Anita Chege has landed a new role as Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation at HFC Kenya.
On LinkedIn, she expressed her excitement about her new role: “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Director, Innovation & Digital Transformation at HFC Kenya!”
Anita Chege’s portfolio
Her appointment follows a successful tenure at HF Group as General Manager of Innovation, where she oversaw innovative projects about digital products, stakeholder engagement, and banking operations.
Under her leadership, the company has experienced increased operational efficiency, customer-centred innovation, and agility.
In addition to her previous positions as Senior Manager of IT and commercial Projects, Head of Digital Technology and delivery at HF Group, and Head of Product, Digital, and marketing at Letshego Kenya, Anita brings more than 13 years of senior leadership experience in the financial services industry to this position.
She has an MSc in Organisational Development from United States International University-Africa, a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and executive studies in digital disruption from Cambridge’s Judge Business School.
Anita Chege’s significant milestone
Anita’s innovation strategy at HF Group was notable for its strategic vision and inclusivity.
She integrated digital transformation into products, processes, and cost optimisation initiatives and established platforms like the HF Ideas Hub to crowdsource ideas from internal and external sources.
Her emphasis on navigating change with teams and customers reaffirmed her conviction that stakeholders must be involved from the beginning to the end of any lasting innovation.
Anita’s appointment as HFC Kenya’s new leader suggests a renewed emphasis on using technology to deliver value and speed up transformation in a market that is becoming more and more digital.
Her past accomplishments, including the 2019 WhatsApp banking innovations and the turnaround of core operations, show she can guide organisational growth while enhancing customer engagement and innovation culture.
HFC Kenya’s digital-first credentials will be enhanced by her position as Director of Innovation & Digital Transformation, which will also significantly impact the bank and its clients.
HF Group reclassified as a mid-tier bank following new capital injection
In another report, the HF Group has been formally reclassified as a mid-tier bank after receiving a new round of capital that has strengthened its balance sheet and eliminated years of prudential ratio vulnerability.
A major turnaround for a bank that has struggled with low liquidity and increased mortgage loan defaults was achieved when the Central Bank of Kenya confirmed that the lender’s core capital has surpassed the Ksh5 billion threshold that characterises mid-tier institutions.
The upgrade was made following a rights issue that attracted new institutional investors and a Ksh1.2 billion capital boost from its primary shareholder, Britam Holdings.
These funds have been used to increase the lender’s capital adequacy ratio above the mandatory minimum of 14.5 per cent, improve its financial records, and position the bank for future profitable growth.
As a result of its promotion, HF gains access to less costly wholesale funding lines and more credibility with corporate and retail clients.
SME and personal banking will now be the strategic focus to diversify from the cyclical real estate sector, which previously exposed the bank to downturns in the property market, said Group CEO Robert Kibaara.