Besides the illustrious CFO of the Year title, Dilip also received the Strategy Execution Award.
Safaricom group CFO Dilip Pal has been named Kenya and East Africa’s 2025 CFO of the Year, emerging as the region’s most outstanding finance leader at the inaugural CFO Awards for East Africa. Dilip, who also won the Strategy Execution Award, was recognised at a black-tie gala held on 27 November at the Emara Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi, where top CFOs and industry leaders gathered to celebrate excellence in financial leadership.
Dilip’s win recognises a transformative period in which he reshaped Safaricom’s finance function and guided the company through its expansion into Ethiopia. The seasoned executive played a hands-on role in Safaricom’s greenfield entry into Ethiopia, securing a $400 million bridge loan in just a month to finance the telco’s licence fee.
The CFO of the Year award was presented by Carol Musyoka, chief provocateur at CMCL, while the Strategy Execution Award was presented by Edith Chumba, head of wealth and retail banking at Standard Chartered.
Before joining Safaricom, Dilip was the CFO of DTAC Thailand, which has since merged into True Corporation. He has over 30 years of experience, having worked across various sectors including telecommunications, engineering, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and financial services.
Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda CFOs feted
Also awarded on the night was Kioo financial controller Dipen Patel, who walked off with the Tanzania CFO of the Year title. His win recognised his work in securing $60 million in combined financing from IFC and Standard Bank SA to support Kioo’s capacity expansion and spearheaded the adoption of science-based target methodologies, making Kioo the first Tanzanian manufacturer to do so. ALN Kenya managing partner Daniel Ngumy presented the award.
Rwanda’s top honour went to former Ecobank Rwanda CFO Titus Langat, who is now the head of finance at Equity Group Holdings. He received the CFO of the Year title for his steering role in Ecobank Rwanda’s digital banking strategy, which returned the bank to profitability. The award was presented to him by Exim Bank founder Hanif Jaffer.
MTN Uganda CFO Andrew Bugembe was named Uganda’s CFO of the Year for navigating MTN Uganda through its inaugural IPO and facilitating its successful return to the secondary market, where the remaining shares were oversubscribed 2.3 times. Andrew also took home the Finance Transformation Award, presented by Capital Markets Uganda CEO Josephine Ossiya.
Spotlight on impact and sustainability leaders
The Compliance & Governance Award went to Absa Bank Kenya’s finance director Yusuf Omari, who was recognised for driving market-leading returns while maintaining strong operational efficiency. PwC Kenya assurance partner Akinyemi Awodumila presented the award.
For engineering Vodacom Tanzania’s turnaround from loss-making to high-growth performance, finance director Hilda Bujiku won the High-Performance Team Award, presented by Standard Chartered head of coverage Birju Sanghrajka.
In the Young CFO of the Year category, AzamPay CFO Bilaal Ramjaun scooped the top honour for his work reshaping the pricing strategy and sales structure of Sarafu, AzamPay’s B2B e-commerce and digital supply-chain marketplace app. Edith Chumba, head of wealth and retail banking at Standard Chartered, presented the trophy.
Peter Ssenyange, CFO of Postbank Uganda, took home the Public Impact CFO of the Year Award, presented by EY assurance and audit partner Denis Mugisha. He earned recognition for leading the business case behind Wendi, the mobile wallet now holding more than two million subscribers and accounting for over half of the bank’s deposits.
The winner of the Finance & ESG Award was Cold Solutions Kenya group CFO Jackline Aluda, who led the installation of a 1.4 MWp solar PV system that earned Africa’s first cold-storage LEED Gold certification. The award was presented by Absa Bank Kenya marketing and corporate affairs director Mwihaki Wachira.
Hosea Kiprop, Group CFO of AAR Insurance, received the Finance & Technology Award for driving a self-financed digital transformation that automated financial reporting and significantly improved the organisation’s capital position. Edwin Mucai, chief risk officer at Stanbic Bank Kenya, presented the award.
In the Beyond Finance category, Stanbic Bank Kenya CFVO Dennis Musau was recognised for building a library and administration block at Kaivisi Primary School, his alma mater. The award was presented by Aditi Nayar, EY Partner for strategy & transactions.
The full list of the 2025 CFO Awards winners:
- CFO of the Year, Kenya – Dilip Pal, CFO, Safaricom
- CFO of the Year, Tanzania – Dipen Patel, financial controller, Kioo
- CFO of the Year, Rwanda – Titus Langat, former CFO, Ecobank Rwanda
- CFO of the Year, Uganda – Andrew Bugembe, CFO, MTN Uganda
- CFO of the Year, East Africa – Dilip Pal, CFO, Safaricom
- Young CFO of the Year – Bilaal Ramjaun, group CFO, AzamPay Tanzania
- Public Impact CFO of the Year – Peter Ssenyange, CFO, PostBank Uganda
- Strategy Execution Award – Dilip Pal, CFO, Safaricom
- Finance Transformation Award – Andrew Bugembe, CFO, MTN Uganda
- Compliance & Governance Award – Yusuf Omari, finance director, Absa Bank Kenya
- High-Performance Team Award – Hilda Bujiku, finance director, Vodacom Tanzania
- Finance & ESG Award – Jackline Engefu Aluda, group CFO, Cold Solutions Kenya
- Finance & Technology Award – Hosea Kiprop, group CFO, AAR Insurance
- Beyond Finance Award – Dennis Musau, CFVO, Stanbic Bank Kenya
The judges for the 2025 awards were:
- Andrew Ssekamwa, strategic finance executive
- Carol Musyoka, chief provocateur, CMCL
- Daniel Ngumy, managing partner, ALN Kenya
- George Odenyo, CEO, American Tower Corporation
- Hanif Jaffer, founder and director, Exim Bank Tanzania & Uganda
- Dr James McFie, senior lecturer, Strathmore University Business School
- John Bugunya, vice president, ICPAR
- Josephine Ossiya, CEO, Capital Markets Authority of Uganda
- Julian Ingabire, strategy director, ICPAR
- Leonard Mususa, chairperson, Tanzania Breweries Limited
- Mkombozi Karake, chairperson, KMD Rwanda
- Nelson Rwihula, MD, Newtan Insurance
- Prof. Samuel Sejjaaka, principal, MAT ABACUS Business School
The awards were sponsored by Absa Bank Kenya, EY, PwC Kenya, Stanbic Bank Kenya and Standard Chartered.
Table sponsors included AAR Insurance, ALN, Central Bank of Kenya, Cold Solutions Kenya, Deloitte, EABL, Equity Bank, GardaWorld Security, ICEA Lion Group, Kenya Power, Safaricom, SBSL, SHOFCO and Yellow Card.
