Airtel’s Ogunsanya named African Business Leader of the Year

Mr Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa Group Chief Executive Officer-designate, has been named the African Business Leader of the Year in the 2021 African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA).

The awards are organised by African Leadership Magazine, a flagship, pan-African, leadership-focused publication.

Ogunsanya topped the category ahead of the runner-up, Standard Bank Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Simphiwe Tshabalala.

According to the organisers, Ogunsanya, who also won the Africa Industry Personality of the Year in 2020, was selected in a keenly-contested three-step points-based process that included a call for nomination; online voting for shortlisted nominees and the editorial board’s final review of nominations and voting submissions.

Online voting accounted for 65 per cent of the final outcome, with supporting evidence contributing 35 per cent in the final selection process.

The awards attracted over 300, 000 entries on the website and across social media platforms, as well as submissions via email and physical posts from Africans across the continent and in Diaspora.

Ogunsanya, an engineer and chartered accountant, has over 30 years of cognate experience garnered across multiple geographies, organisations and diverse sectors such as telecoms, consulting, Banking and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

He joined Airtel Nigeria in 2012 and his appointment as Airtel Africa Group CEO comes into effect on 1st October 2021.

All award winners and runners-up will be presented with an award trophy and formally decorated with instruments of the honour at the 6th Invest in Africa Summit (Virtual), scheduled for September 16 – 17, 2021, from 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm daily, with the theme: Africa 4.0: Redefining Growth, Sustainability, and Innovation.