Pfizer East Africa announces new country manager

Pfizer has announced the appointment of Mark Wagstaff as the Country Manager for Pfizer East Africa. 

Mark brings to the role a wealth of experience gained across a variety of pharmaceutical companies and markets.  He has accumulated a significant experience working for multi-national companies within the pharmaceutical industry.

Prior to joining Pfizer, the last 18 years have been spent in the emerging markets, primarily in senior commercial roles, living and working in seven countries across three continents including Nigeria. The roles include general management, business development, project leadership and encompass many pharmaceutical segments including vaccines, branded generics, innovative and established brands.

With full responsibility for the leadership and development of Pfizer East Africa’s business, Mark will play a key role in meeting the company's growth goals as well as building Pfizer's outstanding reputation for quality medicines and healthcare delivery to host communities.

We are delighted to welcome Mark Wagstaff into the Pfizer family,” said Margaret Olele, Director Corporate Affairs/ Health & Value.

Bar Star Samia Joan

Diageo World Class Bartender of the year Samia Joan prepared and offered demonstrations of her award winning cocktails  to consumers at the recently opened Art Caffe at the Hub. Dubbed golden shakers, the cocktail tasting session gave consumers an opportunity to enjoy serves prepared using various products such as Cîroc, Kettle one from Diageo’s Luxury portfolio.

Running every Wednesday at select Art Caffe Outlets, the cocktail tasting session gives Samia an opportunity to engage consumers and rally support from Kenyans ahead of her trip in Miami where she will be representing Kenya.  Samia emerged the winner of Diageo World Class after a three month competition that saw her beat over 80 bartenders who entered the competition.  

Pampers 'showers' expectant mothers with unique personalized celebration

Being an expectant parent brings its share of excitement, joys and fears. Now, thanks to the world’s leading diaper brand, Pampers, celebrating the arrival of your new bundle of joy is even easier for moms, dads and their loved ones. As part of its commitment to helping every mom prepare and celebrate her little one as she embarks on this new and exciting journey, Pampers will host a surprise baby shower for moms across Kenya.  

More than 1.2 million babies are born a year in Kenya, which means that there are baby showers being thrown across the country every other weekend. Pampers will use its social media platform to help select lucky mums to be a part of the ultimate Pampers Baby Shower. Kenyan celebrity mothers and baby experts from the Kenya Pediatric Association will join in the festivities at the showers and share their personal experiences. It will also be an opportunity to for moms-to-be to exchange useful tips from how to choose the best diaper for their baby to how to put your baby to sleep. To add to the fun, the guests will enjoy special treats and receive goodie bags filled with Pampers products and other gifts.

“The arrival of a baby into your home is a blessing and indeed one of the most exciting moments of a parent’s life. Pampers knows the value of being prepared,” says Jane Ngugi, Pampers Brand Manager. “Pampers has always been a key part of a baby’s happy healthy development since birth and now we are excited to extend that relationship into the day’s leading up to a baby’s arrival. Through the showers we will be offering parents much more than diapers as they’ll also have the chance to engage with pediatricians and nurses so they can leave the showers feeling more confident as they await the arrival of their little ones.”

Pampers has been and is committed to caring for moms and their children by providing diapers that help keep baby dry and comfortable. With quality products designed for every stage of baby's development, Pampers is making a difference for every baby, right from the start.

CfC Stanbic Bank named best private bank in Kenya

CfC Stanbic Bank’s Wealth and Investment division has been named the best private bank in Kenya at the Global Private Banking Awards organized by The Banker & Professional Wealth Management Magazines; publications of the Financial Times Group.

The award was presented at a ceremony that took place in Singapore yesterday.

Receiving the award, CfC Stanbic Bank Head of Wealth and Investment Anjali Harkoo said the award was a testimony to the quality of the bank’s unique customized solutions that cuts across investment management through to succession planning and generational wealth transfer.

“We are honored to be recognized as the Best Private Bank in Kenya. It is the first time that a Kenyan bank has been picked and it reflects our unwavering commitment to providing our high-net worth clients  and their families with first class wealth planning and investment advice through our Wealth and Investment division.” said Ms. Harkoo.

