Executive Communities’ youngest community arrives on the scene with the largest number of attendees for any launch in the organisation’s history.
History was made on 15 July 2026 at the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi, Kenya. East Africa’s most committed and engaged HR leaders gathered to officially launch the CHRO East Africa community.
Launched hot on the heels of CITO East Africa and three years after CFO East Africa, this brings Executive Communities’ representation in East Africa to three distinct classes of C-suite leaders, in line with its hugely successful East African expansion mandate.
“CHRO East Africa was born out of a simple yet powerful idea: that when HR leaders come together to share, collaborate, and learn from one another, the entire ecosystem grows stronger,” says Nancy Wainana, CHRO East Africa senior writer and launch community manager. “That is because at its heart, HR is about people. It is about creating workplaces where employees feel supported, comfortable and valued, enabling them to do their best work. When people thrive, organisations thrive too, and that is something every East African HR leader understands.”
Outstanding topics and speakers
The evening consisted of networking, collegial panel discussions and interactive sessions on what Nancy calls “the most critical themes shaping the future of work, based on our foundational conversations with leaders across the region”.
These include navigating the complexities of a multi-generational workforce, ensuring that HR leaders are at the centre of AI integration and policy, tackling the retention crisis through compelling employee value propositions, and elevating the strategic positioning of the HR profession to secure a seat at the executive table.
The event was attended by the top minds in HR leadership, who came to hear words of wisdom from the array of unmissable speakers that had been secured for the event, including Hannah Karuru, CPO of Capwell Industries, Felix Ochieng, general manager, people and culture at Liberty Kenya, Caroline Karoki, head of people & culture at ALN, Victor Komu, HR director at Gardaworld Africa, Rose Karugu, HR head of Ishara Towers Rwanda, Gerishen Katieno, CHRO of Saruni BaseCamp, Milton Owor, chief people and culture officer at NSSF Uganda, Sally Kamsa, senior HR business partner at Ipsos Kenya, Gedion Kimutai, country HR manager at Del Monte Kenya, Grace Mathu, manager for people and culture at AAR Insurance, and Bernard Atonga, head of people and culture at WWF – Kenya.
The keynote address was delivered by Mumbi Kahindo, CPO at Absa Bank Kenya, who was also featured on the cover of the launch edition of CHRO Magazine, which was released at the event. She recalled a time when HR practitioners were known as personnel officers and reported into finance rather than sitting on the executive committee. Now, she says, she will be addressing four priorities in Absa’s next strategic review: capability, leadership pipelines, retention and resilience. She stipulated that the organisations that succeed will be those that invest in their people.
The audience also heard from the two launch partners for CHRO East Africa, Brenda Wakaba, MD at 360 Staffing and an HR consultant, on behalf of Factorial HR, and Titilope Olajide, partner, people & change at KPMG East Africa.
In between, the Executive Communities organisers left plenty of time for introductions and relationship-building over drinks and canapés.
A fully engaged community
Executive Communities’ East Africa director KC Rottok Chesaina says: “We are incredibly excited to be expanding Executive Communities in East Africa with the launch of the CHRO East Africa community, and even more excited about the warm welcome that the HR leaders in the region have given us.”
He noted that the launch event had enjoyed the greatest number of RSVPs out of any community launch ever at Executive Communities, “which goes to show that CHROs are a vibrant and engaged group of people, that they know how to get the most out of a community, and that they show up for opportunities that present themselves. It’s no wonder that they are earning their seat at the table, looking after any organisation’s most precious resource: its people.”
Nancy says it was a real pleasure to meet so many inspiring CHROs and HR leaders. “The conversations were thoughtful, honest, and forward-looking, with one message coming through time and again: today’s HR leaders are not simply responsible for people policies; they are strategic partners who help shape the direction of their organisations.”
She was delighted with the launch, and shared the following next steps: “This community exists to connect the people behind the talent; the ones driving transformation, solving complex problems and shaping how businesses and societies work. Our goal is for CHRO East Africa to become a trusted network where ideas move freely, partnerships are born and friendships grow.”
Nancy says CHRO East Africa has delivered on its founding intentions: “To bring together senior HR leaders who share a passion for people, leadership, and the future of work.”
But she says what has made the journey so special is how organically it has grown. “Every conversation led to another introduction, every connection resulted in a referral, and before long, CHROs were inviting their peers to become part of the community. That enthusiasm has been incredibly humbling, and seeing this community finally come to life is genuinely fulfilling.”
And the official launch is only the beginning, so any HR executives in East Africa who would like to attend future events in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, please reach out to Nancy on [email protected].
