Telecommunication company, Safaricom, has announced that it has appointed Stephen Kiptinness as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. It has also announced that long serving employee, Joe Ogutu, has retired.
Stephen Kiptinness has been appointed the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer effective 1st May 2022. He replaces Stephen Chege who has joined Vodacom Group as the Group Chief External Affairs Officer.
He will be responsible for the organisation’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs. He will also steer the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy as well as oversee internal and external communications.
He has joined Safaricom from Kiptinness & Odhiambo Associates LLP where he was a Senior Partner heading the Technology and Intellectual Property practice for the last 10 years. Before starting his practice, Stephen worked at Telkom Kenya Orange, heading Regulatory Affairs for 3 years, from 2009 to 2012. He has also held various legal roles including Legal Officer and subsequently Senior Legal Officer at the Communications Authority of Kenya, and Legal Manager at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, having commenced his legal career as a Trainee Advocate at Oraro & Co. Advocates. Stephen also teaches at the University of Nairobi School of Law.
Joe Ogutu has been at Safaricom for 17 years and was currently serving at the Chief of Special Projects and Acting Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer. He joined Safaricom in 2005 as the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. In 2008 he was appointed as the Chief Human Resource Officer before taking on the role of Director, Resources. In October 2012, he was appointed Director, Strategy & Innovation.
In his current role as Chief Special Projects and Acting Chief Business Development Officer, he was part of the team that coordinated the company’s successful bid for the second telecommunications license in Ethiopia. He also effectively steered the company alongside our former CFO, Sateesh Kamath, when the late Bob Collymore was on medical leave, and has been the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation since 2012.
Joe’s experience in the communications industry spans more than 35 years of which the last 20 have been at Executive Committee level. He is accredited with, among many other achievements, being actively involved in reforming of the telecommunications sector and establishing the institutional framework for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy).
Joe will continue to serve as the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation where he has been instrumental in driving partnerships that transform the lives of millions of people and enable communities.