Celebrating Excellence – Winners of the 2025 Innovation & Excellence Awards, East Africa
March 12, 2025 | Mövenpick Hotel & Residences, Nairobi, Kenya. The 20th Edition Connected Banking Summit - Innovation & Excellence Awards 2025 concluded with a prestigious Innovation & Excellence Awards Ceremony, recognizing the best-performing financial institutions and leaders who have made remarkable contributions to banking innovation, financial inclusion, and customer excellence.
Institutional Excellence Awards
- Excellence in Customer Experience – Family Bank
- Excellence in Digital Channels – Diamond Trust Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Inclusive Banking – CIB Kenya Ltd
- Excellence in Financial Inclusion – Co-operative Bank of Kenya
- Best Bank in Product Innovation – I&M Bank Kenya Ltd
- Excellence in Corporate Banking – Stanbic Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Cash Management – Ecobank Kenya Ltd
- Best Islamic Bank of the Year – Gulf African Bank
- Excellence in Customer Satisfaction – ABC Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Sustainable Finance – KCB Bank Kenya Ltd
- Excellence in Asset Finance – NCBA Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Digital Banking – Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Investment Banking – Absa Bank Kenya Plc
- Excellence in Payments Processing – UBA Kenya
- Excellence in Mortgage Finance – HFC Limited
- Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – Bank of Africa Kenya Ltd
- Best Bank in Kenya – Equity Bank Kenya
- Excellence in Payment Innovation – Access Bank (Kenya) PLC
Individual Excellence Awards
- Microfinance Bank of the Year – Kenya Women Microfinance Bank Plc
- Microfinance CEO of the Year – Dr. Jennifer Riria
- CISO of the Year – Thelma Kganakga
- CDO of the Year –Philip Galego
- CEO of the Year – Dr. James Mwangi
- Outstanding Leadership in Banking – Mary Mulili
The summit ended with an emphasis on continued innovation, sustainability, and customer-first strategies to drive financial growth across East Africa.
A Stellar Lineup of Industry Experts
This year's summit featured an impressive array of speakers, including CEOs, CTOs, COOs, CDOs, CISOs, and industry veterans, who shared their insights on digital transformation, financial inclusion, cybersecurity, and customer-centric banking. Key speakers included:
- Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, CBS – Principal Secretary, State Department of ICT and Digital Economy
- Elijah Wamalwa – MD & CEO, Co-operative Bank of South Sudan
- Tamara Cook – CEO, Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Kenya
- Abhinav Nehra – CEO, CIB Kenya
- Mary Mulili – MD/CEO, UBA Kenya
- Anne Muraya – CEO, Deloitte East Africa
- Lilian Odhiambo – Acting Country MD, Access Bank Kenya
- Justine Kosgei – CEO & Principal Officer, AAR Insurance Kenya
- Akofa Dakwa – Deputy MD, Bank of Africa Kenya Ltd
- Duncan Omani – CISO, Access Bank Kenya
- Andrey Semenyuchenko – Head of Corporate Security Solutions, Kaspersky
- Aijaz A. Shalla – COO, SBM Bank Kenya
- Apollo Njoroge – COO, ABC Bank
- Sherif Salama – Chief Risk Officer, CIB Kenya Ltd
- Jaine Mwai – CTO & COO, Standard Chartered Kenya
- Fidelis Muia – Director, Technical Services, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA)
- Joel K. Busienei – CIO, Consolidated Bank of Kenya
- Philip Galego – GM, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Equity Bank
- Jennifer Kamoni – GM, Diaspora Banking, HFC Kenya
- Eunice Gatama – Group Executive GM, Digital Business, I&M Group PLC
- Kennedy Yegon – Deputy GM - Head of ICT, Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC)
- Toheeb Mohammed – AGM, Sales/Pre-Sales, FPG Technologies & Solutions
- Wilson Kamau – Head of Global Transaction Services, Access Bank Kenya
- Richie Sobayeni – Group Head, Customer Experience Design, Equity Group
- Nyambura Ndung’u – Head of Customer Experience, SBM Bank Kenya
- Janet Dali – Head of Partnerships, Diamond Trust Bank
- Edgar Tiltmann – Business Development Manager, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
- Francis Ndungu – Senior Relationship Manager, HFC Kenya
Industry Support and Sponsorship
The success of the Connected Banking Summit 2025 was made possible by the unwavering support of its sponsors and partners.
Official Sponsors & Partners:
- Lead Sponsor: Kaspersky
- Networking Sponsor: LexisNexis Risk Solutions
- Banking Partner: Access Bank PLC
- Gold Sponsor: FPG Technologies
These partnerships enabled critical discussions, knowledge-sharing, and networking opportunities for East Africa’s financial ecosystem, setting the stage for future innovation in banking and fintech.
As we move forward, the collaborations and insights gained from this summit will continue to shape the financial landscape of the region
