Interviews

Very few people will serve as CFO of a major bank and CFO of a national airline before the age of thirty-five. It is indeed a rarity and Andrew Ssekamwa, CFO of Uganda Airlines, is definitely an achiever for having accomplished this feat.

During his childhood, Unga CFO James Nyutu spent most of his weekends and school holidays working in his mother's general store, and this sparked a keen interest in money matters that led him to develop a liking for mathematics.

Early in her career, one pivotal moment shaped Theresa Salvatori's perspective on leadership: A performance review, initially perceived as a sting, turned out to be a profound lesson for the former CFO of Kone East Africa.

Haytham Ammar was late last year appointed CFO of M-Pesa Africa. CFO East Africa recently caught up with him, to chat about his career and the reasons behind his move to the mobile money company.

Caroline Nderitu’s father wanted her to work with a gavel in hand – as a judge. But she had other ideas, which led her to becoming the finance director at Minet Kenya at the astonishingly young age of 35.

Ernst Vriesendorp, CFO and COO of SolarNow, fell in love with East Africa when he worked on a project in the Maasai Mara in 2014.

Reverien Mutangana, director of finance and administration at EPC Africa-CEC, believes that specialisation positions finance leaders as competent professionals in-country and also opens doors to international opportunities.

Having been fascinated by planes from a young age, ICEA LION Life Assurance CFO Kevin Nyakeri’s desire growing up was to be a pilot.

"CFOs thrive when they are placed in a flat rather than a purely hierarchical structure." This is according to Africa Legal Network (ALN) CFO Timothy Thaiting’a.

At MTN, CFO Andrew Bugembe has been through the trenches across the African continent, the least of his challenges being culture shock.

In the realm of finance, where numbers often hold the key to success, William Olotu, finance director at Abercrombie & Kent in Tanzania, has not only mastered the intricacies of balance sheets but has also found an unexpected passion in the discipline of karate.

Flora Makule, the CFO of Reliance Insurance Tanzania has former first lady Anna Mkapa to thank for her accounting career.

Returning to Africa has been as much a personal journey as it has been a professional one for WPP Scangroup CFO Miriam Kaggwa, who is a chemical engineer by training, a scientist by nature and a finance leader by choice.

A year into his role as CFO of Group Vivendi Africa (Canal Box) Uganda, Colin Musaazi has experienced first-hand the intricacies of setting up a new company.

Shushant Mallik, the CFO of DP World in Rwanda, brings an unconventional approach to the role, having taken on responsibility for projects and operations prior to leading a finance function.

The transition from the private sector to the public sector is often seen as challenging, but Patrick Chonde, the acting general manager of finance at Kenya Airports Authority, believes that the gap between the sectors is narrowing. However, he does acknowledge that some differences do still exist.

It took one newspaper ad to set Stephen Karumbi, the CFO of Family Bank, on his remarkable journey from dedicated accounting student in high school to respected financial executive.

Coming from a poor rural background to becoming a regional finance director of a listed entity is no easy feat. However, this is exactly what British American Tobacco's Philemon Kipkemoi has done - and now he wants to pay it forward.

Purity Mumbe Sammy, CFO at East Africa Reinsurance, initially planned to retire from corporate life at the age of 35 and teach kindergarten. Now, at the designate age, she admits she is not quite ready to realise that dream.

From dropping out of university to take on an internship to inspiring the formation of a debt collection unit to chief accountant, George Odenyo, CFO of American Tower (ATC Kenya), has definitely not followed a stereotypical career path.