Telkom Kenya hires former Tigo executive as HR manager
From left: Information Cabinet secretary Joe Mucheru and his Treasury counterpart Henry Rotich with Telkom CEO Aldo Mareuse when the telco rebranded June. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
Telkom has named Catherine Olaka as its new head of human resources in the latest management change.
Ms Olaka, who was heading the HR department at Tigo Tanzania, replaces Mercy Nduku who Telkom says has exited the company.
She will lead about 1,300 employees who the company’s new owners are banking on to boost its financial performance.
Telkom has named a new head of human resources in the latest management change aimed at turning around the telco which is now under the control of private equity firm Helios. Catherine Olaka, who was until her latest appointment heading the HR department at Tigo Tanzania, replaces Mercy Nduku who Telkom says has exited the company.
Ms Olaka will lead about 1,300 employees who the company’s new owners are banking on to boost its financial performance.
She has over two-decade experience in the HR sector, including working at multinational technology firm IBM, Ericsson Kenya, Pan Africa Life Assurance and Standard Chartered Bank.
“Her expertise in organisation development and talent management planning will ensure the building of stronger and more motivated teams, which is critical for the realisation of our transformation agenda,” Aldo Mareuse, Telkom chief executive, said in a statement.
Private equity firm Helios acquired a 70 per cent stake in the company from France Telecom in June. Helios later ceded 10 per cent stake to the government, bringing the Treasury’s stake in Telkom Kenya to 40 per cent.
Helios’s entry came at a time when the company is underperforming within the context of a difficult business environment in which only the market leader Safaricom #ticker:SCOM is making profits.
The new owners have since hired new managers and rebranded as part of a larger strategy to sharpen its competitive edge.
