Legal team size: 11 

Getachew is a senior legal and regulatory executive with close to 17 years of experience in legal leadership across different corporate sectors, including telecommunications, fintech, aviation, real estate, and infrastructure. Getachew has successfully led high-value transactions including closing dozens of aircraft finance and leasing transactions as well as navigating the legal and regulatory processes for Ethiopia’s biggest FDI, Safaricom Ethiopia, into a newly liberalised telecom and fintech sector.

He currently serves as the Chief Legal, Regulatory and Corporate Governance Officer at Safaricom Ethiopia, where he is part of the Executive Management Committee. In this role, he leads legal, regulatory, and governance departments, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic objectives. He also manages relationships with key regulatory stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, Ethiopian Communications Authority, National Bank of Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Previously, Getachew served as Head of Legal at the company where he was instrumental from the establishment of the mobile money subsidiary (M-PESA Ethiopia) to foundational contracts development and negotiation for both the telecom company and its mobile money subsidiary.

Before joining Safaricom Ethiopia, Getachew was Legal Counsel at Eagle Hills Ethiopia, a multinational real estate development company. There, he provided legal oversight across jurisdictions where the global company had operations, liaising with government offices, including the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance. He led the drafting and negotiation of key commercial agreements and ensured compliance with both local and cross-border legal requirements.

From 2014 to 2020, Getachew worked as Legal Counsel at the Ethiopian Airlines Group, where he led the Contracts and Transactions Department and at times acted as Vice President Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary. In this capacity, he negotiated major aircraft purchase, leasing and financing transactions, and played a critical role in the airline’s global partnership and joint venture initiatives as well as significant infrastructure development projects.

Complementing his legal practice, Getachew has served as a university lecturer at Ethiopian universities, teaching commercial and business law courses. He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Addis Ababa University and an LL.B from Jimma University. Fluent in regulatory frameworks and skilled in aligning legal strategy with corporate goals, Getachew is respected for his integrity, leadership, and ability to operate confidently at the highest levels of business and government.