KCB taps on internal talent to fill senior roles as it eyes robust growth
A KCB Bank branch on Mama Ngina Street in Nairobi on March 15. The lender is tapping on its rich internal pool of home-grown talent to fill top roles
Kenya’s second largest bank, KCB, is tapping on its rich internal pool of home-grown talent to fill top roles as it eyes more robust growth.
Recruiting internally is often seen as crucial by human resource experts in employee motivation and retention.
In keeping with the spirit, KCB recently appointed its former KCB Bank Kenya Retail Banking director as head of the Kenyan unit.
KCB Group chief executive Paul Russo confirmed the appointment of Ms Anastacia Kimtai as the managing director of KCB Bank Kenya, turning to another company veteran to drive growth.
Mr Russo said the appointment is in line with prudential guidelines to have a separate head of the Kenyan unit.
It remains to be seen whether KCB will also bank on several of its insiders with long banking experience for other vacant roles.
Going by the past experience, the lender is seen as one of the top financial institutions that tap internal talent rather than going outside
Mr Russo, for instance, rose to be KCB Group CEO last year in May, having risen through the ranks over the past eight years while at the institution.
Similarly, former CEO Joshua Oigara also rose through the ranks from chief financial officer to head KCB Group.
Among the other top slots expected to be filled include that of the director, Corporate Banking, formerly held by Ms Esther Masese Waititu who left the lender recently for another top role at Safaricom.
The post of Ms Waititu fell vacant after she joined Safaricom in February this year as Chief Financial Services Officer.
The other positions that are vacant and in need of filling include the director in charge of Retail which was previously held by Ms Kimtai. There is also the role of the director in charge of Finance, formerly held by Mr Sam Munyua, who also joined Safaricom.
Recently, KCB has been in the news where it has extended support to various transactions being fronted by the government.
These transactions which run into billions of shillings are lines of credit to Kenya National Trading Corporation to purchase fertilisers and foodstuffs as part of addressing the cost of living and the recent transaction in the importation of oil as a way of stabilising the local currency against the dollar amid a shortage of the greenback.
This being a significant time for the bank, it seems highly likely it will also turn to an insider to oversee the important portfolio which oversees the transactions.
The Government through the National Treasury is a significant shareholder of the Bank with a 19.76 per cent stake and it seems it has a say in who occupies the top positions.
The KCB Kenya transition and shake-up also comes weeks after the lender nominated Joseph Kinyua, the immediate former Head of Public Service, to it's Group board
