Commercial Bank of Africa is not only the largest privately-owned bank in East Africa but also one of the most innovative banks around.
![Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]")
Ahead of its peers and fully aware on the power of digitization, the bank was the first financial institution to market with full digital banking channels, first with M-Pesa and M-shwari products, before rolling out the first US dollar credit card in Kenya, the first 105% mortgage offering and the first foreign currency-based mortgage provider.
The bank has also engineered many firsts and completely changed the banking landscape in the region.
It is no wonder interesting people can’t help but gravitate towards the bank which offers a vast range of products and services that are both tailored to local needs and inspired by global innovation.
Here is a list of five interesting Kenyan executives who have proven beyond doubt that indeed they are cut from a different cloth.
Bob Collymore - A smooth operator
Safaricom Chief Executive, Bob Collymore is undoubtedly one of the most successful CEOs in Kenya.
Since joining Safaricom in September 2010, Mr Collymore has steered the company to become the most profitable Kenyan company. The firm's net profit for the year ended March 2018 grew to Sh55.3 billion, compared to Sh48.4 billion the year before on the back of M-Pesa and data revenues.
Bob is also a cancer survivor having been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) last year.
In his free time, he loves flying helicopters and cycling and listening to Jazz.
Sanjiv Shah – Man of many faces
Inchcape Kenya, Uganda CEO, Mr Sanjiv Shah is not your ordinary CEO.
Apart from steering one of the largest multinational companies in the country, Sanjiv is a car enthusiast whose love for car saw him at one point compete professionally as a rally driver.
On top of that, he is also a fully qualified pilot.
Rita Kavashe – Shattering the glass ceiling piece by piece
Rita Kavashe, Managing Director at Isuzu East Africa, started out at General Motors East Africa (GMEA) as a sales representative.
She became Managing Director at GMEA, now Isuzu East Africa, whose name changed when the latter acquired 57.7 per cent shareholding in GMEA.
Rita was not only the first woman but the first Kenyan to be appointed as Managing Director of Isuzu East Africa.
Now she runs the biggest motor outfit in Kenya with a market share of 29.08 per cent as of July 2018.
James Mworia – From Intern to Kenya’s best-paid executive
Centum Investment chief executive James Mworia is one of the youngest Kenyan executive leading one of the biggest companies in the region.
Centum is East Africa's leading investment company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and Uganda Securities Exchange.
He joined Centum as a 23-year-old intern but rose to the CEO rank seven years later.
At 40 years old, Mr Mworia is one of Kenya's youngest CEO. he is also one of the best paid corporate CEO in Kenya.
Rebecca Miano – Lighting up the way for Kenyan women
The managing director and chief executive officer of KenGen is one of the only two women in Kenya who heads a parastatal.
She is also the first woman managing director of KenGen in its more than 60 years of operation.
She was decorated with the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW), in recognition of her of work in 2010.
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