Airtel Nigeria, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa Plc, has announced the appointment of Carl Cruz as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment of Cruz is expected to take effect from May 5, 2023.
Cruz is taking over from C Surendran and will also join the executive committee as the Regional Operating Director.
He will be reporting to Segun Ogunsanya, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa Group, as well as the board of its subsidiary, Airtel Nigeria.
Speaking on the appointment, Ogunsanya expressed optimism that Cruz’s appointment would be advantageous to the company with his wealth of expertise and increase the growth of the business.
“Cruz brings to Airtel Africa a wealth of business experience, exceptional track record and strong values,” Ogunsanya said.
“He has a solid record of accomplishment as a strategic and transformational business leader who thrives on problem-solving and building strong teams to deliver business growth.
“We look forward to working with him to steer our largest region and to deliver on our corporate purpose of transforming lives.”
The telecom company further affirmed that Cruz has over 31 years of business and corporate experience from multiple geographies across Africa and Asia.
“In his most recent position, Cruz served as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unilever in West Africa, with responsibility and oversight of three listed operating companies, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone Africa,” the statement reads.
“He was a board member in the role of executive director in Unilever Nigeria Plc and a non–executive director in the board of Unilever Ghana representing Unilever as a shareholder.”
Cruz’s previous leadership roles in Unilever Philippines, Hindustan Unilever India, and Unilever Sri Lanka, have also given him the required experience and skill set to steer Airtel Nigeria towards achieving its corporate objectives.
Cruz holds a Bachelor’s degree in marketing management from the University of De La Salle, Philippines.
