This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 24, 2019, Safaricom PLC announced the appointment of Peter Ndegwa as its new Chief Executive Officer, set to take office on April 1, 2020.
Ndegwa joins Safaricom from Diageo PLC, where he serves as the Managing Director of Diageo Continental Europe, overseeing operations in 50 countries across Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
With over 25 years of experience in General Management, Commercial and Business Strategy, Sales, and Finance Operations, Ndegwa has held various senior roles in the Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors in Africa and Europe.
Before his current role, Ndegwa served as CEO of Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, where he transformed the operations to deliver double-digit growth through investments in people, new brands, and business reorganization.
Earlier in his career, Ndegwa worked at EABL, a Diageo subsidiary, where he held senior executive director roles, including Group Chief Finance Officer, Group Strategy Director, Sales Director, and Executive Director on the EABL Board.
Ndegwa is credited with developing an affordable-beer strategy for EABL, resulting in the production of new brands such as Senator beer, which became one of the most successful innovations by Diageo featured in the Harvard Business Review.
He began his career at PwC, a global consulting firm, where he worked for 11 years. Ndegwa holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