The awards are evaluated on the client relationship management blueprints and how the banks have adapted portfolio management, asset allocation and product strategy to meet investors' changing needs and attitude to risk.

CfC Stanbic bank’s Wealth and Investment team prides itself in offering an integrated suite of end-to-end wealth management and bespoke banking solutions.  Wealth and Investment has full services offices in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Jersey and London and truly offer clients a seamless solution for their on and offshore wealth management needs.  With the lowest client to Wealth and Relationship Manager ratios (50:1) in the industry, we provide a commitment to always respond before the sun sets.

“We place a strong focus on generational wealth and our recently launched Leadership Academies honor our purpose of banking the family and our belief in empowering the next generation of leaders. Our clients have access to the Junior Leaders’ (10 -12 years), Young Leaders’ (13 – 17) and Future Leaders’ (18-24 years) Academies where they are equipped with the necessary financial skills to grow and manage wealth into the future. These Academies were borne out of an understanding of the complexities that exist in managing family wealth, and a desire to ensure that next generation heirs are equipped to manage wealth and chart their own course,” added Ms. Harkoo.

Currently 70% of wealth is lost in the transfer to the second generation and 90% is lost in the transfer to the third generation. The Academies empower and educate the families of the CfC Stanbic bank Wealth and Investment clients on the principles of investing, banking / lending, financial planning, leadership and philanthropy.

CfC Stanbic Bank is a member of Standard Bank Group whose Wealth and Investment division was also recently recognized as the leading Private Bank on the African continent at the 25th Annual Private Banker International (PBI) Global Wealth Summit and Awards.

CfC Stanbic Bank Kenya scoops two international banking awards

CfC Stanbic Bank Kenya, Chief Executive, Mr. Philip Odera

CfC Stanbic Bank Kenya has been named the Best Forex Provider and Best Sub-Custodian at the EMEA Finance’s Treasury Services Awards and Global Finance's World's Best Bank Awards, 2015. The awards were presented at the Sibos conference in Singapore.

Commenting on the awards, Regional Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Mike Blades said that the bank is delighted to have won the two prestigious international awards, reaffirming the outstanding level of expertise and service provided by the bank to its clients.

“These international awards provide further confirmation of the success of our client-focused strategy and desire to serve clients through our well-established on-the-ground presence in Kenya and the East African region and our global connectivity that links clients to opportunities in Africa,” said Mr Blades.

During the same awards, Standard Bank Group, CfC Stanbic Bank’s parent company, collected 22 awards in total amongst them being the Best FX Services in Africa and Best Transactional Bank for Financial Institutions in Africa by EMEA Finance’s Treasury Services Awards 2015.

Standard Bank has been a recipient of the EMEA Finance’s Treasury Services Award for the sixth consecutive year. Acknowledging all 22 awards, Hasan Khan, Standard Bank’s Head of Transactional Products and Services, said: “The African growth story is on everyone’s lips and as a bank; we need to ensure we are providing financial solutions that address the needs of the various participants involved in the value chain. Having built strong in-country advisory capabilities, Standard Bank is able to deliver a full range of corporate and investment banking services to clients across Africa.”

Global Finance Magazine awarded Standard Bank 20 accolades, across several categories, including trade finance, payments and collections, cash management, short-term investments/money market funds and sub-custody.

These awards were adjudicated against specific criteria such as volume, market share and customer service. Standard Bank Group was chosen by the Global Finance editorial team along with input from expert sources.

Standard Bank consolidates its East African presence with official opening of Ethiopian representative office

Standard Bank Group operating as CfC Stanbic Bank in Kenya has expanded its already extensive East African footprint with the official opening of a representative office in Ethiopia. This means that Standard Bank, which is Africa’s largest bank by assets, has a continent-wide footprint in 20 African countries.

The representative office, which is based in Addis Ababa, was opened by Standard Bank Chief Executive, Ben Kruger. It will act as an entry point for clients seeking to invest in Ethiopia and will be administered by Standard Bank’s head office in South Africa

The growth potential for the East African region continues to attract significant investment. With an established presence across four of the key markets in the region, namely Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, the opening of the Ethiopian representative office is indicative of the group’s commitment to the region.

