Airtel Nigeria, a firm that specialises in telecommunications, has made the announcement that it will be adding two new directors to its executive leadership team.
Kemi Ariyo has been appointed as the new Director of Information and Technology at the organisation, and Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon has been appointed to the position of Director of Network Transformation and Planning.
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Why this is important to Airtel
According to Airtel, the appointments will usher in a brand new age of innovation and growth within the company, which will be effective immediately.
Carl Cruz, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, commented on the appointments and stated that the notably experienced Kemi Ariyo would play a pivotal role in driving Airtel Nigeria’s efforts towards digital transformation. Additionally, the company is pleased to elevate an excellent female leader within its ranks to the position of Chief Executive Officer.
Cruz, for his part, noted that Mr. Harmanpreet will be in charge of leading the network transformation activities for the telecom giant. These initiatives are aimed at enhancing the company’s infrastructure and ensuring that users receive consistent services.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kemi and Harmanpreet on board. Their in-depth expertise and experience will be invaluable in driving our technological transformation and delivering exceptional experiences to our over 60 million users.”
“We are confident that, with their experience and expertise, Airtel will continue to innovate and stay ahead while developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Cruz said.
The impacts
According to the information provided by the organisation, Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon brings with him an exceptional background expertise of over 23 years in the field of telecommunications as well as a passion for driving technological breakthroughs.
In the past, he has worked for a variety of companies, including Vodafone, Nokia, and Huawei. Most recently, he held the position of Chief Technology Officer at One Airtel in Karnataka, India. In this role, he was in charge of leading the technology strategy, forecasting, expansion, operations, cost optimisation, and capex planning for the networks team.
Additionally, Kemi Ariyo brings with her years of work experience across many industries and continents, as well as the whole IT value chain. She has a proven track record of offering technical solutions that are focused towards improving service efficiency, customer satisfaction, and business profitability.
Her involvement with Airtel dates back to her days as a Business Operations Analyst working for IBM’s management service. From there, she progressed into many leadership roles before finally joining Airtel in 2017.
Airtel had just finished the first batch of promotions for its personnel for the fiscal year 2023/24, which began not long ago.
This promotion cycle resulted in the advancement of no fewer than 20 personnel into senior leadership posts; of these, three were women, and one of these women was ultimately promoted to the position of vice president.
A previous appointment by Airtel
Carl Cruz was given the roles of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Networks Limited (Nigeria) after being selected by Airtel Africa. Beginning on May 5th, 2023, this appointment will become effective.
Cruz has more than 31 years of experience working in commercial and corporate environments across several regions in Africa and Asia. Cruz’s most recent role was as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unilever in West Africa. In this capacity, he was responsible for the management and direction of three publicly traded operational companies in the region, including those based in Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone Africa.
As part of his professional development, he has served as an Executive Director on the board of Unilever Nigeria Plc and as a Non-Executive Director on the board of Unilever Ghana, where he represents Unilever as a shareholder. Both of these positions are on corporate boards.
Previously, he served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever in Sri Lanka. In addition, he held leadership positions at Unilever Philippines and Hindustan Unilever India. His current position is Chairman and Managing Director. Cruz has managed strategic and directing responsibility throughout his career in areas including sales, distribution, customer and brand development, as well as trade development and commercial engagement.
His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Management from the University of De La Salle in the Philippines.