Our Leadership

Dr. Peter K. Munga, CBS

Non-Executive Director

Dr. Munga holds an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (Honoris Causa) from United Graduate College and Seminary. He is a Certified Public Secretary with vast experience in both public and private sector management. He also holds the Yara Prize for a Green Revolution in Africa Laureate 2009 award. He is a retired Deputy Secretary in the Government of Kenya and a former Chairman of Equity Bank Limited, former Chairman of National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK). He is an enterprising businessman and runs the Pioneer Group of Schools. He is also a director of HF Group PLC, the Chairman of Equatorial Nut Processors Ltd and Chairman of Fresho International Limited.

Judy Rugasira

Independent Non-Executive Director

With over 25 years of leadership and expertise in the real estate industry, Judy serves as the Managing Director at Knight Frank Uganda, a distinguished global property consultancy firm. As a Chartered Valuation Surveyor, she holds a BSc (Hons) in Land Management & Development and an MSc. in Real Estate from the University of Reading. Judy possesses profound proficiency in real estate valuation, investment, development, and finance.

Her professional background encompasses corporate real estate services such as property consultancy, valuation and advisory, property and facilities management, and brokerage. Previously, she has overseen significant private-public partnerships and possesses comprehensive familiarity with global, regional, and international real estate practices.

Judy has been instrumental in spearheading Knight Frank's expansion into Kigali, Rwanda. She has collaborated with various regional and global directors, serving as the Chair of Knight Frank Africa Valuation Committee and the Surveyor’s Registration Board in Uganda, where she contributed to strategic and legal reforms within these organizations and beyond.

She obtained her MSc in Real Estate Management and BSc in Land Management, both from the University of Reading, UK.

Jimnah M. Mbaru, EBS

Non-Executive Director

Mr. Mbaru is the Chairman of Dyer and Blair Investment Bank Limited. He is also a director of several other financial and non-financial institutions including Nairobi Securities Exchange, a public quoted company on the NSE and Sanlam Africa Core Real Estate Investors Limited, listed on the Mauritius Stock Exchange. He is a former chairman of the African Stock Exchanges and is a former member of the National Economic and Social Council.

Mr. Mbaru holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree both from the University of Nairobi. He is a fellow of the Kenya Institute of Management. Mr. Mbaru is the Chairman of Dyer and Blair Investment Bank Limited and a former chairman of the African Stock Exchanges and is a former member of the National Economic and Social Council. He is also a director of Occidental Insurance Limited, Nairobi Securities Exchange and Sanlam Africa Core Real Estate Investors Limited.

George Odo

Non-Executive Director

Representing AFRICINVEST III SPV- Corporate Director, AfricInvest is registered in the Republic of Mauritius and is a consortium of AfricInvest Fund III LLC, Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, (DEG), the German Development Finance Corporation, The Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwickkelingslanden N.V. (FMO), the Netherlands-based bilateral development bank, and Societe de Promotion et de Participation pour la Cooperation Economique, (Proparco), the French State registered development finance corporation.

It is uniquely positioned as one of the most experienced private equity investors in the region, with dedicated investment teams focused on North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, employing around 75 professionals based in 9 offices, of which 8 in Africa, 1 in France. It has over USD. 1.5 billion assets under management and has invested in more than 150 companies across 25 African countries in a variety of high growth sectors.

It maintains a broad network of high quality executives across Africa, offering extensive expertise in key growth industries, including financial services, agribusiness, consumer/retail, education and healthcare. Mr. George Odo is the Managing Director for AfricInvest East Africa, and a Senior Partner in AfricInvest Group, a leading Private Equity firm in Africa, where he is responsible for the operations of AfricInvest in the Eastern & Southern Africa region.

Mr. Odo has almost 30 years work experience working in Accounting, Auditing, Insurance, Agribusiness, SME Business Advisory, International development and Private Equity. He has more than 15 years Board experience in various local, regional and international companies.

Edouard Schmid

Non-Executive Director

Mr. Schmid holds a Master’s degree in physics from the Swiss federal institute of technology. He is an underwriting advisor to Swiss Re’s group executive committee and the former Group Chief Underwriting Officer. He was a member of the group executive committee of Swiss Re Ltd until 31 August 2020, overseeing Swiss Re’s underwriting activities across its reinsurance, commercial insurance, and primary life & health businesses. He is also a member of the board of directors at New China Life Insurance Company Ltd and also at Definity Financial Corporation, Canada.

Celestine Munda

Independent Non-Executive Director

Celestine is a former Senior Partner with Ernst & Young (EY) with over 30 years of international and local professional and leadership experience drawn from two of the Big Four professional services firms (Ernst & Young and PwC) and Royal Dutch Shell.

Her professional experience includes both Assurance and Consulting Services in the areas of Governance, Risk and Compliance, Financial Management, Strategy, Institutional Reforms, Human Resources Consulting and Board Consulting.

