Interviews

One book that shaped Joseph Kahenya’s work perspective is Winning by Jack Welch. In particular, he loves the quote “any strategy, no matter how smart, is dead on arrival unless the company brings it to life with people – the right people”.

After braving the cold weather in the UK, Moses Kang’ethe, CFO of Britam Life Assurance Company, returned to Kenya to play his part in building a better country and have a better quality of life.

Over the last 14 years in Rwanda, Wafula David Wanjala, CFO for the African operations of ContourGlobal, has been a witness to the country's remarkable evolution in the accounting landscape.

Alkarim Jiwa is the group finance and strategy director at Diamond Trust Bank (DTB). He took time off his busy schedule to chat with CFO East Africa about himself, his role at the bank and his advice for fellow finance professionals.

Joseph Nzou Ndisya, who has worked for PwC Kenya for his entire 22-year career, believes it is important to never lose the personal touch with employees no matter how many there are. As part of this approach, he has instituted a Next-Gen council, so younger professionals have a forum to suggest ideas and drive transformation.

Anita Umuhire was appointed CFO of Rwanda's largest bank before the age of 40. She credits having the right values and demonstrating unwavering integrity as key assets on the road to success.

Emmanuel Mushi is the CFO of DHL Express Tanzania. His expertise is bolstered by previous roles as the head of finance at the Tanzanian subsidiaries of Green Resources AS and important contributions at Deloitte & Touche.

Many people have the impression that the public sector is slow, inefficient and bureaucratic. This is not necessarily the case in Kenya today, according to Stephen Vikiru Kinadira, general manager: Finance at Kenya Power and Lighting Company.

Standard Chartered Uganda CFO Kelvin Musana’s fascination with finance was sparked at a young age, when he delved into Frank Woods’ Business Accounting Volume 1 while waiting on his Grade 7 results.

Ash Makau, regional CFO for Africa and Europe at Volcafe, has furthered his expertise with certificates in Sustainability for Finance and Digital Innovation for Finance, showcasing a commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends.

Yusuf Omari, the finance director of Absa Bank Kenya, boasts an illustrious 20-year career in the banking sector, clearly demonstrating his deep-rooted expertise in financial management and strategic leadership. He recently unpacked the bank's full financial year results.

At 30 years old, Pathcare Kenya CFO Stephen Kimani is one of the youngest people in the organisation. He has been able to command the respect of his colleagues by ensuring that he demonstrates expert knowledge.

When Christine Sesay came back to Africa from Europe, she admits that she had a “saviour mentality”. However, she quickly learnt that she did not know more than the people she met. It was a humbling experience, which she today uses to ground herself in her current role as the CFO of Kepler in Rwanda.

Flavia Nalubbo, the head of Finance for Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Uganda, has spent the bulk of her nearly one-and-a-half decade professional career in the telecoms sector.

As CFO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Global Network, Rana Auditto oversees five African countries and offices in Canada, the UK, and Germany - all from Rwanda.

Growing up in Voi Town, Kenya, Adili Group CEO Shital Shah had a bit of an unconventional upbringing: the Tsavo National Park was her weekend visit and the family had a baby elephant for a pet!

With a surname like Kerich, it surprises no one in his rural Bomet that Baraka is working for a hospital group today (kerich means medicine in the Kipsigis language). But the CFO of Gertrude’s Hospital Group did not see this coming.

Having a commercial and strategy background enabled Peter Ndegwa to be a different finance leader than a typical CFO. Being in a number of functions before becoming head of Safaricom was also very useful in his transition to CEO.

Taking inspiration from family members in finance, Ezekiel Lovililo, the CFO of Nicol Tanzania, has rapidly risen through the ranks, deepening his knowledge in both the private and public sectors.

Shereena Wilson is a Rwanda-based fractional CFO. She initiated her freelancing journey in 2020, and is part of a growing trend of professionals finding fulfilment in remote freelancing.