Wim Vanhelleputte is the new CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia.

Wim Vanhelleputte has been appointed as the new CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, effective September.

Vanhelleputte will be replacing Anwar Soussa who is leaving the company end of July. 

The experienced telecoms executive is leaving MTN Group, a company he joined in 2009 as CEO of MTN Cote d’Ivoire, and subsequently moved to Bharti Airtel in 2015.

He returned to MTN as CEO of MTN Uganda in 2016, leading the company’s recovery and driving notable growth.

In a statement, Safaricom said: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Wim Vanhelleputte as the chief executive officer of Safaricom Ethiopia effective 1st September 2023.

“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 joins Safaricom Ethiopia from MTN Group, where he was the operations executive—markets since August 2022 and was responsible for the performance and governance of four operating companies in West and Central Africa.”

Today, Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and CEO, expressed deep appreciation to Vanhelleputte for his contribution to the company.

“His departure is sincerely acknowledged, and best wishes are extended to him for his future endeavours,” Mupita said.