Safaricom hires former Lafarge executive

Corporate News

 

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore. He says the bitcon would expose M-Pesa to Central Bank of Kenya’s money laundering penalties. PHOTO | FILE 

By OKUTTAH MARK

Safaricom has appointed a former Lafarge executive, Steve Okeyo, to take charge of sales and operations at its newly created six regional headquarters.

Mr Okeyo, who took office on April 1 in the capacity of an executive director, was previously a director, sales force enforcement, at French cement manufacturer Lafarge, based in Paris. He has also worked at Coca- Cola as the Uganda country manager.

Mr Okeyo will report directly to ...
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore. Safaricom said the regional approach has been informed by need to get closer to its customers.

“We want to understand our customers better and address their particular needs within their regions by closing the gap between consumers and the brand through building an increasing number of touch points around the country,” said Mr Collymore in an interview.

 “It is a proactive reorientation of our business as we seek to apply the lessons we have learned in our 15 years in the market.”

Safaricom said the new regional approach has seen the company devolve its operations to dedicate resources directly in the counties, where teams are expected to focus on better service delivery and customer engagement.

Under the news strategy, Safaricom also tailors its products and services to the needs of a particular region, creating avenues through which consumers could interact with the brand.

On Friday Safaricom launched a full-year campaign that will see the company engage customers countrywide using a combination of entertainment and education.

“This is about interacting with (our customers) at their doorsteps, giving them easy access to customer care and helping them make informed decisions when selecting the products and services best suited to their needs,” said the Safaricom consumer business unit director Sylvia Mulinge.

In January the leading mobile operator opened a “retail experience centere” in Narok as part of the regional strategy aimed  at closing the gap between consumers with a higher presence across the country