Michael Joseph Makes A Come Back After Bob Collymore’s Passing
Following the passing on of the Safaricom’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Robert (Bob) William Collymore on 1 July 2019, the telecom giant has appointed an interim CEO.
At a Special Board meeting of the Directors’ that was held on even date, the Board resolved to appoint Mr. Michael Joseph, a Board member of the Company, as the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company with immediate effect.
Bob Collymore has been undergoing treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) since October 2017 after which he returned to Kenya to continue with his duties. He has since been undergoing treatment but in recent weeks his condition worsened and he succumbed to the cancer at his home in the early hours of Monday 1st July 2019.
May 2019, the telco extended Collymore’s term for a year to allow him to compensate for his earlier absence out of medical leave. The extension up to 2020 was the second extension of the former CEO. Mr Collymore, a Guyana-born British citizen, 61, took charge of Safaricom in 2010 on a three-year contract after the company’s founding CEO, Michael Joseph, retired.
Mr. Joseph is a former CEO of the Company and the current Chairman of the Board of Kenya Airways.
According to the Safaricom board, getting back Michael Joseph as interim will lead to a final decision of who takes over from Collymore. “Mr. Joseph will hold this position until the Board communicates in due course, on a permanent appointment.” read the official statement