Safaricom’s Karen Basiye has been honored as a Schwab Foundation Corporate Social Innovator of the Year, joining a select group of 21 global leaders recognized for their transformative work in social and environmental impact.
Karen, Director of Sustainable Business, Social Impact, and Foundations at Safaricom PLC, has been at the forefront of initiatives that integrate Digital Inclusion, Climate Action, and sustainable business practices into the company’s operations, ensuring that technology not only connects people but truly transforms lives across Kenya and Africa.
Karen believes that business thrives when society thrives and this mantra has led her to champion digital programs that bring connectivity to underserved communities, and implemented climate-focused initiatives that reduce the company’s environmental footprint.
She has consistently demonstrated how corporate leadership can create lasting social impact.
Under her guidance, Safaricom has launched programs such as M-Pesa Financial Literacy Outreach, Green Energy Initiatives, and community-based tech hubs, reaching millions of Kenyans with access not only to technology, but to opportunity. Young entrepreneurs in rural towns are using Safaricom platforms to start businesses, students are learning coding and digital skills in community hubs, and women previously excluded from financial systems are building sustainable livelihoods. These are the tangible outcomes of Karen’s vision, showing that profit and purpose can grow together.
“This year’s awardees highlight the extraordinary resilience and ingenuity at the heart of our social innovator and entrepreneur community,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. “Leaders like Karen Basiye are not only transforming industries they are building a more inclusive and sustainable future for all.”
Being named a Schwab Foundation Corporate Social Innovator is not only a personal accolade for Karen is a recognition of Safaricom’s pioneering role in demonstrating how African companies can lead on responsible, impact-driven business at a global scale.
The recognition aligns with insights from the Schwab Foundation’s 2026 Built to Last report, which highlights that social innovators collectively mobilized nearly $1 billion in financial and in-kind resources despite widespread operational disruptions, shrinking resources, and other challenges.
For Karen, the award is a call to continue pushing boundaries. “Every initiative, every program, every connection we create is a chance to make life better for someone, somewhere,” she says. “When business and society grow together, we create lasting change that extends far beyond technology.”
As Karen Basiye joins the Schwab Foundation’s global network of social innovators, she carries not only Safaricom’s vision but Africa’s potential to lead the world in inclusive, transformative innovation. Through her work, she demonstrates that technology, combined with purpose and vision, can do more than connect—it can change lives, uplift communities, and shape the future.