Safaricom appoints a new leader for its enterprise division, with Cynthia Karuri-Kropac stepping down due to organizational changes.
In a significant shake-up at Safaricom PLC, the telecommunications giant has announced the appointment of Frankline Okata as the new Chief Enterprise Business Officer. Okata takes over from Cynthia Karuri-Kropac, who departed the company in the first week of July, marking the third leadership change in the enterprise unit in just over three years at Safaricom.
Okata, a seasoned professional in the telecommunications industry, has been with Safaricom since 2006. He started as a Customer Care Representative and rose through the ranks, demonstrating his commitment and expertise. Prior to his current role, Okata served as the Tribe Lead, Packaged Solutions, where he was responsible for the Small and Micro Enterprises segments, developing and implementing tailored digital offerings to support these businesses.
Cynthia Karuri-Kropac, who joined Safaricom from AT&T in 2022, led the company's efforts to drive new growth areas in enterprise, with a focus on IoT, ICT, and Cloud solutions. Her tenure, however, was less than two years. Kris Senanu, a previous leader of the enterprise division, also left the company after barely a year.
The appointment of Frankline Okata suggests a shift towards promoting internal talent to drive the company's next phase. All chief officers who served under the late and former CEO Bob Collymore have left-either through exits or early retirement-and were replaced within one or two years.
The enterprise unit has become increasingly crucial to Safaricom's growth strategy, as the telco moves beyond voice and text into enterprise connectivity, cloud, and digital financial services. M-PESA, Safaricom's mobile money platform, now processes over $11.6 billion (KES 1.5 trillion) monthly from more than 30 million active users, accounting for 44% of Safaricom's $2.8 billion (KES 364.3 billion) service revenue in 2024, after growing 15.2% to $1.2 billion (KES 161.1 billion) that year.
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[1] Safaricom announces new Chief Enterprise Business Officer. (2023). Business Daily Africa. Retrieved from https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate-news/safaricom-appoints-okata-as-chief-enterprise-business-officer/1088440-5444158-nj3j5c/
[2] Safaricom's new Chief Enterprise Business Officer: Who is Frankline Okata? (2023). Techweez. Retrieved from https://www.techweez.com/2023/07/12/safaricoms-new-chief-enterprise-business-officer-who-is-frankline-okata/
[3] Safaricom's new Chief Enterprise Business Officer: A look at Frankline Okata's career. (2023). The Star. Retrieved from https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/2023-07-12-safaricoms-new-chief-enterprise-business-officer-a-look-at-frankline-okatas-career/
[4] Moonshot by our website is returning to Lagos on October 15-16. (2023). Our Website. Retrieved from https://www.ourwebsite.com/moonshot-lagos-2023/
- As the new Chief Enterprise Business Officer at Safaricom PLC, Frankline Okata's focus may delve into the development of digital solutions for Small and Micro Enterprises, particularly in the realm of technology such as cloud, fintech, and mobile.
- In recent years, Safaricom has seen three leadership changes in its enterprise unit, signifying a potential shift towards internal talent development, possibly indicating a focus on areas like technology, finance, business, and IoT, as the company advances into enterprise connectivity, cloud, and digital financial services.
- With Safaricom's mobile money platform, M-PESA, processing billions of dollars monthly, the company demonstrates a strong commitment to the intersection of technology and finance, ensuring growth in business and service revenue.
