Mobile telephony provider Safaricom is the most respected company in East Africa for the third year running.

In a an award that also marked the 10th anniversary of the CEO’s Most Respected Company East Africa awards sponsored by the Nation Media Group, Safaricom was voted by its peers as the most resilient company in the face of the global financial crisis.

The second place was taken by Kenya Airways, while the third place went to MTN.

Safaricom won the accolade after a rigorous evaluation conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, in the largest survey ever involving 400 companies, up from 350 last year.

It interviewed 178 CEOs and business leaders in the region.

In the category of the country winners for Uganda, MTN was the most respected, followed by Serena Group of Hotels and Bidco Uganda.

In Tanzania, Zain Tanzania scooped first place, followed by Vodacom Tanzania and Tanzania Breweries.

In Kenya, Safaricom again emerged on top, followed by Kenya Airways and East African Breweries.

In Rwanda, MTN took the top spot followed by Bralirwa Breweries while the third place went to Serena.

The awards were announced just a day after the signing of the East African Community Common Market Protocol in Arusha, and appropriately featured a number of companies companies operating across the region — East African Breweries, Serena, Zain and Bidco.

The Most Respected Companies are nominated in a survey of business leaders across East Africa who also determine the values and attributes that are important to them when defining respect.

This year, the peers were looking for leadership both in the marketplace and in the way companies are run internally.

The quality of goods and services was adjudged more important than the geographical spread and the size of business.

Working under the theme, Rethinking and Reshaping the New Normal, the survey was conducted during the difficult economic period arising from the global financial crisis that has weakened the productivity of companies across the globe, requiring new approaches to business survival.

It was also a time for the chief executives to evaluate how business is copying with turbulent economic times.

For the first time, the survey findings will be published in the main report of the global study of chief executive officers, also conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, to be launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2010 and later in Africa.

The survey was also used to determine the viability of East African companies and how they are building capacity to withstand the after effects of the credit crunch, which have seriously crippled companies’ performance in both the developed, emerging and developing economies, leading to either complete closure or bailouts by governments.

The survey, which has become a major milestone for business in the region, is also recognised by chief executives as an opportunity to understand what their peers are thinking and doing, as well as to share vital elements for success in the rapidly changing business environment.

Business strategies

Moving away from the normal practice of simply announcing the winners, this year’s survey sought to identify the issues that CEOs are grappling with, as well as the strategies being adopted to cope with the post-global economic recession period.

This year’s survey was conducted under extremely tough operating conditions, where CEOs faced a series of challenges beyond the global recession.