Safaricom Limited Names New CFO

Monday, October 24, 2011…Listed integrated communications firm Safaricom has announced the appointment of John Tombleson as finance director.

Mr Tombleson joins Safaricom from Vodafone Qatar, where he held the position of acting CEO and CFO. He replaces Chris Tiffin, whose tour of duty at Safaricom comes to an end on November 20, 2011.

The new finance director is an original member of the Qatar start-up team which was founded in 2008 and has built a market share of 48% within 2 years.  Mr Tombleson, a New Zealander, first joined Vodafone in New Zealand in 2003, and has since held senior financial roles in both mobile and fixed telecommunications operations.  John is a Board member of Vodafone Qatar, and was previously a Board member of Vodafone Fiji. 

While making the announcement, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said: "As we give a hearty welcome to John, please join me in extending my sincere gratitude and best wishes to Chris Tiffin for an excellent job done during his 3 years tenure as CFO. If the positive comments I continue to receive from staff are anything to go by, it is clear that Chris leaves behind a legacy of strong performance and more importantly, one that has been instrumental in creating a more inclusive financial governance structure for the company."

Mr Tombleson is expected to take up his new role in Kenya on November 7, and will work alongside Chris through to the end of that month to facilitate a smooth transition.

Monday, October 24, 2011…Listed integrated communications firm Safaricom has announced the appointment of John Tombleson as finance director.

Mr Tombleson joins Safaricom from Vodafone Qatar, where he held the position of acting CEO and CFO. He replaces Chris Tiffin, whose tour of duty at Safaricom comes to an end on November 20, 2011.

The new finance director is an original member of the Qatar start-up team which was founded in 2008 and has built a market share of 48% within 2 years.  Mr Tombleson, a New Zealander, first joined Vodafone in New Zealand in 2003, and has since held senior financial roles in both mobile and fixed telecommunications operations.  John is a Board member of Vodafone Qatar, and was previously a Board member of Vodafone Fiji. 

While making the announcement, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said: "As we give a hearty welcome to John, please join me in extending my sincere gratitude and best wishes to Chris Tiffin for an excellent job done during his 3 years tenure as CFO. If the positive comments I continue to receive from staff are anything to go by, it is clear that Chris leaves behind a legacy of strong performance and more importantly, one that has been instrumental in creating a more inclusive financial governance structure for the company."

Mr Tombleson is expected to take up his new role in Kenya on November 7, and will work alongside Chris through to the end of that month to facilitate a smooth transition.