- MTN Uganda’s new Chief Executive officer, Ms. Sylvia Mulinge commenced her tenure in office yesterday.
- Ms. Mulinge brings to MTN a wealth of experience boasting of a 15-year career in Telcom alone.
- Prior to Joining MTN Uganda, Sylvia has been serving as the Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom PLC since 2018.
- She plans to steer the continued growth of MTN Uganda as well as fast-tracking the realization of the company’s Ambition 2025 strategy.
MTN Uganda’s new Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sylvia Mulinge yesterday assumed office following the exit of former CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte, who was promoted to a regional executive role responsible for MTN Group’s West African markets.
Ms. Mulinge whose tenure in office commenced on 1st October 2022 becomes the first-ever female CEO at MTN Uganda, bringing with her a track record of executive business experience spanning close to over 20 years, 15 years of which is in the telecom industry, that will see her steer the continued growth and strategic progress of MTN Uganda.
Ms. Mulinge who has been serving as the Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom PLC since 2018, is credited for driving the company’s customer obsession strategy to deliver long-term shareholder growth as well as creating preference for the Safaricom brand.
Since joining Safaricom PLC in 2006, Ms. Mulinge served in various roles including Prepay Product Manager, Head of retail, Head of Safaricom Business – Sales, General Manager, Enterprise Business, and Director, Consumer Business.
Ms. Mulinge began her career in 2004 at Unilever Kenya, working as the Assistant Regional Brand Manager in the laundry division, based in South Africa.
She joins MTN Uganda nine months after listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange in December last year, enabling thousands of Uganda to own a share of the company. MTN Uganda had 16.3 million subscribers, 9.8 million Mobile Money users, and 5.7 million active data users as of the end of the second quarter of 2022.
MTN Uganda business focus is to spearhead the achievement of Ambition 2025 strategy whose intent is to play a leading role in providing digital solutions for Africa’s progress through driving industry-leading connectivity operations, creating shared value, and accelerating portfolio transformation.
Speaking shortly after assuming office, Ms. Mulinge at her inaugural presser as CEO said she is glad to be starting a new career in Uganda and specifically at MTN Uganda, pledging to build on her predecessors’ strong foundation.
“I am ready to build on my predecessors’ achievements to steer the continued growth of MTN Uganda through strategic partnerships and leveraging MTN’s brand as the most trusted and valued by all consumers and stakeholders in Uganda,” Ms. Mulinge said.
Ms. Mulinge further said she was looking forward to a good working relationship with various stakeholders including MTN staff, shareholders, regulators, business partners, and the government so that the company can operate in a conducive environment, close the digital divide, and ensure that everyone accrues the benefits of a modern connected life.
While in a Question and Answer session when asked what excites her about her new role, Ms. Mulinge said that throughout her career in telecommunications, she had always wanted to work on the continent and that Uganda gives her a different experience from what she experienced in Kenya. The other aspect she says excites her as the new CEO is MTN’s vision to drive digitization and being a part of it gives her bigger excitement.
On the promise: she committed to double-digit growth to the shareholders, and other stakeholders.
MTN Uganda Chairman Charles Mbire said: “We are very confident that our CEO’s passion for transforming customers’ lives, leadership, and women empowerment using technology will help drive our accelerated growth, positioning MTN for greater relevance ahead.”
The event was wrapped with the MTN Chairman handing over instruments of power that included a Spectrum License, the Uganda Communications Commission License Agreement & the Certificate of Incorporation as flanked by Andrew Bugembe (the Chief Financial Officer at MTN Uganda) who had formerly held down the fort in the position for the meantime.
