Hussam Baday has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Airtel Networks Zambia Plc, stepping up from his role as the Interim Managing Director. Before assuming this pivotal position, Baday made significant contributions to the company as the Chief Commercial Officer since December 2021 and previously as the Marketing Director since July 2018. His diverse experience and leadership are expected to drive Airtel Zambia towards new heights of success and innovation.
Baday’s educational background is robust, holding a Master of Business Administration from the University of Leicester, UK, and a BSc in Electronics and Communications Engineering. His professional development is further enhanced by a Professional Diploma from The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, and a certificate in “Behavioral Economics” from Harvard Business School. Baday also participated in an executive education program, Leading with Results, at INSEAD, France.
Before joining Airtel Zambia, Baday was instrumental in shaping commercial strategies and business development at Sudatel Telecom Group (STG), where he served as Chief Marketing Officer. His career also includes significant roles at leading global telecom and technology firms Ericsson and Huawei, marking a track record of substantial accomplishments in the telecom industry.
In addition to his executive roles, Baday is an advisory board member at CMO- council Africa, demonstrating his influence and thought leadership in the marketing domain. His appointment follows the departure of Manu Sood, under whose leadership Airtel Zambia launched 5G technology, introduced the first High-Definition voice calls in the country, and implemented the eSIM technology, marking significant milestones in Zambia’s digital communication landscape.
Baday’s leadership comes at a crucial time as Airtel Zambia continues to expand its digital services and customer experience offerings. For example, the company recently collaborated with Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco) to launch the Zanaco Bill Muster service on the Airtel Money platform, simplifying school fee payments for customers and marking a significant step towards digital financial inclusion.
Baday’s rich background in commercial strategies, business development, and his successful track record in turning around commercial performance positions him well to lead Airtel Networks Zambia PLC into its next phase of growth and innovation.
