Safaricom announced the appointment of Wim Vanhelleputte as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2023, for Safaricom Ethiopia.
In an internal memo, Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, said Vanhelleputte succeeds Anwar Soussa, whose term as CEO ends after a secondment.
Ndegwa praised Vanhelleputte’s extensive experience, having gained over 25 years in Africa’s telecom sector. He joins from MTN Group, where he was Operations Executive for Markets overseeing four companies in West and Central Africa since August 2022.
Previously, Vanhelleputte served as CEO of MTN Cote d’Ivoire and MTN Uganda. He has also held senior roles at Airtel Africa, Sentel GSM in Senegal, TchadMobile in Chad and Telcel Gabon.
A Belgian national, Vanhelleputte holds a Bachelor’s Degree in General Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Nuclear and Solid-State Physics, both from the State University of Ghent. He also holds a Special degree in Power Plant Management from the Free University of Brussels.
In the internal memo, Ndegwa said Safaricom Ethiopia has planned for a smooth transition while maintaining momentum in its vision to transform Ethiopian lives through a digital future. He thanked outgoing CEO Soussa for his contributions.
Staff wishing to congratulate Vanhelleputte have been invited to extend a warm welcome upon his arrival, according to the memo obtained by The Reporter.
