Hubtel, Ghana’s leading payment service provider, has announced the appointment of two heavyweight executives, Simon Poole and Marjorie Saint-Lot, to its Management Advisory Council. The move, according to the company, reinforces its ambition to scale across Africa and solidify its position as one of the continent’s most trusted digital commerce and payments enablers.
The two bring decades of international expertise in finance, governance, digital transformation, and cross-border expansion—capabilities Hubtel says are crucial as it pushes to become “Africa’s most useful company.”
Capital markets veteran joins Hubtel
Simon Poole, a finance and investment leader with over 30 years’ experience across Africa, Europe, and international markets, is best known for his senior roles at Bank of America, Guinness Nigeria, and Celtel International. At Celtel, he played a central role in the company’s transformation into one of Africa’s largest telecom operators, culminating in its $3 billion acquisition by Zain.
Poole later served as an Operating Partner at Helios Investment Partners, Africa’s largest private equity firm, where he contributed to the IPOs of Helios Towers, Vivo Energy, and CAB Payments on the London Stock Exchange. He has also served on the boards of Interswitch in Nigeria and Fawry in Egypt, two fintech giants that have shaped Africa’s payments ecosystem.
Hubtel noted that Poole’s governance discipline, capital markets insight, and operational expertise will support its ambitions for sustainable growth and potential future listings.
Driving digital transformation across Africa
Marjorie Saint-Lot, a seasoned strategist with more than 20 years of experience, brings strong credentials in digital transformation, financial inclusion, and scaling operations across Africa. She currently heads Francophone Africa for Taptap Send, where she oversees $300 million in monthly transactions and has launched operations in four new markets.
Her career includes senior leadership roles at Uber, where she drove 60-fold growth in Côte d’Ivoire within a year and steered operations in Ghana to profitability during macroeconomic challenges. She has also held senior roles at Orange Côte d’Ivoire, where she led €300 million worth of acquisitions, and Digicel Haiti.
Saint-Lot sits on the board of Ecobank Côte d’Ivoire and is the founder of Yarey Consultancy Group. At Hubtel, she will focus on digital strategy, cross-border expansion, and stakeholder engagement.
Positioning for continental growth
Commenting on the appointments, Hubtel said the combined experience of Poole and Saint-Lot gives the company “world-class insight into financial discipline, governance, digital innovation, and regional expansion,” positioning it strongly for pan-African growth.
About Hubtel
Founded in 2005, Hubtel is licensed by the Bank of Ghana as an Enhanced Payment Service Provider. The company enables people to pay bills, order food, purchase essentials, and make secure payments through its platform. It operates 23 offices across Ghana, employs about 700 staff, and has been recognised by the Financial Times as Ghana’s fastest-growing company for 2022.
With its latest leadership boost, Hubtel says it remains committed to building Africa’s most useful company by helping businesses and consumers seamlessly connect to the continent’s emerging digital economy.