Cynthia Karuri-Kropac Exits Safaricom PLC

Frankline Okata has been appointed Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer at Safaricom PLC, a position previously held by Cynthia Karuri-Kropac for the past two years.

CIO Africa confirmed that Cynthia Karuri-Kropac has vacated the Chief Enterprise Business Officer Role at Safaricom. However, she didn’t reveal her next steps.

Based on the Safaricom official page, Frankline Okata is listed as the Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer, while Karuri-Kropac is not listed among the leadership team.

She had joined Safaricom in September 2022 after a long stint at AT&T Inc., replacing Kris Senanu. Karuri-Kropac built an impressive career at AT&T, where she held several leadership positions. From 2019, she served as Senior Director of Enterprise Mobile & IoT Technologies. Between 2010 and 2019, she was the Global Lead & Director of Enterprise Solutions and Sales Support. Her earlier roles at AT&T included Director of Mobile Service Delivery and Operations for Cingular Wireless (2008) and Senior IT Client Account Manager for Bell South (2003).

Karuri-Kropac holds an MBA in Finance from Kent University and a BSc in Finance from the University of Toledo. Her professional accomplishments have earned her recognition by Women of Color Magazine as a Rising Star in STEM. She has also received the Top Supplier of the Year award for the largest Healthcare OEM in the world.

Frankline Okata, the acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer, is an experienced B2B Sales and Business Development Leader in the telecommunications industry. He is skilled in direct and Indirect Sales, Payments, Corporate Portfolio Management, SME Business Growth, Business Process Improvement, Product Development, Customer Experience, and Performance Management.

Okata joined Safaricom in 2006 as a Customer Care Representative, where he held several roles before moving to the Enterprise Business Unit in 2011, where he has served in various capacities.

In January 2022, he was seconded to Safaricom Ethiopia as the Executive Head, Merchant Payments, a role he held until January 2024, when he returned to Kenya.

Okata is also the Head of Packaged Solutions, where he is responsible for curating and Packaging Digital Solutions relevant to Small and Micro Businesses, and building alternative channels (Digital, Retail, and Indirect) of delivery to the two segments. He is also responsible for building and growing the Safaricom Business Hub.