Safaricom Plc has appointed two senior Vodacom Group executives as Non-Executive Directors as part of changes to its board that also mark the departure of two existing directors.
Vodacom Group Chief Executive Officer for Fintech Mariam Cassim and Chief Officer for Human Resources Matimba Mbungela joined the Safaricom board on August 13, 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
Their appointments coincide with the resignation of Non-Executive Directors James Ludlow and Dr (Eng) John Kipngetich Mosonik, effective on the same date.
Cassim brings experience spanning corporate finance, deal structuring, mergers and acquisitions, debt structuring, commercial management and executive leadership.
She has served in senior roles at Vodacom since 2017 and currently heads the group’s fintech business. Safaricom said her career has focused on innovation, business transformation and developing commercially sustainable ventures that generate value for companies and society.
Cassim is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, where she graduated cum laude.
Mbungela has been Vodacom Group’s Chief Officer for Human Resources since 2014, having previously held several senior HR positions within Vodacom and Vodafone.
He joined Vodacom/Vodafone Group as Managing Executive for Human Resources in 2003 and later served as Regional Head of Organisational Effectiveness and Change and Regional Head of Talent for Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific during his secondment to Vodafone.
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He also spent six years leading talent management at Vodacom, where he was responsible for aligning the company’s talent strategy with Vodafone’s global framework.
Before joining Vodacom, Mbungela held senior human resources positions at BMW South Africa and Unilever.
He represents the Vodacom Employees Trust, Siyanda, on the YeboYethu Board and serves as a Non-Executive Director at Vodacom Tanzania, Vodacom Mozambique and Vodacom Lesotho. He has also been a member of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership Advisory Board since June 2020.
Mbungela holds a Bachelor of Administration from the University of Venda, an MBA in Strategy and Human Resources from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources from the University of Cape Town.
Safaricom thanked Ludlow and Mosonik for their contributions to the board and its committees and wished them well following their departure.
