Kenya

Abraham Ongenge is excited by the professional and personal opportunity to redefine the banking experience in Kenya in his new role as head of Personal and Private banking (subject to regulatory approval).

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.

A passion for running led Rachael Gitonga, CFO at ZEP Re, to establish Miles4shillings, which raised over $10,000 for the Faraja Cancer Support Fund. In this CFO East Africa exclusive insight, Rachael explains the power of passion.

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.

What benefits the planet ultimately benefits customers and, in turn, businesses. These were the sobering thoughts delivered by Safaricom CFO Dilip Pal at the recent 78th United Nations General Assembly.

Josephine Njoroge, the CFO of DHL Express in Kenya and Tanzania, was presented with the incredible opportunity to work in Tanzania. She describes her more memorable experiences in this CFO East Africa exclusive insight.

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.

Considering the perspective of others is a personal principle by which Lawrence Kimathi, financial director of KCB Group, lives - and this code of ethics has served him well.

As CFO of a law firm comprising more than 75 lawyers, "security dad" Andrew Murimi's philosophy is to treat others as he himself would love to be treated. In his view, empathy is what distinguishes managers from leaders.

Kinya Kimotho, Diageo's finance and strategy director for partner emerging markets in Africa, subscribes to the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which describes having a sense of purpose in life, seeking that motivating force that gets you out of bed every morning.

Safaricom CFO Dilip Pal recently commented on the latest Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) report, noting how mobile money has become a mainstream financial service.

Sophia Mukoba-Kioko, FD at Unilever East Africa, recently left Kenya to take on a new role in London, UK, as the Unilever global audit finance lead. Although she has travelled extensively, this will be her first assignment outside the country.

Over the next two decades, digital money will transform the way we think about currency and how it operates, according to KCB Group FD Lawrence Kimathi.

CFO East Africa recently caught up with Wasoko global CFO Sundararaman Pattabiraman to understand his views on Kenya and the finance fraternity.

Kenya Airways (KQ) has recorded a 120 percent improvement in operating profit, from a loss of Kshs 5 billion in 2022 to Kshs 998 million in 2023, with CFO Hellen Mathuka noting the two major headwinds that impacted business in the first half of the year.

Dennis Musau, chief financial and value officer of Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan, recently engaged in a conversation with CFO East Africa, discussing his career journey, lessons learnt, and what keeps him awake at night.

It is quite a tough job being the CFO of an African airline. The industry faces many challenges from inadequate infrastructure to inconsistent demand. Despite this, CFO of Kenya Airways Hellen Mathuka, loves her job.

Sophia Mukoba-Kioko has taken on the role of Global Audit Finance lead for Unilever, after spending six years as the Finance director for Unilever East Africa.

Risper Genga Ohaga, the CFO of East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), considers success a multifaceted concept, spanning courage, sacrifice and self-awareness.