Wim Vanhelleputte appointed CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia

Wim Vanhelleputte, the former head of MTN Uganda, has been appointed the CEO of Safaricom’s Ethiopian unit.

Mr Vanhelleputte, whose appointment takes effect in September 2023, replaces Anwar Soussa, who has been at the helm for two years.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Wim Vanhelleputte as the chief executive officer of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC effective September 1, 2023,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa in an internal communication to staff.

“Wim brings extensive leadership experience and deep industry knowledge, having worked in the telecommunications industry across multiple markets in sub-Saharan Africa for over 25 years,” he added.

“As Wim joins us, we have planned for a seamless transition to ensure that we maintain our momentum,” said Mr Ndegwa.

Mr Vanhelleputte has since August 2022 served as the MTN Group  operations executive for West and Central Africa.

Mr Vanhelleputte was MTN Uganda CEO from 2016 until 2022 when he was replaced by Sylvia Mulinge who had been Safaricom Kenya’s post of head of consumer business.

He is tasked with turning around the operations of Safaricom Ethiopia which has just been licenced to offer mobile money services.

Current CEO Anwar Soussa steps down at the end of July having helped the company acquire over four million customers in its first two years.

But increased operating expenses in Ethiopia have weighed down the parent company’s profits. For instance, Safaricom’s net profit for the year ended March 2023 dropped by 22.2 percent to Sh52.48 billion from Sh67.49 billion posted in the previous year,