Safaricom Interim CEO, Michael Joseph was on the front-line to push for the appointment of the late Bob Collymore as his successor in 2010 when he left the helm of the telco's leadership.
Speaking at an event to celebrate 18 years of Safaricom on October 25, 2018, MJ, as he is popularly known, revealed the long search for the next CEO of Safaricom, a company that is owned by London-based telecommunications conglomerate Vodafone, the Government of Kenya and other shareholders.
“We had gone on a worldwide search for a replacement for me. Actually, the search had started two years beforehand and we’d gone round and we’d done a shortlist,” he told the gathering that included journalists and other players in the technology industry.
He gave details on his role to have Collymore at the top seat in the giant corporation.
“I pushed for Bob to be on that shortlist. He wasn’t the favorite candidate at the time, but I pushed for Bob because he understood the DNA of Safaricom. He understood what we were all about: we were not just a mobile phone company, we were much bigger than that,” stated the interim chief executive.
Michael Joseph went on to praise Bob's understanding of the company and affirmed that he believed that Collymore would continue building Safaricom's legacy.
“This country believed in Safaricom; we were part of everybody’s life. Bob understood that (Safaricom is part of everybody's life) and I knew that Bob would continue with the legacy of Safaricom, not just my legacy. It was not my legacy, but the company’s legacy that he would continue. That’s why I chose Bob,” MJ narrated.
He further added that Collymore had “a hard time” in his first two years at Safaricom but later managed to steady his ship.
Michael Joseph led Safaricom for ten years before he handed over the mantle to the late CEO, who succumbed to leukemia a few months after the Safaricom board extended his term by a year.
