Equity Bank boss James Mwangi has been named as the 2015 Africa investor CEO of the Year at the annual business Summit in New York.
The award, announced at the 8th Annual Africa Investor (Ai) CEO Investment Summit recently held in New York is another recognition of Mwangi’s corporate leadership skills and commitment to advance an entrepreneurial agenda for poverty eradication in Africa.
Mwangi beat a strong field of shortlisted Africa business leaders including Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, Egypt’s Commercial International Bank Chairman and Managing Director Hisham Ezz Al-Arab, Yinka Sanni, CEO Stanbic IBTC Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank CEO Joshua Oigara, Albert Essien, CEO Ecobank, Alan Clark, CEO SABMiller and Mohamed Benchaâboun, CEO Banque Centrale Populaire.
Launched in 2007, and linked to the Africa investor (Ai) Index Series, the Ai Institutional Investment and Capital Market Awards are based around the Ai Index Series and are the only pan-African Awards designed to recognise Africa’s best performing stock exchanges, listed companies, investment banks, research teams, regulators, socially responsible companies and sovereign wealth and pension fund investors. It is a uniquely African capital markets event.
Commenting on the Awards winners, Hubert Danso, CEO and Vice Chairman of Africa investor, said, “Africa investor has long seen the need for a respected platform to provide recognition to Africa’s best and most innovative capital market leaders and institutional investors. We are delighted to be able to say that this year’s winners are our most exciting yet, and are testament to the ever-improving investment climate in Africa.”
Africa investor’s Ai40 Investors’ indices capture the top 40 largest and most liquid publicly-traded stocks across Africa, ranking them by market capitalization and by liquidity, as measured by the average daily value traded in US dollars.
The Ai CEO Investment Summit, held in association with the IFC and the World Bank Group Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, is an annual CEO business forum designed to facilitate action, to highlight and address project-specific investment climate challenges and to shed light on Africa’s investment success stories.
During the Summit, Africa investor (Ai) hosts the Investment and Business Leader Awards to recognize the achievements of investors, business leaders and institutions improving Africa’s investment climate. The awards are linked to the Africa investor (Ai) Index Series and are the only pan-African Awards designed to recognize Africa’s best performing stock exchanges, listed companies, investment banks, research teams, regulators, socially responsible companies and sovereign wealth and pension fund investors.
Other recognitions during the Awards ceremony included: Most Innovative Capital Markets Regulator awarded to The Capital Markets Authority of Kenya, Most Innovative African Stock Exchange Award, awarded to the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, Best African Investment Bank went to FBN Capital amongst others.
This year’s CEO Investment Summit and Business Leader Awards brought together over 250 of Africa’s most prominent and influential business, government and development finance leaders as well as five African Heads of State.