6th November, 2012
Bharti Airtel has announced the appointment of Mr. Segun Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Networks Ltd, Nigeria (Airtel Nigeria). The appointment takes effect from 26 November, 2012.
He takes over from Rajan Swaroop, who has successfully led operations at Airtel Nigeria for the past two years. Swaroop will be appointed as non-executive Director on the Board of Airtel Nigeria following the completion of the transition process and will continue to work closely with Airtel Nigeria leadership team.
A statement from the company said Ogunsanya, who will be responsible for defining and delivering the business strategy and providing overall leadership for Airtel Nigeria, will report to the CEO (International) and Joint MD, Bharti Airtel, Manoj Kohli.
Ogunsanya, who is a Chartered Accountant, holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Ife, Nigeria. According to the statement, he brings with him over 24 years of industry experience across multiple geographies, organisations and diverse sectors such as Beverage, Banking and Arthur Anderson.
“His last assignment was with Coca-Cola Company, where he started his career in finance and gradually moved into senior leadership cadre with the various bottling operations of The Coca-Cola Company across markets and countries in Africa. In his last stint as the Managing Director and CEO of Nigerian Bottling Company, he was responsible for over $1billion revenue operations,” the statement added.
Chairman, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Oba Otudeko, said: “I am pleased with the appointment of Mr. Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer and look forward to working with him to make Airtel the most loved brand in Nigeria. It is our resolve to continue building a robust pipeline of local talent in Nigeria as part of Bharti Airtel’s Africa Leadership Initiative. I have been impressed by the outstanding leadership qualities of Mr. Swaroop who has laid a solid foundation, during his tenure, for the long term growth of our business. I wish him success as he moves on in the Group.”
—Henry Ojelu