Equity Bank Kenya has appointed Ambassador Erastus Mwencha as the new Board Chairman. He succeeds Professor Isaac Macharia who was has been appointed Equity Group Holdings Board Chairman.
Speaking when handing over the Board leadership to Amb. Mwencha, Prof Macharia said, “We are honoured to have Ambassador Mwencha taking over the Board chairmanship of Equity Bank (Kenya) Ltd. His experience at the helm of AU Commission and COMESA will be instrumental strengthening Equity Bank Kenya’s catalytic role the country’s pursuit of becoming the economic hub for the region.” He added, “Equity Bank Kenya is our leading subsidiary and a benchmark for its peers in the Group in championing strategic execution, growth and innovation.”
Mr Mwencha holds a B.A. (Hons) in Economics from the University of Nairobi and an M.A. in Economics from the University of York
Before his appointment, Ambassador Erastus Mwencha was the Deputy Chairperson for the Africa Union Commission (AUC), overseeing the administration and finance of the Commission as its Controlling Officer, supervising the development of two AUC Strategic Plans (2009-12) and (2012-17), and participating in the development of Africa’s long-term vision of Agenda 2063.
He is described in international circles as a Pan Africanist with years of progressive experience in policy formulation and institutional transformation at national, regional and continental levels.
He was also the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretary-General for 10 years, where he led COMESA into becoming the first regional body on the African continent to achieve a Free Trade Area (COMESA FTA) in 2000.
He has in the past represented the region in negotiating the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) with the European Union (E.U.), the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and in promoting the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) for the benefit of the region’s stakeholders.
Before joining COMESA, Mr. Mwencha worked as the Head of Industrial Promotion Department at the Ministry of Industry in Kenya, and Secretary to the Industrial Sciences Advisory Research Committee (ISARC).
He was also a Senior Economist at the Kenyan Industrial Survey and Promotion Centre.
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