Olusegun ‘Segun’ Ogunsanya
Airtel Africa: Sunil Taldar to succeed Nigeria’s Olusegun Ogunsanya as CEO
In a significant announcement on Tuesday, Airtel Africa disclosed the retirement of its chief executive officer, Olusegun ‘Segun’ Ogunsanya, effective July 1, 2024.
The company has appointed Sunil Taldar, who joined Airtel Africa in October 2023 as Director of Transformation, as his successor.
Taldar will embark on a transition phase to the CEO role, collaborating closely with Ogunsanya.
Post-transition, Taldar will assume the executive director position on the board and officially take over as CEO on July 1, 2024. Upon Ogunsanya’s retirement from the board and the company, Taldar will formally step into his role.
Ogunsanya, an integral part of Airtel since 2012, was pivotal in steering the telecommunications and mobile money company. He notably spearheaded the Nigeria operations for nine years before assuming the CEO position for the group in 2021.
During his tenure, he navigated the company through consistent double-digit revenue growth while introducing innovative products across Africa.
Following his retirement, Ogunsanya will provide advisory support to the Chairman, the Airtel Africa Board, and the Chief Executive Officer for 12 months.
Additionally, he will transition to the Chair of the Airtel Africa Charitable Foundation, channelling his visionary leadership towards philanthropic initiatives to advance development and prosperity in Africa.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Airtel Africa, expressed gratitude for Ogunsanya’s invaluable contributions and commitment to the company.
Mittal highlighted Segun’s pivotal role in Nigeria, the company’s most significant African market, and announced his new role within the Airtel Africa Charitable Foundation.
Mittal emphasized Taldar’s industry expertise, strategic insight, customer-centric approach, and track record in delivery, affirming confidence in his ability to steer the company towards its strategic objectives and drive the group’s development in the upcoming phases.
Acknowledging Ogunsanya’s effective leadership during the transition, Mittal conveyed optimism regarding the seamless transition and smooth handover of responsibilities, citing Taldar’s existing integration into the group as a positive indicator for an orderly leadership change.
“In respect of the transition period, Segun continues to lead the business very effectively as seen in our financial results. Given that Sunil Taldar has already joined the group, we are confident that we will have an orderly leadership transition and handover of responsibilities,” he said.