Safaricom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer Cynthia Karuri-Kropac has stepped down from her role after two years at Kenya’s largest telecommunications company, with the departure occurring without any formal announcement or explanation from the telco. The leadership change was reflected quietly on Safaricom’s official website, where Frankline Okata now appears as Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer, while Karuri-Kropac’s profile has been removed from the leadership team.
Background and Departure
Karuri-Kropac joined Safaricom in September 2022, bringing with her extensive experience from global telecommunications firm AT&T, where she had worked for nearly two decades. She replaced Kris Senanu in the role and was tasked with steering the enterprise division through digital transformation initiatives while expanding the corporate customer portfolio.
During her tenure at AT&T, Karuri-Kropac climbed the corporate ladder from Senior IT Client Account Manager at Bell South in 2003 to Senior Director of Enterprise Mobile & IoT Technologies by 2019. Her career spanned multiple roles, including Director of Mobile Service Delivery at Cingular Wireless and Global Lead & Director of Enterprise Solutions.
Her credentials include an MBA in Finance from Kent University and a BSc in Finance from the University of Toledo. She has been recognized by Women of Color Magazine as a Rising Star in STEM and received the Top Supplier of the Year award for the largest Healthcare OEM globally.
Frankline Okata Steps Up
Frankline Okata, who has been appointed as Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer, brings deep institutional knowledge to the role. He started at Safaricom in 2006 as a Customer Care Representative and moved to the Enterprise Business Unit in 2011, where he has served in various capacities.
Okata’s career progression at Safaricom demonstrates strong internal talent development. From January 2022 to January 2024, he was seconded to Safaricom Ethiopia as Executive Head of Merchant Payments during the company’s expansion into one of Africa’s largest telecommunications markets. This experience gave him valuable insight into regional operations and emerging markets.
Upon returning to Kenya, Okata took on the role of Head of Packaged Solutions, focusing on digital solutions for small and micro businesses. In this position, he has been responsible for curating digital solutions for these segments while building alternative delivery channels through digital, retail, and indirect methods.
Looking Forward
As Safaricom continues its transformation from a telecommunications company to a technology company, the enterprise division’s leadership will be crucial in executing this vision. The company’s recent focus on digital solutions for businesses, including partnerships with platforms like tappi to digitize MSMEs and investments in AI-ready data infrastructure, demonstrates the strategic importance of the enterprise segment.
The upcoming Safaricom annual general meeting, coupled with the release of financial results, could provide an opportunity for the company’s executive team to address questions regarding the strategic direction of the enterprise business under new leadership. Whether this quiet transition signals a broader shift in Safaricom’s approach to executive communications remains to be seen.
