Executive Communities concluded its tour of East Africa in Tanzania, where CFOs shared their personal stories, and CITOs made new connections.
Executive Communities’ East African network is growing, with Dar es Salaam hosting the latest CFO East Africa summit, and the launch of the Tanzania chapter of CITO East Africa.
The CFO Leadership Summit
The CFO East Africa Leadership Summit landed in Dar es Salaam on 12 June 2026, this time with a focus on the lived experiences behind the title of chief financial officer.
Executive Communities East Africa director KC Rottok Chesaina, who heads up the CFO community in the region, reflected on the series of CFO East Africa events, both this latest one in Dar es Salaam as well as previous months’ summits in Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali, as follows: “All CFO events attract a lot of interest, but this last series of events was a little different. They were summits specifically on leadership, which means CFOs were discussing themselves and their own personal and career journeys. Previously, we had been setting serious professional topics, but now they were encouraged to share their own stories.”
At the CFO East Africa Leadership Summits, finance leaders opened up about the moments that tested them and what they learned outside of the classroom. Career-defining moments that CFOs shared included learning how to navigate cultural and other differences, including, for example, having to operate in contexts where there is illiteracy; learning that the CFO role comes with authority but trust still has to be earned; the importance of standing your ground and insisting on changes you know are necessary (and the salary you know you deserve) – and learning to run your “own race”, meaning that even if a financial result sounds smaller than a competitor’s or a neighbouring country’s, it may still be an exceptional result in its own context.
KC continues: “The CFOs found the topic to be therapeutic. Being able to share your own experiences, some good, and some bad, makes you more vulnerable. It can get quite personal – and that, in turn, really enhances a sense of community.”
The growth of CFO East Africa has been gratifying to see, and KC says, “Interest has been building up to the extent that we decided to do two CFO events in Tanzania this year. Dar es Salaam, we will be back in September!”
CITO East Africa Tanzania chapter launch
On 11 June, it was the turn of CITOs in Tanzania to gather for the inaugural CITO East Africa Tanzania Summit, when information technology leaders gathered in Dar es Salaam at an exclusive event dedicated to hosting CITOs in the trademark high-level, informal networking fashion for which Executive Communities is renowned.
The result was a candid conversation about the realities of technology leadership in Tanzania today. Cybersecurity and connectivity were the burning issues on everyone’s lips, and attendees could share issues and strategise solutions together for the very first time. Sandra Mulluka, the community manager of CITO East Africa, was delighted with the proceedings.
“The CITO East Africa journey has been quite something to watch unfold,” she says. “After the launch in December, we began the country summits in Nairobi in March, then made our way to Kigali and Kampala and finally wrapped up the first leg of the tour in Dar es Salaam in June.
“What struck me most was how quickly the community embraced the concept. In every city, the conversations were lively and there was a genuine sense that technology leaders had been waiting for a forum like this. CIOs told us they rarely get the chance to sit with peers who understand ‘what keeps them awake at night’.”
Sandra says each city brought new perspectives and fresh learnings.
“Everywhere we went, we made new connections and discovered just how similar the challenges and opportunities are across the region.
“The funny thing is that before each summit, I wondered whether we could persuade busy tech leaders to come out after work. But, by the end of the evening, we were looking around the room in disbelief, marvelling at the great turnout. In each city, the CITO summits became the talk of the tech community because there simply has not been a dedicated peer forum of this nature for IT leaders.”
Sandra believes the demand was always there. “We just needed to create the space.”
“I am already looking forward to returning to each city, strengthening the relationships we've built, welcoming new members into the community and continuing the conversations that have only just begun,” says Sandra.
If you are an East African finance, IT or HR executive, please reach out to KC Rottok Chesaina on [email protected] to join the next round of summits later this year.