“As a bank rooted in Africa, our vision is to build a leading financial institution that delivers superior products and services for all our customers. We are able to leverage our strong position on the continent, our strategic partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and our sector expertise in natural resources, to facilitate capital investment in support of growth and to connect African markets to each other,” says Mr. Kruger.

Ethiopia’s remarkable growth has been underpinned by high public investment and a growing consumer base. The country boasts the second largest population on the continent, behind Nigeria, at around 90 million. GDP growth has averaged about 10.0% over the past 5 years. Heavy public investment in agriculture, energy and transport are likely to continue to support growth in the medium term as the government ramps up its productive sectors.

The energy sector is also set to boom with power projects at various stages of development, and with Ethiopia emerging as a major power hub in the region, energy exports will likely become a major foreign exchange earner in the near future. Industry and manufacturing, a top priority for Ethiopia, are likely to start making a more significant contribution in the country’s GDP going forward which will largely be facilitated by the increase electricity supply.

“As such, establishing a presence in Ethiopia is in recognition of the increasing interest by investors and our clients, in the country’s economic growth. Standard Bank will be well-positioned to take advantage of the cross-sectorial investment opportunities both in Ethiopia and the region as a whole.  Our experience in East African markets will benefit all our clients by providing them with insights into how best to capitalise on their investments in the region,” said Mr Kruger.

 “We believe that we are uniquely positioned to support the government’s plans in attracting more investments into the country through our client base on the continent and facilitating the financing on their behalf,” said Ms Taitu Wondwosen, Head of Coverage Ethiopia.

Airtel’s Money head feted at the Annual IT Women Conference

Airtel Kenya’s Head of Airtel Money Topyster Muga has been crowned the IT Woman of the Year at the first Annual IT Women Conference in Sub-Saharan Africa organized by Techno Brain- Kenya. 

Dubbed the Pink Potential Initiative, the event brought together over 100 women in the IT industry to mentor, inspire and network and is aimed at celebrating the great achievements by women in the industry.

Lydia Njaaga, Microsoft Products Director presents a certificate to Airtel's head of Airtel Money, Topyster Muga.

Topyster was recognized for her contribution in the IT industry having spearheaded innovation of the Airtel Money Pesa Card – a Visa card mirroring the Airtel Money account, being part of the project steering committee to spearhead the formation of the mobile money association of Kenya and winning the Nelson Mandela scholarship award to undertake an MBA at INSEAD Business School in France and previously while at Vodafone Group, leading the launch of M-Pesa in several emerging markets.

“Pink Potential fosters a mentoring approach.  Mentoring is a critical link to career advancement because it enhances employee satisfaction, improves retention, advances business objectives, and increases productivity.  It can also enrich the professional and personal lives of both mentor and protégé. We are excited for Topyster and for Airtel for demonstrating their support for women in IT,” said Sarah Richson, Global HR Director, Techno Brain Group.

She added: “One of our key objectives is to recognize and celebrate IT women who are making a difference in their world as well as to inspire more women into an IT career trajectory and leadership. Toppy has exhibited this in her leadership and the strides she has made at Airtel.”

On her part, Topyster noted: “I am humbled to be the recipient of this award. This clearly is a recognition of the continuous effort that women in Kenya continue to put in the IT sector. This recognition is a great motivation to hundreds of women who continue to give their contribution in different sectors of the economy and is also a challenge to our young women who are inspired to achieve their dreams.”     

“Women are breaking barriers and succeeding in careers that many could never have imagined. Topyster’ s recognition is a timely motivation to our women employees and many others in different sectors who need to believe in their potential to succeed in whatever fields they want to pursue,” noted Airtel Kenya Chief Executive Officer Adil El Youssefi.

The Annual Women IT conference is an event that seeks to acknowledge individuals who have spearheaded innovative new software or products, or generally-available IT services, that make the biggest contribution to business technology or to IT in general.