Safaricom PLC has finally appointed its next Chief Executive Officer Mr. Peter Ndegwa effective April 1st 2020. Ndegwa joins the telco giant from Diageo PLC where he’s been the Managing Director for Continental Europe. In a press release signed by the company’s Chairman Nicholas Nganga, the telco giant acknowledges Ndegwa’s 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.
Peter currently oversees the operations of Diageo PLC in 50 countries in the Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East and North Africa region. Previously, he’d served as the Chief Executive Officer of Guiness Ghana Breweries PLC and is touted with transforming the two operations to deliver a double-digit growth by investing in people, introducing new brands and reorganising the businesses.
Safaricom has been run by former Chief Executive Officer Michael Joseph following the untimely demise of Bob Collymore was had been at the helm of the firm for several years but succumbed to cancer. There had been rumors of s tussle between the government of Kenya and Safaricom’s other shareholders on who should be the next CEO with the Kenyan ministry opting for a local born CEO rather than settling on a foreigner.
Over the years, Peter served in various capacities including EABL (a Diageo subsidiary) based in Nairobi as a senior Executive Director for eight years. He also served as the Group Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Group Strategy Director, Sales Director, and as an Executive Director on the EABL Board. He was also part of the team that over saw the EABL business more than doubled in value – and winning the coveted Most Respected Business Award in East Africa for five years in a row.
Qualifications
Peter holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
While speaking on the development, the telco giant indicated it was confident that Peter will carry its vision of transforming lives while keeping Safaricom focused on meeting its customers’ needs and holding it to its new commitment of being Simple, Transparent and Honest.