Job Title: finance director
Company: BAT
Catherine Chepkonga is the finance director for East and Southern Africa at BAT (British American Tobacco).
She began her career at BAT Kenya in 2012, progressing through a series of financial accounting and reporting roles before advancing to corporate finance manager in 2015. She subsequently moved into commercial finance and then to progressively senior leadership positions spanning East African markets, Uganda, and the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. She was appointed finance controller for East and Southern Africa in February 2024, overseeing financial planning and reporting, compliance, and corporate finance across a cluster of more than 10 countries.
Catherine 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) with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK). She was named among Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Women in 2021.
Work
Feb 2024 – present: finance controller, East & Southern Africa, BAT
Nov 2023 – Feb 2025: non-executive board director, BAT Uganda
Jan 2026 – present: member, board of trustees, BAT Kenya Provident Fund
Apr 2023 – Jan 2024: head of finance, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean Islands & Great Lakes, BAT
Aug 2020 – Mar 2023: finance controller, East African markets, BAT
May 2019 – Jul 2020: head of finance, Uganda, BAT
Aug 2017 – Apr 2019: commercial finance manager, East African markets, BAT
Sept 2015 – Jul 2017: corporate finance manager, Kenya, BAT
Apr 2012 – Aug 2015: finance analyst/accountant (early career roles), BAT Kenya
Education
2021: MBA, Durham University Business School
2008 – 2012: BCom, Strathmore University
CPA qualification, Strathmore University
ACA qualification, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
BAT
BAT (British American Tobacco) is a multinational consumer goods company with operations in over 180 countries. In East and Southern Africa, BAT has a significant manufacturing and commercial presence, with its Kenya subsidiary listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
