Olusegun Ogunsanya (pictured) will ‘retire’ in July and Sunil Taldar, a Bharti Airtel board member, will take the top slot
Olusegun Ogunsanya is to retire as Airtel Africa’s CEO. He joined the group in 2012 and ran operations in Nigerian for telecoms and mobile money services until 2021 when he became group CEO.
Ogunsanya is not stepping away entirely from the group upon retirement. For the first 12 months he will be on hand to advise Airtel Africa’s new CEO, Sunil Taldar, as well as its chair Sunil Bharti Mittal and the board.
Taldar joined Airtel Africa in October 2023 as director for transformation, bringing over 30 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer goods and telecoms sectors. He has been on the board of Bharti Airtel Ltd for 15 years. Taldar will work alongside Ogunsanya before assuming the role of CEO on 1 July.
New beginnings
After ‘retirement’ Ogunsanya will also become the Airtel Africa Charitable Foundation’s inaugural chair, responsible for sustainability initiatives and charitable operations across its African footprint (see map below).
The foundation’s objectives will focus on promoting digital inclusion, financial inclusion, access to education, and environmental protection.
Airtel Africa confirmed the foundation will be a separate legal entity and be independent of the Airtel Africa Group.
“The board is delighted to appoint Sunil Taldar as the group’s next CEO,” Mittal commented. “His industry experience, strategic vision, constant customer focus and proven record of delivery will enable him to deliver our strategic objectives and to lead the Group in the next stages of its development,”
Mittal praised Ogunsanya’s stint as CEO, highlighting Airtel Africa’s double-digit revenue growth over many quarters during his tenure and new product launches.
