TradeMark East Africa appoints David Beer as new Chief Executive Officer

KENYA – TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), has appointed David Beer as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) replacing Frank Matsaert, TMEA’s founding CEO.

He will assume the position from 1st September 2022 and will be based in Nairobi, TMEA’s headquarters.

David Beer has recently completed his tour as High Commissioner for the United Kingdom (UK) in Malawi.

He previously represented the UK, advising respective UK Executive Directors to the Boards of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on areas such as institutional risk management, adaptive programming and disaster risk financing, alongside macro-economic management and development programming.

This builds on many years of leading development efforts for the British Government and other organisations across Africa, including Uganda, Sudan, Burundi, and Ghana.

Mr. Beer joins TMEA at a time when the organisation is expanding to the rest of Africa and scaling up support for the implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.

TMEA’s programs have reduced trade barriers through improved transportation systems, digitalisation of key trade processes, and targeted interventions supporting SMEs in critical sectors.

The organization has also developed a US$220 million Green Corridors programme that will ensure climate resilient infrastructure and transport models are adopted.

Additionally, TMEA has secured funding to start up its new commercial arm, Trade Catalyst Africa, that will catalyse commercial capital into the organisation’s infrastructure and digital workstreams.

Technology group Altron appoints Werner Kapp as its new CEO

SOUTH AFRICA – Technology group Altron has appointed Werner Kapp as its new CEO, following the departure of Mteto Nyati at the end of June.

Kapp previously spent 22 years at Dimension Data in various roles, including the position of chief executive officer for the Middle East and Africa. He will assume his new role at Altron in October.

The company said Kapp’s track record of leading the best performing region six times over as Dimension Data’s regional executive for the Western Cape and Gauteng regions would stand him in good stead to lead the group in “unlocking value, optimising the existing portfolio and delivering on Altron’s strategy”.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be joining a company like Altron, which has a solid set of intellectual property and a variety of digital solutions,” said Kapp.

Since Nyati’s departure, Altron’s chair, Stewart van Graan, had been acting as interim CEO. Van Graan will step down from the acting role on 30 September to go back to his board position. Nyati had been with Altron for five years.

Altron, which offers a range of digital security services, automation and acts as a distributor of electronic components, is currently implementing what it termed ‘Altron 2.0’, a strategy it says aims to drive organic growth and efficiency through a leaner business structure.

OikoCredit appoints Caroline Mulwa as Regional Director for Africa

Kenya – OikoCredit, a cooperative society, has appointed Caroline Mulwa as Regional Director for Africa.

Caroline Mulwa has over 20 years’ experience in the financial sector in both commercial banking and values-based banking.

Earlier in her career, Caroline worked in commercial banking at ABSA before joining Oikocredit in 2007 as Project Manager. She was appointed as Country Manager in 2009 where she was responsible for implementing Oikocredit’s strategy in Kenya and developed the credit portfolio in financial inclusion and agriculture sectors.

“Over the past 15 years, Caroline has shown immense dedication both to living the values and contributing to social purpose of Oikocredit and supporting the communities and local partners we work with in Africa,” Mirjam ‘t Lam, Managing Director at Oikocredit, said.

“With her track record of building strong relationships and her inspiring leadership style, I have no doubt that she’ll continue to successfully build our portfolio in Africa and will support the organisation in its mission to bring social impact and resilience to communities we serve. I wish her all the best as she continues her career as Regional Director Africa.”

DVT appoints Don Omondi as country manager in recently opened Kenyan office

KENYA – Global software and solutions company DVT, a Dynamic Technologies group company, recently announced the official opening of its Kenyan office in Nairobi.

Don Omondi, who has been working with DVT since 2020 to develop a presence in Kenya, has been appointed country manager for DVT Kenya.

“Don brings with him a wealth of experience in digital transformation and the management of software development teams and clients, and I’m looking forward to working with him to grow our presence in Kenya and expanding our delivery centre capacity in the service of global customers,” said Jaco van der Merwe, CEO of DVT.

Omondi says Kenya holds immense talent, both skilled and adaptable. DVT Kenya currently employs staff with diverse skills in technologies such as PHP, Java, Kotlin, React, .Net, Swift and Angular.

But there’s another advantage that is often overlooked, mentions Omondi. “English is the official language spoken in Kenya and taught in all schools, which means Kenyan developers have an easy time communicating with multinationals when work is outsourced.

“This gives Kenya a huge competitive advantage over Asian countries, which have traditionally been a preferred outsourcing destination.”

DVT CEO Jaco van der Merwe says the Kenya office will play a critical role in DVT’s global expansion.

Payments platform PayFast appoints Brendon Williamson as MD

SOUTH AFRICA – Online payments gateway PayFast has appointed Brendon Williamson as its new managing director.

His appointment comes after PayFast founder and former MD Jonathan Smit stepped down from the company at the end of August 2021.

According to a statement, Williamson will look after PayFast as well as PayGate, which are both subsidiaries of the DPO Group in South Africa.

Describing him as a payments and e-commerce industry veteran, PayFast notes Williamson brings over 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing and online fraud management to the role.

He has been part of the DPO Group for more than 10 years, having served as chief sales officer, chief marketing officer, and most recently, head of commercial, notes the statement.

Williamson comments that he is excited about expanding PayFast and PayGate’s capabilities and offerings. “A big focus of mine will be the people element of the business.”

Fintech platform Flutterwave appoints Mansi Babyloni as chief people and culture officer

AFRICA – Embattled Africa’s leading payments corporation, Flutterwave has announced the appointment of Mansi Babyloni as chief people and culture officer.

Mansi, who boasts 12 years of experience leading companies, transforming HR and finance functions across industries such as manufacturing, consumer products and fintech, was formally appointed as Flutterwave’s global head of people strategy and special projects in 2020, where she led the team to achieve major improvements in customer experience and helped reimagine experiences for end users.

The fintech giant has now promoted Babyloni to the role of chief people and culture officer, in which she will be responsible for identifying, developing and retaining top talent by transforming the “human” in human resources, and focusing on the culture and process to drive growth for the organisation.

Assuming her new position, Babyloni has, in collaboration with the Flutterwave team, launched a programme titled: “The Flutterwave Graduate Trainee Programme”.

The programme aims to support young talent in Nigeria, who will in turn support Flutterwave’s growing need for talent while also equipping young graduates across the continent for a career in tech.

The graduate trainee programme witnessed a huge turnout of young tech enthusiasts, recording over 11 000 applications across the country.

“I am very excited to rejoin the Flutterwave team. I believe the potential for growth and value creation is tremendous given the smart and passionate people, strong technology and worldwide footprint. I look forward to partnering with the team,” said Babyloni.

Flutterwave continues to lead the fintech industry in Nigeria and across Africa with innovative solutions to everyday challenges.

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