Job Title: Chief financial services officer
Company: Safaricom
Esther Masese Waititu took on the role of chief financial services officer at Safaricom in March 2023.
Prior to that, she was the director for Corporate Banking at KCB Bank Group.
Esther started as a corporate finance analyst at Commercial Bank of Africa, before moving on to the position of corporate finance manager. At the end of six years at the financial services provider, she held the role of Customer Relationship Management Manager. She then moved to Standard Chartered Bank, to take on the role of senior manager for Customer Relationship Management for Corporate and Institutional Banking, before moving to the role of product head for Transaction Banking for Southern Africa.
Almost five years later, the seasoned finance professional moved to Standard Bank Group, in the role of head of product management for Transactional Products and Services for East Africa. Esther spent over 10 years at Standard Bank Group, transitioning to executive roles, including regional head of Transactional Products and Services for East Africa, executive of Strategy Development for Corporate and Investment Bank (East Africa) and head of Client Coverage.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration qualification from the University of Eastern Africa Baraton and an MBA from the University of Liverpool.
Work
Mar 2023 - Present: Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom
Sep 2021 - Feb 2023: Director Corporate Banking, KCB Bank Group
Apr 2020 - Sep 2021: Head Client Coverage, Standard Bank Group
May 2017 - Apr 2020: Executive of Strategy Development, Corporate & Investment Bank for East Africa, Standard Bank Group
Aug 2011 - May 2017: Executive, Regional Head of Transactional Products & Services for East Africa, Standard Bank Group
Feb 2011 - Aug 2011: Head of Product Management, Transactional Products & Services for East Africa, Standard Bank Group
Apr 2007 - Jan 2011: Product Head Transaction Banking for Southern Africa, Standard Chartered Bank
Mar 2006 - Apr 2007: Senior Manager Customer Relationship Management, Corporate & Institutional Banking, Standard Chartered Bank
Jun 2003 - Mar 2006: Customer Relationship Management Manager, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA Group)
Jan 2002 - Jun 2003: Corporate Finance Manager, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA Group)
Dec 2000 - Dec 2001: Corporate Finance Analyst, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA Group)
Education
2015 - 2017: Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Liverpool
1995 - 1999: Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), University of Eastern Africa Baraton
Safaricom
Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. The company offers mobile telephony, mobile money transfer, consumer electronics, ecommerce, cloud computing, data, music streaming, and fibre optic services. It is most renowned as the home of M-PESA, a mobile banking SMS-based service.
