Joseph Ogutu recently retired after 17 years of service, in Safaricom PLC.He was Chief of Special Projects and Acting Chief Business Development& Strategy Officer. Joe held several roles since joining Safaricom in May 2005 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. In 2008 he was appointed to serve as Chief Human Resource Officer before taking on the role of Director – Resources, following a reorganization in March 2011. In October 2012, he was appointed Director – Strategy & Innovation, where he worked closely with the CEO in formulating the strategic direction of the business with a focus on developing Safaricom’s position as an industry leader in driving innovation in products and services.

In his role as Chief Special Projects and Acting Chief Business Development Officer, he was part of the team that coordinated the company’s successful bid for the second telecommunications license in Ethiopia. He also effectively steered the company alongside our former CFO, Sateesh Kamath, when the late Bob Collymore was on medical leave. Joe’s experience in the communications industry spans more than 35 years of which the last 20 have been at Executive Committee level. He is accredited with, among many other achievements, being actively involved in reforming of the telecommunications sector and establishing the institutional framework for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy).