Njeri Jomo (pictured) was last month announced the winner of the Angaza Awards: Women to Watch in Banking & Finance program in just the second year of the awards.
The General Manager in charge of Retail Business Development at Britam Group, aged 40, now sits in the hallowed company of women recognized for their business acumen in banking and finance in the continent.
She accepts she has put in effort in the past many years and is honoured by the recognition but insists a lot of work is yet to be done. “This is an endorsement that shows that they are things we are doing right,” she says. “The recognition makes me even more deliberate in evaluating the impact of what I do and creating an enabling environment for those around me”.
She is responsible for the retail product portfolio at Britam Group, which means that she oversees the retail product strategy for the group as well as the distribution strategy overseeing the Britam Financial Advisory & Branch network as well as the Independent Financial Advisory network.
During her 20-year career, Njeri has pioneered a variety of products, including a market-leading portfolio of Individual life. Few things make her happier than her role in pioneering Imarika, a customer-centric fully digital savings solution that offers customers the opportunity to earn superior returns and enjoy life insurance at the same time.
Here, customers can make regular contributions from as low as Sh200 daily, weekly, or monthly. They can also opt for lump-sum contributions from Sh50,000. A testament she says, “of Britam’s goal to put the customer at the center of everything we do, by innovating products that speak to the changing lifestyles of our customers.”
Njeri, who elicits a contagious enthusiasm, is quite passionate about the youth and financial empowerment. Convinced they need inclusion into financial literacy and lessons on the monetization of their talents, started a tour of universities and colleges, where she managed to reach over 30, 000 young people.
“Over 4,000 are already monetizing their talents and their skills now,” she proudly says.
A strong advocate for the incorporation of digital systems, which she says enhances financial inclusion, Njeri notes that the adoption of digital ecosystems will not necessarily fully replace human resources and leave many jobless, as has been widely feared.
“Digital has its advantages including creating efficiency, improved customer experience and engagement, improved operational efficiency and agility, reduction in costs, increased revenue margins and increased collaboration between teams and functions. However, this does not replace the need for a human touch and relationship management,” she says.
Her team today is made up mostly of ladies (over 60 per cent or thereabouts, she says) and would love to see women rise to positions many would think are reserved for men, but she does not advocate for favouritism of women.
“We have women working in many influential positions not because they are women but because they are qualified. They are there on merit,” she says.
Britam has created for her and others an enabling environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.
She admits that her award should be a motivator for women and men alike.
“I hope it inspires someone. Success isn't just about what we accomplish but what we inspire others to do.” Njeri says.
Now the winner of the Angaza award, Njeri will have even more responsibility on her shoulders, with more eyes on her.
The motivation of the Angaza Awards, the organizing team says, is the need to raise awareness of seasoned women within the financial services sector towards promoting board and C-level diversity. The awards are hosted by Kaleidoscope Consultants and Kenyan Wallstreet.
Written by Peter Theuri.
