Anne Mutahi was recently appointed as a non-executive director of the board at investment firm, TransCentury, becoming the second female to join the male-dominated board since the departure of Carol Musyoka two years ago. She joins up with Shaka Kariuki, the TransCentury chairman and Kuramo Capital chief executive and chief investment officer, Wale Adeosun and Ng’ang’a Njiinu, TransCentury’s CEO.
TransCentury, listed on NSE, has been lagging behind in terms of gender diversity in its board, and the appointment of a lady is seen as a move to step into the game and start correcting this long-standing imbalance. The gender imbalance in the boardroom has seen many organizations lose out on the skills that women have to offer. Perhaps, Anne Mutahi, being one of the few female board members in the country, is now better placed to show her set of skills and expertise.
Ms Mutahi currently holds the office of executive director at Biashara Factors Limited, which is a consultancy firm that provides trade services to small and medium enterprises. She is also the chairperson of Standard Chartered Bank Kenya as well as a director at Old Mutual Life Assurance Company.
Before this new appointment, she held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Jitegemee Trust Limited for five years. Prior to that she worked at Citibank Kenya for six years as the vice president of the SME unit, not forgetting other top financial institutions such as ABN AMRO Bank and the Middle East Bank.
A holder of a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Cape Town, her knowledge, vast experience and expertise especially in the financial and investment sector, she is an added advantage to the investment firm. She is coming in a time when TransCentury is going through a major shakeup in the boardroom since selling a significant stake to New York based equity fund Kuramo Capital last year.
