Directors’ Profile
Mr. Alex Mbatha
Managing DirectorBefore founding Taslimu Capital, Alex was the Managing Director of FinBank S.A, a commercial bank based in Burundi, and since his takeover of the bank in 2014, he was instrumental in turning around the Bank into a profitable institution. He also steered the Bank to be the 1st Bank in Burundi to integrate Mobile Money Services, Ecocash, with Banking Services, providing customers with a seamless and new way of carrying out financial transactions. In 2014, he was among those voted in the Nation Media Group initiative recognizing business leaders under the age of 40, dubbed “top 40 under 40”.
He has previously served as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of Fina Bank Ltd (now known as Guaranty Trust Bank) with oversight over 3 countries: Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. He also served as Head of Financial Control, Strategy and Research, at Ecobank Kenya; and in other various roles in finance at Diamond Trust Bank (Kenya) and EABS Bank (nowEcobank)
He has wealth of experience in financial management, strategy formulation and execution by virtue of being a leader of a commercial bank and participating in various executive committees of different financial institutions. Prior to joining FinBank S.A, he was serving as Vice-Chairman of the Finance Committee of Kenya Bankers Association.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi, is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA-K) and a member of Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
Mr. Samuel Gatura
Non-Executive DirectorSamuel is the Founder and CEO of Brisk Marketing Limited, a Below the Line Marketing Agency in Kenya. He is a seasoned sales and marketing professional having worked in several blue chip companies including Diageo for 7 years, during which period he received various accolades for his outstanding performance. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Education, Diploma from Chartered Institute of Management and currently enrolled in ‘Owner Manager Program’ at Strathmore Business School.
Mr. Kamau Wanjohi
Non-Executive DirectorMr. Wanjohi is a career diplomat with the United Nations working in several countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He has over 15 years of experience in project management, mainly focusing on complex emergency countries and supporting governments in building sustainable information systems.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Statistics and Masters in Sustainable Development from the University of London.
He is also Director and Shareholder of several companies across several industries including; technology & telecoms, agriculture, hospitality, public relations and finance.
Mr. Louis Niyongabo
Non-Executive DirectorMr. Niyongabo was appointed to the Board of Directors of Sanlam Vie Plc (Rwanda) in 2021. He is currently Managing Director of ITS Ltd, an IT firm providing IT Services mainly to banks.
He has over 20 years’ experience in Banks’ IT Systems, and his IT Consultancy firm has provided IT services to various banks in Rwanda and in the region for Core Banking Systems, Payment Systems Integration, IT Projects Implementation, and IT Advisory Services. The list of clientele includes, but not limited to: I&M Bank Rwanda; Fina Bank Group (now GT Bank Group); BPR; Bank of Kigali; and DFCU Bank.
Beyond the region, his firm was hired in the USA (Boston) to develop a payment system, Rwanda Automatic Payment System, to link the local banks and the service providers through a shared payment switch.
He is a holder of a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Management from Adventist University of Central Africa (Rwanda).
Mrs. Lasoi Mukuru
Non-Executive DirectorLasoi is the immediate former CEO, Managing Director and a founding partner at Tribeka Holdings Limited. A prominent player in the local Hospitality industry, Tribeka runs 5 outlets in Nairobi with a staff component of approximately 360 employees. Lasoi brings a unique operational hands-on experience to the board providing key insight on product design and corporate strategy based on her broad and relevant knowledge on financial matters. She is an avid entrepreneur and is actively invested in a diverse range of Tech-startups in the Fintech, gaming, ride-sharing, and social media spaces. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Finance) from the University of Nairobi, an MBA (Financial Management) (Honours) from Iona College and an Advanced Certificate, (International Business) (Honors) from the same institution. She is a member of the prestigious academic honors society ‘Beta Gamma Sigma’ on invitation following her academic excellence at IONA College