Celestine has held a wide range of leadership and management positions including Country Managing Partner for EY Kenya, Consulting Services Managing Partner for East and Central Africa, Consumer and Diversified Industrial Products Sector Leader for Advisory Services in Africa and Risk Advisory Services Leader for Africa.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting (Hons), is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya, a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) South Africa; and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) South Africa and Kenya. Her

leadership training includes Strategic Leadership Programme (SLP) ran by the Harvard Business School; Harvard Market Segment Leader Program; and Advanced Leadership Programme with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria. She is finalizing an Executive MBA at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.

Julius Mbaya

Independent Non-Executive Director

Julius is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of senior experience in banking, ICT, and the financial services sector. Julius has work experience in multiple countries across Africa and been a member of various country regulatory authority boards advising on Information Technology. Some notable projects include creation of a Digital Transformation and Innovation Portfolio and resourcing for the same, designing and developing a Digital Strategy and ensuring its adoption and execution, building a state-of-the-art innovation hub for Stanbic Bank Kenya Ltd.

Julius is the Founder and Director of Ace Turbo Technologies Limited and serves as the Global Technology Lead for Genesis Analytics. Prior to this he was the Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Stanbic Bank Kenya Ltd (a member of the Standard Bank Group of SA). He has worked in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia for Standard Bank as the Regional / Chief Information Officer driving mission critical projects.

Julius holds a Bachelor of Education Science Degree in Mathematics from Kenyatta University and a PG Dip in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi; Certification in Digital Business Strategies from Columbia University; and several governance and leadership certificates. Julius is a Certified Executive Coach and Mentor.

Susan Abisola

Non-Executive Director

Susan is a Senior Executive with over 30 years’ experience in Insurance Marketing and Business Development for both public and private (Banking, Oil and Gas) institutional clients in Nigeria and Ghana. She has garnered extensive experience especially in the areas of strategic planning, product expansion and customer acquisition.

Susan possesses excellent stakeholder management skills with experience dealing with foreign underwriters and international investors. Susan has a Bachelor of Laws degree, LL. B from the University of Warwick, UK and a Master of Laws, LL.M from the University of Lagos. Over the course of her career she has attended several leadership and proficiency trainings including Downstream Energy Insurance Risk Management course at Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT); Leadership and Business Strategy for Success at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania); Women on Boards – Succeeding as a Corporate Director at the Harvard Business School; Leading with Impact at Harvard University and Emerging Leader Development Program at the Columbia University.

She is a certified member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Marketing. She is also a member of the Nigeria Women Executives on Boards (WEOB).

Lotfi Baccouche

Independent Non-Executive Director

Lotfi is a financial services executive with solid experience in both developed and emerging markets with over 35 years of experience in finance, insurance and risk management. He has wide experience in multiple countries across Africa, Europe, Middle east and Australia.

Over the years, Lotfi has held multiple managerial and leadership roles in various multinational companies. These include risk practice-insurance lead in Accenture Strategy and Consulting, Partner and Insurance lead in Parker Fitzgerald and the Co-founder & CEO of an insurtech start-up and Verge360.

Some of his notable projects include an ambitious and bold multi-year technology-based transformation at a global P&C insurer, a risk-based strategy to manage the persistently low interest rate environment by investing in alternative and illiquid assets for a number of Life insurers, and a tactical implementation of an operational resilience strengthening plan, including the consideration of Environmental, Social & Governance factors, at a composite insurer.

Lotfi is currently the Vice President - Insurance practice lead in Capgemini Invent in the UK. He has also served on various Boards during the span of his career. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Industrial and Operations Engineering from University of Michigan and a Master of Science (MSc) in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.

Mr. Tom Gitogo

Group MD and CEO

Tom rejoined Britam on 1st September 2022 (he was the Finance Director at Britam until early 2007).  He is an accomplished Financial Services Professional skilled in General Management, Commercial and Business Strategy, Sales, Finance Operations and Talent Management, having spent over 30 years in various roles in the financial services industry in Africa and Europe.  
 
He sits on several boards including CIB Bank, where he is the Chairman and HF Group PLC. Previously, Tom was the Group CEO at CIC Insurance Group, a listed entity with operations in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Malawi.  Before CIC, Tom was the CEO of Sanlam Insurance Kenya. 
 
Tom holds a Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management) from Moi University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi.  He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), a Fellow of the Kenya Institute of Management, a member of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) and a member of the Institute of Directors of Kenya (IOD).

Hilda Njeru

Director Legal & Company Secretary

Hilda is a financial services executive with over 15 years’ extensive experience in banking, capital markets, regulatory affairs and corporate governance leadership. Hilda holds a Master of Science degree in International Business Administration from the University of London, a Master of Laws degree, LL.M, and a Bachelor of Laws degree, LL.B, both from the University of Nairobi. Hilda is also a Certified Public Accountant, CPA(K), a Certified Secretary, CS (K), an accredited Governance Auditor and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. Hilda is a member of the Women on Boards Network.