Michael Joseph named Safaricom’s interim CEO

Former Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph has been appointed the CEO of Safaricom Plc on interim basis following the death of Bob Collymore.

The telco announced on Tuesday that Joseph will hold the position until the Safaricom Board makes communication on a permanent appointment.

Joseph’s intermediary appointment emerged following a board meeting held on Monday – 1st July, 2019.

Nicholas Ng’ang’a, Safaricom Chairman had during a press conference at Michael Joseph Center in Nairobi told journalists the company had already started organising Bob’s succession.

“The board is confident that during this transition, Mr Joseph will provide the necessary guidance and leadership to the company and its employees,” Company Secretary Kathryne Maundu said in a statement.

Joseph (67) returns to the hot seat at Safaricom nine years after his departure in November 2010. He served at the helm of the organization between July 2000 and 2010 when the firm was at the time re-launched as a joint venture between Vodafone UK and Telkom Kenya.

During his tenure, he steered the company from an average 20,000 subscriber base to over 16.71 million subscribers.