Airtel Africa Plc, a telecommunications and mobile money services provider in Nigeria and 13 other countries, has announced the appointment of Olusegun Ogunsanya as the new Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment follows the notice of retirement submitted by the current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Raghunath Mandava, to the Board of the telecoms company.
This disclosure is contained in a statement sent by Airtel Africa to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and signed by its Group Company Secretary, Simon O’Hara. The statement said that Ogunsanya, who is presently the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria would join the Board of Airtel Africa with effect from October 1, 2021.
In its statement, Airtel Africa says, “Segun Ogunsanya joined Airtel Africa in 2012 as the Managing Director and CEO Nigeria and has been responsible for the overall management of its operations in Nigeria, the largest market in Africa.”
With over two decades of business management experience in banking, consumer goods and telecoms, Ogunsanya has held leadership positions at Coca-Cola prior to joining Airtel in 2012. At the beverage company, he led roles in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya (as the Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer).
He has also been the Managing Director of Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd (Coca-Cola Hellenic owned) and Group Head of retail banking operations at Ecobank Transnational Inc, covering 28 countries in Africa. He is an electronics engineer and also a chartered accountant.
Mr Bharti Mittal, Chairman Airtel Africa was quoted by the statement as saying that the company was delighted to appoint Ogunsanya as the next Group Chief Executive Officer.
Mittal said Ogunsanya had displayed significant drive and energy in turning around the Nigeria business by focusing on network modernization, distribution, and operational efficiency.
He said, “It is this commitment, together with his industry experience, strategic vision, constant customer focus and proven record of delivery that will enable him to continue to deliver our strategic objectives and to lead the Group in the next stages of its development.’’
Mittal also commended Mandava for being instrumental in successfully leading and transforming Airtel Africa into a powerhouse telecommunications and mobile money company.
