Airtel Appoints Carl Cruz to lead Nigeria subsidiary

By Cynthia Ezekwe

Airtel Africa, a multinational company that provides telecommunications and mobile money services has appointed  Carl Cruz as managing director and chief executive officer of the Nigerian subsidiary of the firm, effective from Friday, May 5, 2023.

A statement from the telco disclosed that Cruz will replace C Surendran, who was named Airtel Nigeria CEO on May 5, 2021, noting that this appointment qualifies  Cruz to join the executive committee as the regional operating director, reporting to the CEO of Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya, who once occupied the position before heading the parent company.

Commenting on the appointment,  Ogunsanya noted that  Cruz brings to Airtel Africa a wealth of business experience, exceptional track record and strong values, while stating that the new CEO  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.

Cruz has over 31 years of business and corporate experience from multiple geographies across Africa and Asia. He  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.

He was also a board member in the role of executive director in Unilever Nigeria Plc and a non–executive director on the board of Unilever Ghana representing Unilever as a shareholder.

Prior to this, he was the chairman and managing director of Unilever Sri Lanka, in addition to occupying leadership roles in Unilever Philippines and Hindustan Unilever India.

Throughout his career, Cruz has managed strategic and directional responsibility in sales, distribution, customer and brand development, trade development and commercial engagement. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in marketing management from the University of De La Salle, Philippines.