Executive Communities director KC Rottok Chesaina has announced the launch of CHRO East Africa, with the team currently holding insightful conversations with HR leaders across the region.
HR leaders across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are called upon to join the new CHRO East Africa, the latest initiative from Executive Communities, which connects C-Suite leaders across Africa.
The directors and executives who are responsible for the people agenda can make their mark on the community from the get go, by helping the CHRO East Africa team brainstorm about the most essential topics and themes.
Following significant successes of the CFO East Africa community – which has engaged hundreds of finance leaders across the region – and CITO East Africa – which is gaining traction ahead of the official launch event in December, this latest community will deliver world-class events and content to the HR executives of East Africa.
“One of our values is that we are the world’s best listeners, and that is what we aim to do whenever we are building a new community,” says Executive Communities director for East Africa KC Rottok Chesaina. “So, our starting point is always having in-depth discussions with executives, to understand what it is that they want and need from the community we’re co-creating with them.”
While the conversations are full of new and impactful learnings, Executive Communities is confident that C-suite leaders have much to gain and learn from engaging with other leaders through their platforms.
“We have had such incredible enthusiasm for our first two East African communities that we are confident that we are delivering a platform that executives are hungry for,” says KC. “And with CHRO East Africa, we are looking forward to getting to know HR leaders, and sharing the power of our approach to community building with them. We already have a vibrant and active CHRO community in South Africa, so we can’t wait to see the same levels of engagement unfolding in East Africa.”
HR leaders have already shared some important guiding principles with the CHRO East Africa team.
“It’s really important to anchor it at the right level,” says Gerishen Katieno, the CHRO of Saruni Basecamp. “We need to dig deep into the parameters that will create a niche for this level of engagement. Then you won’t have a community with half the members muted because they are not hearing anything of use to them.”
He added that, as he knows a number of CFOs who are already an active part of the CFO East Africa community, he is comfortable that these relevant conversations will be taking place.
“I am really looking forward to the establishment of this community and I am proud to be among the first ones to join it,” says Jemima Ngode, group HR manager at the Radio Africa Group. “It’s also great we’ll be bringing together industry leaders and cutting across different countries.”
Alongside the important conversations to establish the community, the official CHRO East Africa website – CHRO-EA.com – will be launched by end-September, and the LinkedIn page is already open for engagement. A newsletter will also be launched in the second half of the year.
Then, a series of world-class executive events will kick off with a launch summit in Nairobi on 14 July 2026, a dedicated CHRO East Africa magazine, and further events in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania to follow.
CHRO East Africa already has its first dedicated employee in the form of senior writer Nancy Wainaina, who has hit the ground running and will be bringing the stories of the region’s HR executives to life on all its platforms. “I’ll be crafting content that highlights the insights, challenges, and innovations of top HR leaders across the region. I'm excited to contribute to meaningful conversations and elevate the voices of executives shaping the future of leadership in East Africa,” she says.
If you are an HR executive and would like to share your ideas about building the CHRO East Africa community, please reach out to Executive Communities director KC Rottok Chesaina at [email protected].