Corporate News
Joseph bows out after a 10-year stint at Safaricom
Mr Bob Collymore, who has worked as the Governance Director for Africa at Vodafone and has been on the company’s board for four years, will be the new Safaricom chief executive. Photo/FILE
Posted Friday, July 23 2010 at 00:00
In an earlier interview, Mr Joseph said that Safaricom started planning for his exit last year.
Privately, Mr Joseph has said he had intended to leave Safaricom two years ago, but the timing was not right.
In May, Mr Joseph said his departure — already anticipated to take effect by the end of the year —could be delayed once again due to factors related to maintaining investor confidence in the company.
“What I would like and what may be good for the company at this time are two different things. Nonetheless, the succession plan is in place,” he said.
Mr Joseph who started out as a telecommunications technician over 40 years ago has steered the company to new heights with the firm’s shares now accounting for more than half of those traded each day at the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
MJ, as he has come to be known by his peers in the industry, will be replaced by Mr Collymore, who analysts said would face a tough challenge in trying to live up to the assertive, tough-talking executive.
Mr Collymore joined the company’s board in 2006, and before his appointment was Vodafone’s Governance Director for Africa.
He has spent most of his career in the telecommunications industry, starting with 15 years at British Telecommunications.
In 2000, he was appointed Global Handset Purchasing Director responsible for Vodafone’s handset business across 26 countries.
In 2003, he moved to Japan as Consumer Marketing Director (Asia).
In his current position, he sits on the board of Safaricom in Kenya as well as the Board of Vodacom.
In Japan, Mr Collymore was known as Mr 3G, launching Vodafone’s highly successful 3G strategy into the Japanese business market.
He is a true citizen of the world, but is described as being “English by behaviour”.
Born in Guyana, a tiny South American country with less than a million people, his family moved to Britain, where he completed his education.
As the Vodafone Group’s Governance Director for Africa, he has travelled all over the continent but spent a lot of time in Kenya.
.
RSS