James Maitai will replace George Njuguna as the Group Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at Safaricom PLC after serving as CTIO at Safaricom Ethiopia since January 2023. Maitai has worked in the tech industry for more than 23 years.
“I have appointed James Maitai as the Group Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) effective 1 November 2024. James will be responsible for the end-to-end performance of our network and all IT systems,”CEO Peter Ndegwa announced.on Tuesday.
“He will also lead the technology function in line with best practice, and will play a key leadership role in ExCo, contributing to the overall business strategy,” he added.
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Having worked in the technology industry for more than 23 years, Maitai rejoins Safaricom PLC from Safaricom Ethiopia, where he served as CTIO until January 2023.
Maitai’s track records and achievements
He oversaw the network’s acceleration to 3,000 sites and the quick implementation of an all-encompassing technology stack during his time in Safari Ethiopia.
In addition, Maitai played a key role in putting the m-Pesa ecosystem into action, establishing a cutting-edge core network and digital infrastructure, and promoting strategic cost leadership by achieving over 30 per cent in technology OPEX reductions.
As a leader, he nurtured young talents in the reg6, mentoring a group of digital engineers who won prizes at Hackathons organised by Vodafone.
Before joining Safaricom Ethiopia, Maitai worked for 16 years at Safaricom PLC serving in various capacities, most notably as Director of Network, where he led the design, development, and operation of Safaricom’s technological systems and network.
He also worked with ExCo during critical periods in 2019 and 2021, both before and during the pandemic.
Mr Maitai holds an MBA from JKUAT and a B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Nairobi, along with several industry certifications. He has completed advanced management programs at Strathmore Business School, Lagos Business School, and IESE in Spain, and is a trained coach.
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Farewell to outgoing CTIO
The CEO of Safaricom, Peter Ndegwa thanked Mr Njuguna for his contribution, stating that since his recognition as CIO of the Year in 2019, Njuguna has played a crucial part in Safaricom’s digital transformation.
Recognised as CIO of the Year in 2019, Njuguna has been instrumental in driving digitization efforts since his appointment as Director of IT in February 2024.
In an email to staff, Mr Ndegwa highlighted Njuguna’s leadership in expanding the technology team fourfold to over 800 members and embedding Agile methodologies within the organisation.
“Subsequently, I wish to thank Njuguna for steering and providing leadership to the technology team since March 2024. Since joining Safaricom as Director IT in 2019, he has been instrumental in digitising our operations and has been key in the rollout of our telco to techco strategy growing talent in the technology team fourfold to over 800 while entrenching Agile ways of working in Safaricom,” said Mr Odegwa.
Mr Njuguna has decided to pursue opportunities outside Safaricom. During this transition, Anthony Gacanja, Director of Network, will serve as the Acting Group Chief Technology Information Officer (CTIO), bridging the gap between Messrs Njuguna and Maitai.
Mr Gacanja will assume these additional responsibilities starting October 11, 2024, until Maitai officially takes on his new role on October 30, 2024.