Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications services provider, with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has appointed Segun Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria.
Ogunsanya takes over from Rajan Swaroop, who has successfully led operations at Airtel Nigeria for the past two years. He will resume his appointment from the 26th of November, 2012 and report to Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint MD, Bharti Airtel.
Meanwhile, 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 the Airtel Nigeria leadership team.
The appointment of Ogunsanya underlines Bharti Airtel’s commitment to promoting African talent, Kohli said.
“Segun’s appointment underlines Bharti Airtel’s commitment to promoting African talent and building a world-class leadership team. I wish him the very best in his new role and would also thank Rajan for his immense contribution to Airtel Nigeria.”
“I am delighted to have Segun on board and am confident that his rich and diverse experience will add immense value to our operations in Nigeria,” he added.
Commenting on the new development, Airtel Nigeria Chairman Oba Otudeko said: “I am pleased at the appointment of Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer and look forward to working with him towards making Airtel the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians.
“It is our resolve to continue building a robust pipeline of local talents in Nigeria as part of Bharti Airtel’s Africa Leadership Initiative. I have been impressed by the outstanding leadership qualities of 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.”
With over 24 years of industry experience across multiple geographies, Ogunsanya has worked for various organisations and diverse sectors such as Coca-Cola, Banking and Arthur Anderson.
Ogunsanya is a Chartered Accountant. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of Ife, in Southern Nigeria.
Prior to his appointment with Airtel, Ogunsanya was the Managing Director and CEO of Nigerian Bottling Company. His last assignment was with The Coca-Cola Company, where he started his career in Finance and gradually transitioned into senior leadership roles with the various bottling operations of The Coca-Cola Company across diverse markets and countries in Africa.
