Paul Russo, (born c. 1976), is a Kenyan human resources management professional, businessman and corporate executive, who was appointed as the
Group CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
at
Kenya Commercial Bank Group
KCB Group Limited, also known as the KCB Group, is a financial services holding company based in the African Great Lakes region. The Group's headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, with its subsidiaries being KCB Bank Kenya Limited, KCB Bank Burundi Li ...
effective 25 May 2022.
Prior to his current assignment, he was the managing director and chief executive officer at
National Bank of Kenya
National Bank of Kenya (NBK), also known as National Bank, is a commercial bank in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. It is licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank, and national banking regulator. Effectiv ...
(NBK), a subsidiary of KCB Bank Kenya, acquired in 2019.
Background and education
Russo was born near the settlement of
Laisamis
Laisamis is a small town in Kenya's Marsabit County
Marsabit County is a county in Kenya. Covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest county in Kenya. Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town Moy ...
, in
Marsabit County, in northern Kenya. He attended primary school in Laisamis. He then transferred to
Mang'u High School
Mang'u High School is a Kenyan Roman Catholic National High School established in 1925, located in Kiambu County along the Nairobi-Thika Highway from Thika, Kenya. Mang'u High School is ranked among the top schools nationwide in Kenya Certifi ...
, in
Thika
Thika Thika (pronounced ˆÎ¸ika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town ...
,
Kiambu County, on scholarship from the Catholic Church. He holds a
Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) degree awarded by
Moi University in
Eldoret
Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population ...
. His
Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was obtained from
Strathmore University in
Nairobi.
He also holds senior executive certification for Africa from
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
. His
Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management, was obtained from the Kenya Institute of Human Resources.
Career
Russo's professional career goes back to 2000 when he joined the human resources department at
Kenya Breweries Limited
East African Breweries Limited, commonly referred to as EABL, is a Kenyan-based holding company that manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Overview
The group's headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsi ...
. Later he worked at Barclays Bank of Kenya (today
Absa Bank Kenya). He then worked for brief stints at K-Rep Bank (today
Sidian Bank
Sidian Bank, formerly known as K-Rep Bank, is a commercial bank in Kenya, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the national banking regulator.
Location
The headquarters of Sidian Bank are located at K-Rep Centre, on Wood Avenue, in Kilimani ...
) and at
PwC Kenya. In 2008, he was hired by Barclays Africa Group (today
Absa Group Limited
Absa Group Limited (ABGL; formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited), and originally Amalgamated Banks of South Africa, is a South African-based financial services group, offering personal and business banking, credit cards, corporate and invest ...
), working as head of human resources in three divisions of the banking conglomerate. He was hired by the KCB Bank Group in 2014 and served there for four years as the Group Human Resources Director. In 2019, he was promoted to Group Regional Businesses Director for nine subsidiaries in the group.
As the CEO of KCB Group, Russo replaced Joshua Oigara who led the group for the previous nine years. Oigara will stay on at KCB Group for sometime, to "support the transition".
See also
*
Joshua Oigara
References
External links
Website of Kenya Commercial Bank GroupPersonal Profile At LinkedIn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, Paul
1976 births
Living people
Kenyan bankers
Kenyan businesspeople
Moi University alumni
Strathmore University alumni
Kenyan chief executives
Kenyan business executives
Bank presidents and chief executive officers