KC Rottok Chesaina will drive expansion across Africa, with a track record of building professional networks and a deep understanding of the East African market. This partnership is a game-changer, cementing Executive Communities’ commitment to empowering C-Suite leaders across the continent.
Executive Communities is taking a major leap forward in its mission to connect C-Suite leaders across Africa. The organisation is thrilled to announce that KC Rottok Chesaina has been appointed to the board and joins managing director Joël Roerig and co-founder Melle Eijckelhoff as a co-owner.
This isn’t just a structural change; it is a commitment to our purpose. KC will now be dedicating his full-time energy to the group, driving expansion across the continent and leveraging his incredible track record of building professional networks that truly matter. As a Kenyan-born executive with deep ties to the region, he brings an authentic understanding of the East African market.
A track record of connection
A chartered accountant (SA) and IFRS expert, KC is widely recognised as a bestselling author who has chronicled the leadership journeys of top executives in books covering CFOs and CEOs. However, his defining trait within the industry is a genuine passion for facilitating executive engagement.
The relationship between the partners isn’t new. Joël and KC first connected following the publication of KC’s book Masters of Money in which he interviewed 31 CFOs. KC’s enthusiasm for organising events and engaging with executives sparked a collaboration that led to the co-founding of CFO East Africa. This initiative marked the beginning of the organisation’s expansion beyond South Africa, successfully connecting hundreds of finance executives in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Leadership for the future
“This partnership is a game-changer for us,” says Joël Roerig, Managing Director of Executive Communities. “We have a fabulous ‘Dream Team’ in place that runs our operations with incredible skill and heart. Bringing KC in as a co-owner gives us the strategic capacity at a board level to look up and look outward. We have a mandate to grow, and someone with the energy, ideas and skills of KC is the perfect person to help us realise that vision across Africa.”
“I am incredibly excited to deepen my commitment to this community,” says KC. “Having seen the power of peer-to-peer networks firsthand in East Africa, I believe we are only scratching the surface of what African executives can achieve together. I look forward to working with Joël, Melle, and the team to build a platform that empowers leaders across the entire continent.”
Integrating capabilities: Executive Minds
As part of this union, KC’s successful training business Financial Minds is joining the group under the new banner of Executive Minds. This acquisition brings valuable intellectual property and future training capabilities to the group.
While the immediate focus remains laser-sharp on building and nurturing executive peer networks, Executive Minds serves as a powerful asset in the group’s toolkit, ready to be deployed to support community growth and executive development in the future.
Strategic expansion
The growth plans under this reinforced leadership are already in motion:
- East Africa: The organisation is rolling out a full event calendar this year for the CITO East Africa community, which launched recently, and plans to launch the CHRO East Africa community in July.
- Southern Africa: While continuing its significant work in South Africa, the team is expanding its scope to neighbouring countries, already engaging executives in Botswana and Namibia to include them in the community-building mandate.
A legacy of community
Executive Communities was originally founded in 2011 by the late Dutch entrepreneur Alex van Groningen, grounded in a vision to create value for executives and corporate partners. Over the last decade, it has evolved from CFO South Africa into a powerful force in African boardrooms, facilitating peer-to-peer engagement for Finance, HR, and IT executives.