Vodacom is bringing the former chief executive of one of its biggest rivals onto its board, as the telecom group prepares to execute the next phase of its Vision 2030 strategy.
Segun Ogunsanya, who led Airtel Africa until his retirement in July 2024, will join Vodacom as an independent non-executive director from October 9, 2026. His appointment gives the South African telecom group an executive who spent more than a decade running a major pan-African telecoms business across 14 countries, as Vodacom expands beyond connectivity into financial services and digital businesses.
Vodacom announced the appointment on Wednesday alongside a wider reshuffle of its board, including the departure of two prominent directors and a planned change in its chairmanship.
The company said Ogunsanya has more than 35 years of leadership experience across finance, banking, telecommunications and corporate governance. Before joining Airtel Africa in 2012, he held senior roles at Coca-Cola operations in Africa and Ecobank Transnational.
“Until his retirement in June 2024, Segun served as the Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Africa PLC, a FTSE 100-listed multinational providing mobile telecommunications and financial services in 14 African countries,” Vodacom said in its statement.
The appointment comes as Vodacom positions itself as an African technology company rather than simply a mobile network operator. The group’s latest financial results show the scale of its operations beyond South Africa, with international markets, Safaricom and financial services forming significant parts of the business.
The board changes also mark the beginning of the end of Saki Macozoma’s tenure as Vodacom chairman. Macozoma, who joined the board in July 2017, will retire at the company’s annual general meeting on July 20, 2027, after reaching the company’s self-imposed 10-year tenure for board members.
Khumo Shuenyane, currently the lead independent director, will succeed him as chairman from July 21, 2027. Vodacom credited Macozoma with overseeing the implementation of its Vision 2025 strategy and the beginning of its Vision 2030 strategy.
“Both have heralded a transformational era for the business,” the company said.
The board is also losing Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, the Naspers CEO, who will retire on October 8, 2026, after joining the board in January 2019. She served as chairperson of the Remuneration Committee and as a member of the Nomination Committee.
Vodacom said it would announce further changes to its board committees in due course. Clive Thomson, a former Barloworld CEO, will take over as chairman of the Remuneration Committee while retaining his role as chairman of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
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