Safaricom’s HR director Maria Shipiri is set to leave the mobile services giant at the end of January after three years at the helm. In a memo to staff, Safaricom chief executive officer Bob Collymore said Ms Shipiri had left for personal reasons, Business Daily reports. “I wish to announce that Resources Director, Maria Shipiri has decided to leave Safaricom, effective January 31, 2017 in order to focus on developing her ambitions outside the company,” said Mr Collymore.
He credited the executive for what he termed huge contribution to the operator’s recent milestones. “I want to give my personal thanks to Maria for her positive support to the leadership team over the past year and wish her all the very best in her new endeavours,” said Mr Collymore.
“It was her personal drive that led to recent approval of the positive improvements in the staff mortgage scheme. The regionalisation of the HR team will also count as her positive contribution to the company’s continued success,” said Collymore.
The hunt for her replacement will start immediately, the Safaricom boss said. “We will start the recruitment process for a new Resources Director but in the meantime the HR team will report to Joe Ogutu who will take on the additional role of Acting Resources Director,” said Mr Collymore.
Ms Shipiri joined Safaricom in July 2013 as head of department – human resources business partner, for consumer and enterprise divisions. A year later, she moved to Vodafone Group (UK) as human resources business partner for group enterprises.
.Prior to joining Safaricom, she has held senior leadership roles in both global and local institutions including Ecobank Groupe in Togo, Novartis in Switzerland and Morocco, Mumias Sugar, CocaCola East and Central Africa and World Vision International.
She returned to Kenya last year to head the resources team.
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ABOUT MARIA SHIPIRI
Maria is a proven leader in Human Resources, with close to 20 years of progressive experience across various industries including telecommunications, banking, pharmaceuticals, FMCGs and the development world.
Maria joined Safaricom in July 2013 as Head of Department – Human Resources Business Partner, for Consumer and Enterprise Divisions. A year later, she moved to Vodafone Group in the UK as Human Resources Business Partner for Group Enterprises, and was most recently responsible for Group Enterprise operations across Vodafone’s Global operations. She has held senior leadership roles in both global and local institutions including Ecobank Groupe in Togo, Novartis in Switzerland and Morocco, Mumias Sugar, Coca-Cola East & Central Africa and World Vision International.
Maria holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Kenyatta University (KE), and is a qualified Executive Coach from the Academy of Executive Coaching (UK). She also possesses a Higher Diploma in HR Management from the Institute of Human Resource Management (KE), and is expecting to graduate later this year in a Master’s programme in Coaching and Consulting for Change with the University of Oxford and HEC Paris.
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