VENTURES AFRICA – Leading telecommunications provider, Bharti Airtel has announced the appointment of Ms. Charity Chanda Lumpa as Managing Director (MD) of Airtel’s operation in Zambia with effect from May 1st 2013.
Speaking on the appointment, George Sokota, Chairman of Airtel’s operation in Zambia said, “I am delighted at Charity’s appointment, which is in line with Airtel’s stated philosophy of promoting local talent in Africa. ”
“She has an exceptional track record of accomplishments at top management level in private, public and international organizations and I am confident that with her rich experience she will grow the organization from strength to strength”, he added.
Mr. Jayant Khosla, CEO (Airtel Africa Anglophone Region) also expressed , added Airtel’s delight at the appointment of its first lady Managing Director in Africa.
“It has been our endeavour to consciously promote diversity within the employee base and provide opportunities to women employees, particularly in leadership positions”, the CEO quipped.
Ms. Chanda Lumpa, a Zambian national, holds an MBA in Finance. She is back in her home country after a six-month stint in Lome, Togo, where she was the Head of Ecobank Group Credit Administration. Prior to her current appointment, she acted as Managing Director for Ecobank in Zambia. Before joining the banking industry, Charity was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Zambia National Tourist Board (ZNTB).
According to a company statement, great talent continues to be the source of competitive advantage for Airtel Africa which has operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa.
David Ssegawa, Chief Human Resources Office, Airtel Africa says “ In order to drive sustainable business growth in all our markets, it is key that we consciously build a robust and diverse pipeline of African leaders who will take this business to the next level. Over the last two and a half years, we have built our talent strategy around three key pillars, namely; the aggressive search for and recruitment of top African talent into very senior roles at both the Head-quarters and Country operations, the design and delivery of world-class Leadership development programmes in collaboration with best-in-class institutions like Havard and INSEAD; and the creation of a winning culture in an exciting place where people are engaged and inspired to realize their full potential.”
Mr. Ssegawa adds “Our recent appointment of a Nigerian CEO & MD for Nigeria and the appointment of the first lady Zambian MD for our Zambia business are key milestones alongside our people agenda for Africa.”
