By Elijah Odhiambo
Moezz Mir, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SBM Bank Kenya, is among the best African bankers vying for the renowned African Banker of the Year award, presented by African Banker magazine.
The accolades honor the greatest people and organizations advancing the rapidly evolving financial services industry in Africa.
It is intended to acknowledge the banking and financial system’s expansion, consolidation, rapid modernization, integration, and reforms throughout Africa.
This year’s awards ceremony will be held on May 24, 2023, at the Rixos Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
Others nominated in the same category are Trade and Development Bank Managing Director Admassu Tadesse and African Export and Import Bank President Benedict Oramah.
Co-operative Bank of Kenya’s Head of Agriculture Business, Esther Kariuki, Othman Benjelloun of Bank of Africa, and Yemi Edun of First City Monument Bank also feature in the list.
Under the bank of the year category, Kenya’s Co-operative Bank will square off with Afreximbank, Bank of Africa, and the Mauritius Commercial Bank, among others, for the top accolade.
Appointed as Chair Kenya National Entrepreneurs Savings Trust
In February this year, Moezz Mir was appointed as the chairperson of the Kenya National Entrepreneurs Savings Trust.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndungu said Mir will serve in the position for a period of three years.
Kenya National Entrepreneurs Savings Trust (KNEST) is the pension scheme into which your pension contributions will go each month.
The age at which one will access pension funds depends on the scheme one contributes.
Former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani proposed a State-backed pension scheme that targets 15 million informal sector workers.
Profile
“Mir is an experienced and dynamic banker with a wealth of experience in Corporate and Investment Banking in East Africa. Before joining SBM Bank Kenya Limited in 2018, he previously worked at KCB Bank Group, for a period of eleven years where he served as the Director of Corporate Banking for the Group from 2016 to 2018,” reads his profile on the SBM Bank Kenya website.
From 2011 to 2016, he served as the Managing Director at KCB bank, Tanzania. While serving in Tanzania, he drove Kenya Commercial Bank’s turn-around strategy helping the bank to stop making losses and enter a period of profit making.
He also pioneered the development Islamic banking in Tanzania, the first Sharia compliant offering in the country.
From 2016 to 2018, he served as the director of corporate banking at KCB, Kenya.
Mir worked at First American Bank of Kenya, which was acquired by NCBA Bank Group, formerly Commercial Bank of Africa. He also has a wealth of experience working with several banks.
SBM Bank recognitions during his tenure
During his term, various organizations have recognized SBM bank, Kenya. For instance:
- World Economic Magazine feted them best bank in women banking in Kenya for four consecutive years, 2019 to 2022.
- The interbank games organized by Central Bank of Kenya gave them the Team Spirit Award.
- Citi treasury and trade solutions awarded them Citibank Performance Excellence Award in 2020 and 2021.
Memberships
He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the Governing Council of the Kenya Bankers Association. Previously, he was a member of the Governing Council of Tanzania Bankers Association.
Women Empowerment
In his tenure, the banker has ensured that women empowerment remains a core aspect of their agenda. They have been providing connections in order to educate, empower and protect women through their SBM Women Market Program.
Education
Mir holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kingston University, London, and has attended the Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP) from the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
