Airtel Nigeria appoints new CEO

Bharti Airtel, the global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, on Friday, 2 November 2012, announced the appointment of Segun Ogunsanya as the new chief executive officer of Airtel Networks Ltd, Nigeria. The appointment is effective 26 November.

Ogunsanya will be responsible for defining and delivering the business strategy and providing overall leadership for Airtel Nigeria and will report to Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and joint managing director of Bharti Airtel.

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 the Airtel Nigeria leadership team.

Dr. Oba Otudeko, chairman, Airtel Nigeria, said of the appointment, "I am pleased at the appointment of Mr. 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 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."

Commenting on the appointment, Manoj Kohli, said, "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. 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."

Ogunsanya brings with him over 24 years of industry experience across multiple geographies, organisations and diverse sectors such as Coca Cola, Banking and Arthur Anderson. 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. In his last stint, as the managing director and CEO of Nigerian Bottling Company, he was responsible for over $1bn revenue operations. A chartered accountant, he holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of Ife, Nigeria.