The Rise and Rise of Corporate Guru Segun Ogunsanya

It is not an exaggeration to describe Segun Ogunsanya, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, as one of the brightest minds in corporate Nigeria.

When he took over Airtel Nigeria’s reins a few years ago, not many doubted his ability to turn things around in the company, having performed wonders in other firms like Coca-Cola and Ecobank International, among others.

Ogunsanya, an engineer of repute, had been chosen as the right man to help stem the tide of the telecommunications company, which is known to have metamorphosed a number of times.

He was seamlessly captaining the ship of the Nigerian Bottling Company when Airtel Nigeria challenged him with another challenging position as its CEO. Known to take challenges head-on like a bull and surmount them, Ogunsanya could not resist the temptation of a fresh challenge.

Today, he is commended for his efforts to pull the company from the precipice, thanks to his managerial skills. Industry watchers affirm that it has been the longest period of stability without another change of ownership since the company first launched its network as Econet Wireless in 2001.

The Bharti Group was particularly impressed that Ogunsanya was able to keep the ship of Airtel Nigeria afloat while constantly remaining within budget with an uncanny trademark measured frugality. A stickler for excellence and near perfection, Ogunsanya started on a good note and has lifted the company far above its competitors, with groundbreaking innovations, thereby putting smiles on the faces of the shareholders.

Having won the confidence of the entire shareholders and his bosses across the continent, he is tipped as the successor to Raghunath Mandava, CEO, Airtel Africa, when he retires in September 2021. Ogunsanya will not only be the first Nigerian but the first African to be in that position.