairobi.
