She steps up to the listed tobacco manufacturer’s top finance role as Philemon Kipkemoi departs after nearly two decades at the company.
BAT Kenya has appointed Catherine Chepkong’a as finance director, effective 1 April 2026. She succeeds Philemon Kipkemoi, who steps down on 31 March 2026 after close to 19 years with the company, the last six of which he served as finance director.
The appointment comes days after BAT Kenya declared a record total dividend of KSh 70 per share for the year ended December 2025, as net profit rose 17 percent to KSh 5.25 billion on the back of lower operating costs. The transition is part of a broader executive reorganisation by BAT’s UK-based parent company.
Most recently, she served as finance controller for East and Southern Africa, overseeing financial planning, reporting, compliance, and corporate finance across a cluster of more than ten countries. She has also held finance director roles covering Uganda and the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean Islands cluster, and previously served as a non-executive board director at BAT Uganda Limited.
Catherine joined BAT in 2012 and has built her career entirely within the group, progressing through financial accounting, corporate finance, and commercial finance roles in Kenya before moving into senior cluster leadership positions.
She holds an MBA from Durham University Business School and a BCom from Strathmore University. She is a chartered accountant (ACA) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a certified public accountant (CPA-K). She was recognised among Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Women in 2021.
