Monitor Thought Leaders Forum set for March 15

Michael Joseph. FILE PHOTO

Kampala- The Monitor Thoughts Leaders Forum, 2018 will be held on March 15 with Mr Michael Joseph, the Board chairman of Kenya Airways, lined up as the keynote speaker, it has been revealed.
According to a press statement issued yesterday by Ms Sarah Nalule, the head of marketing at Monitor Publications Limited (MPL), the forum organised by Daily Monitor, a brand of MPL, will be held at the Pearl of Africa Hotel in Kampala starting at 7am.
The Monitor Thoughts Leaders Forum will be held under the theme: “Building a lasting legacy in spite of challenges.”

“Monitor Publications Limited, through its Daily Monitor brand has over the past few years organised the Monitor Thought Leaders Forum which is aimed at providing a platform for sharing ideas, knowledge, experiences and boost relationships, identify challenges, seek solutions and bridge the gap to better the business environment,” the statement read in part.

Grass to grace
Mr Joseph is an icon whose business skills grew from a humble phone repairer to a legendary businessman.
At the forum, Mr Joseph will take Ugandans through his inspiring journey from his education, to a career that exploded Safaricom from a small company housed at an apartment to a multibillion company with vast experience while at Kenya Airways, Vodafone and World Bank among others.
Daily Monitor has over the years identified business icons from around the world that have interacted with Ugandan business leaders and decision makers every time the forum is held.

These included Mr Don Strickland, the former Vice President of Apple and Kodak, Ms Isabel Aguilera who is the former president of general Electric and the former CEO of Google Spain and Portugal, Mr Ashish Thakkar who is the president Mara Group, CEO Bidco group Vimal Shah, and Mr Daniel Sieberg, a leading digital strategist who works with Google in New York.
Ms Nalule said business leaders and decision makers intending to participate in the forthcoming forum will pay Shs350,000 for individual ticket where as a table of 10 people will go for Shs3m.
She asked the participants to start paying in advance for reservations by contacting Ms Connie Lesley Kunihira on her e-mail address [email protected] or by telephone on +256774225084.

About Michael Joseph
Michael is now the Chairman of Kenya Airways but continues to serve as Vodafone’s Strategic Advisor on Mobile Money and serves on the Boards of Vodacom Group South Africa, Vodacom Tanzania, Vodacom Mozambique, and Safaricom Limited in Kenya. Previously, Michael was the Director for Mobile Money for the Vodafone Group.
He was also the CEO of Safaricom Limited from July 2000 when the company was re-launched as a joint venture between Vodafone UK and Telkom Kenya until his retirement in November 2010.
During his tenure, he steered the company from a subscriber base of less than 20,000 to more than 17 million subscribers.

This phenomenal growth straddling nearly a decade was motored by the launch of many innovative products and services such as M-PESA.
He has extensive international experience in company start-ups, the implementation and operation of large wireless and wire-line networks, including operations in Hungary, Spain, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Korea, the USA, Australia and the Middle East.
Mr Joseph is a US and Kenyan citizen has a BSc (cum laude) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and is a member of the IEEE and IEE (UK).

He also has an Honorary Doctorate degree (Doctor of Letters) from Africa Nazarene University, bestowed to him in recognition of his contribution to the growth of Safaricom from very humble beginnings to becoming one of the most innovative, influential and profitable company in the East African region.