Airtel appoints Dinesh Balsingh as CEO of Airtel Nigeria

Airtel Africa, a leading telecommunications and mobile money services provider operating in 14 African countries, has announced the appointment of Dinesh Balsingh as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, effective November 1, 2024.

With this appointment, Balsingh will also join the Executive Council of Airtel Africa Group.

Balsingh succeeds Carl Cruz, who returned to his home country, the Philippines, at the end of October after completing his tenure as CEO of Airtel Nigeria.

Balsingh brings extensive experience in the telecommunications sector, having previously served as Managing Director and CEO of Airtel Tanzania since 2022.

Before his role in Tanzania, Balsingh was the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Airtel Nigeria, offering him valuable insight into the Nigerian telecom market.

His career in telecommunications spans over 24 years, starting in 2000 with Hutchison Essar.

He later moved to Airtel India in 2006 as Marketing Director and then to Tata Docomo in 2011.

Balsingh joined Airtel Nigeria in 2013 as Marketing Director and was appointed CCO in 2018.

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During his leadership at Airtel Tanzania, Balsingh led the company to significant growth, utilizing strategic pricing, product innovations, and effective project execution, which resulted in impressive Revenue Market Share (RMS) gains in a highly competitive market.

Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, praised Balsingh’s leadership, stating, “Mr. Balsingh’s deep telecommunications experience and strong operational execution, combined with his knowledge of the Nigerian market, will be instrumental in further supporting our corporate purpose of transforming lives across Nigeria.”

Balsingh holds an MBA from Thiagarajar School of Management.