NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 11 – Absa Group has appointed former M-PESA Africa Managing Director Sitoyo Lopokoiyit as its new Chief Executive for Personal and Private Banking effective April 1, 2026.
In a statement, the lender said Lopokoiyit brings extensive experience in financial services, telecommunications, customer value propositions and large-scale business transformation.
Lopokoiyit currently heads M-PESA Africa, a joint venture between Safaricom and Vodacom, with a mandate to scale the platform’s presence and relevance across African markets.
“This appointment demonstrates Absa’s strategic focus on delivering integrated, customer-centric solutions across our Personal and Private Banking franchise while unlocking new growth opportunities,” said Absa Group Chief Executive Officer Kenny Fihla.
The bank also announced several leadership changes effective March 1, 2026.
Prabashni Naidoo, currently Group Chief Internal Audit Executive, will assume a newly reconstituted role as Group Chief Governance Officer, overseeing Legal, Compliance and Group Secretariat.
Rushdi Solomons has been promoted to Group Chief Internal Audit Officer. He previously served as Managing Executive: Compliance Strategy, Regulatory Relations and Governance, and before that as Chief Operating Officer in Group Internal Audit. Prior to joining Absa in 2020, Solomons held senior roles at Deloitte Risk Advisory, the Auditor-General of South Africa and PwC.
Likewise, Fatima Newman has been appointed Chief Compliance Officer. She brings 28 years of experience across risk, compliance, regulatory and governance roles, including senior positions at Absa, EOH Group, MTN South Africa and EasyHQ.
Fihla said the appointments reflect the lender’s succession planning efforts and ambition to strengthen its leadership bench.
“We are building a future-fit leadership team, deepening our bench strength, and ensuring the right capabilities are in place to deliver on our strategic ambitions,” he said.
