Joseph Ogutu joined Safaricom as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in May 2005 from Telkom Kenya where he was the Principal Assistant to the Managing Director and Chief Strategy & Regulatory Officer. He then served as Chief Human Resource Officer from 2008 before taking on the role of Director, Resources Division in the March 2011 company reorganisation. In October 2012, Mr. Ogutu was appointed as the Director, Strategy & innovation Division, where he works closely with the CEO in formulating strategic direction for the business, focusing on developing Safaricom’s position as an industry leader in driving innovation in products & services. He also serves as the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation and sits in the Board of TEAMS Limited.

Mr. Ogutu has had a dynamic career in the telecommunications industry spanning more than 25 years of which the last 12 have been at Executive Committee level. During this period, he was actively involved in the reform of the sector including the drafting of the Postal and Telecommunication Policy Paper that led to the restructuring of the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation and subsequent establishment of CCK, Telkom Kenya and Postal Corporation of Kenya. He has also been involved in the establishment of the institutional framework for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy). Mr. Ogutu is a Kenyan citizen and a graduate of Economics from the University of Nairobi.