Standard Bank Group scores two spots on the Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs

This data-driven list, the only one of its kind in Africa, recognizes the women who lead big business in Africa. Big business, for this purpose, is defined as being listed on one of Africa’s stock exchanges and having revenue of over $100 million, or a market cap of over $150 million.

Harvard Business Review reports on the startling lack of diversity among CEOs of big business.  To be the CEO of a large, listed company in Africa is an extreme rarity for women, which is why recognizing them is so important.  Research by Harvard Business School faculty recognizes one important factor that all of the women who reach the CEO spot have in common: resilience.

“In simple terms, the answer to the question of what it takes [for these women] to succeed can be reduced to a single capacity: resilience….women we interviewed seemed to rely more heavily than others on that quality, because of the frequency with which they encountered obstacles and setbacks resulting from the intersecting dynamics of race, gender, and other identities.”  Harvard Business Review

To mark the evolution of Africa.com’s Definitive List of Women CEOs, Africa.com researched and analyzed 2,020 listed companies on Africa’s 24 stock exchanges. The companies were screened for revenue of $100 million or more, or a market cap of $150 million or more, which yielded a list of 787 companies. The public websites of these 787 companies were examined to determine those women who have a title of chief executive officer or managing director or president AND to confirm that these executives have bottom line, profit and loss responsibility.

This work represents one of the first analyses of the performance of publicly listed companies in Africa conducted through a gender lens.

Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Uganda, Anne Juuko, has been part of the Standard Bank Group for over 10 years having joined as Head of Global Markets in Uganda in 2012. Ms Juuko was later appointed Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank Namibia in 2018 prior to being appointed into her current role in March 2020.  Ms Juuko has over 20 years wealth of experience in the financial services industry both regionally and globally. She has exhibited exemplary performance throughout her tenure, demonstrating exceptional leadership and a stellar performance that will see her set to achieve Stanbic Bank Uganda’s strategy and vision.

“It’s such an honour to be recognized alongside other celebrated women leaders on our continent, for the third time in a row. It’s an honour because Uganda has hundreds of brilliant, hardworking women who are breaking the proverbial glass ceiling, every day, in their respective fields of practice. Many of them, I know personally, as they are my colleagues at work and in the financial services sector where I have been active for the last two decades. So, allow me to say that this recognition is not mine alone but one that I wish to accept, on behalf of my fellow women at Stanbic Uganda with whom we give our very best, daily, to make a difference in our country and to also give the African girl child the confidence and reason to believe that whatever they seek to become - It Can Be,” says Ms Juuko

Chief Executive Standard Bank Namibia , Mercia Geises joined the bank in July 2016 as Head of Personal and Business Banking. She was responsible for the retail banking franchise, the largest division of the bank for 5 years before being appointed to her current role in May 2021. Mercia is an admitted attorney who started her corporate career in impact investing, setting up and running infrastructure funds significant development impact in the country.  Prior to joining Standard Bank in, Ms Geises worked at Old Mutual for 12 years, rising to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Investment Group (Namibia), an investment manager with N$30bn in assets under management.

“It is indeed a privilege to be on the definitive list for the third time in a row, and to be leading this amazing team and bank. Thank you for the opportunity,” Ms Geises said. 

For more information: Africa.com’s 2023 Definitive List of Women CEOs.