Safaricom announced Michael Joseph (pictured) stepped down from its board of directors, ending his long association with the company.

The Kenya-based operator stated Joseph left the board on 1 August to focus on other professional endeavours, including his role as chairman at Kenya Airways.

Joseph joined Safaricom in 2000 and held the CEO position twice, along with several other high-profile roles.

As chief executive between 2000 and 2010, Safaricom highlighted Joseph’s central role during its IPO in 2007. He was also influential in developing mobile money services m-Pesa and a foundation dedicated to improving education.

As interim CEO between 2019 and 2020, he also played a key role in Safaricom’s push to enter the Ethiopian market.

The company’s Ethiopian unit was also recently hit by the departure of its first CEO Anwar Soussa.