Former
Safaricom CEO to Lead Vodafone M-Payments Business
Dec. 12, 2011
Michael Joseph has been named to lead the mobile payments
unit of London-based telecom Vodafone. Joseph is the former CEO of Safaricom
who is credited with championing mobile payment service M-PESA (a joint venture
of Vodafone and Safaricom) in Kenya. M-PESA, one of the most successful mobile
initiatives in the world, has helped Kenya leapfrog a stage of development and
kickstart its rural economy. Vodafone has tapped Joseph, who retired from
Safaricom in 2010, to drive M-PESA in India and Africa. "For Vodafone,
India will be the biggest market,” Joseph told reporters. “It is really right
for this product. There are 700 million people without bank accounts. Two
hundred and thirty of those have mobiles, but there is also a huge market
which, as yet, don't have either. It's also a huge opportunity because of the
geography, but you need to have a passion and to know it can be successful in
order to invest the capital and the time training people."