Our Leaders
Our talented and experienced leaders deliver Prudential’s values, backed by years of experience in achieving the needs of the communities they serve.
Our Board of Directors
Chairman
Mr. Kiplagat is a Board Member, Group Chief Commercial Officer & Managing Director for East Africa at Africa Practice, a pan-African strategic advisory firm. He is a senior advisor to businesses, philanthropies and government leaders, particularly in the infrastructure, energy, oil, and gas sectors. Notably, he co-facilitated the initial strategy workshops that led to the formulation of the African Union's Agenda 2063, the continent's current strategic vision document.
Throughout his three-decade career, Richard has championed progressive governance and the adoption of new technologies. He is particularly passionate about fostering a more integrated and collaborative continent and advocates for a holistic approach to human capital development, in addition to the existing investments in health and education. He refers to this concept as the "soft infrastructure" of development.
Before joining Africa Practice in 2012, Richard worked at Microsoft Africa as head of global strategic alliances and East African regional manager for SAP. He also holds several board-level positions at Kenyan parastatals, financial institutions, and non-government organizations. He holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto and an executive certificate in Climate Change and Energy Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Non-Independent Director
Emmanuel is the current regional CEO for East and Central Africa.He has served in senior positions such as Regional CEO for West & Southern Africa from August 2021 to January 2022. Previously, Emmanuel was the Chief Executive of Express in August 2012 prior to the acquisition of the company by Prudential PLC and he continued to lead as the Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana. During his tenure Prudential Ghana, the business moved from an industry position of 16th in 2012 to 4th in 2020 with the launch of an agency-led business model and market-leading innovation solutions.
Emmanuel is a Chartered Insurer (ACII, UK) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology – Kumasi and an MBA (Marketing) from the University of Ghana.
Non-Independent Director
Nick Holder is Prudential’s Chief Operating Officer for Africa, based in Nairobi. In this role he will provide leadership to Prudential’s newly created Regional Office for Africa with functional responsibility for Finance, Actuarial, Strategy, People, Legal, Governance, Compliance, Risk and Communication.
Nick joined Prudential in 2002 and has previously worked for Prudential Group in six countries: the UK, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Nick's previous roles with Prudential have included Regional Head of Internal Audit for Asia; General Manager, Shared Services in Kuala Lumpur; and Chief Financial Officer for both Prudential Thailand and Prudential Vietnam. He has chaired the British Business Group in Vietnam and filled the roles of Acting-Chair & Honorary Secretary for the British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, as well as being a Board Member of the European Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia and a founding member of the Supervisory Board of the Indonesian CFOs Club.
Nick has master’s degrees in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and Business Systems Analysis and Design from City University, both in the UK. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is a Chartered Fellow of the Securities and Investment Institute.
Non-Independent Director
David Nutman is currently a part-time Consultant and Advisor to the Regional CEO (Wilf Blackburn) for Insurance Growth Markets in Prudential Corporation Asia and Africa. His role includes mainly covering CEO mentoring and support to various operational Boards & Committees. David is the former CEO at Prudential Cambodia, responsible for all in-country activity. He joined Prudential Cambodia on 1 November 2016. From 1 April 2017 he also assumed management responsibility for Prudential Laos. His prior roles include Chief Compliance Officer at Prudential Corporation Asia (PCA) the regional head office in Hong Kong, with overall responsibility for the compliance and anti-money laundering functions covering all Asian Insurance operations. He joined PCA in January 2005.
A 36 year life insurance industry veteran, David started his career in various sales and marketing roles firstly at Equity & Law (now part of AXA) before moving to Royal Sun Alliance (now known as RSA). David is a long-qualified Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Insurer.
Independent Director
Caroline Okong’o has over 20 years’ experience in finance, risk, audit, strategy development, and implementation support.
She has worked for over 20 years locally and internationally in top tier consulting and insurance firms. She has held leadership roles in various organizations which include Director at Lattice Consulting Limited, Assistant Vice President at Willis Management (Bermuda), and Senior Manager at Deloitte where she worked in both East Africa and Bermuda.
Caroline holds a Bachelor of Arts in Building Economics from the University of Nairobi, is a CPA (K) member of ICPAK, and a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) accredited by the International Coaching Federation. She runs an advisory consulting and coaching practice.
Caroline is an Independent Non-Executive Board Member at KCB Kenya, Board Member and Vice-Chairman to the Association of Women Accountants of Kenya, and a Non-Executive Board Member of WWF Kenya.
Independent Director
Alice Owuor was appointed as Non-Executive Director of the Prudential Board in June 2017.
She has served for more than 30 years in all critical areas of tax administration and management with the most recent role being the Commissioner of Domestic Taxes Department at Kenya Revenue Authority.
She currently serves as Non-Executive Director for the Centre for Corporate Governance, Bamburi Cement Ltd and Moving the Goalposts. She was previously the Board Chairperson and is a Fellow of the Kenya Institute of Management. She holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management from Moi University and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Nairobi. She also serves as a member of the National Civil Aviation Administrative Review Tribunal.
Independent Director
Managing Director
Gwen Kinisu is more than your average insurance and banking professional. She's a passionate leader, marketing maven, and tech-savvy strategist who's spent the last 15 years transforming businesses and empowering teams across the insurance and banking landscapes. She weaves together diverse teams, cultivates strategic partnerships, and drives growth through innovation. Currently, she's steering the ship as CEO of Prudential Kenya, leveraging her leadership skills, marketing prowess, and deep industry expertise to chart a course for growth. Gwen's vision extends beyond spreadsheets, she believes in the power of relationships, fostering a vibrant culture where people grow and succeed.
Gwen's journey began as a student of life, fueled by insatiable curiosity and a knack for building meaningful human connections. An Executive MBA from USIU, certifications in Marketing and LOMA, and a BSc. in International Business, fueled her ascent through top positions at Sanlam, National Bank Kenya Insurance Agency, and Old Mutual. Each stop, a steppingstone, shaping her into the leader she is today.
Introverted? Yes. Gwen finds power in quiet reflection, drawing inspiration for bold moves and creative solutions. But make no mistake, she's a relationship builder at heart, connecting with stakeholders across the spectrum to champion collaboration and progress. A budding philanthropist, Gwen gives back some of her time to the community by volunteering as a board member in a not-for-profit organization, and through various coaching and mentoring sessions.
When she's not scaling corporate mountains, Gwen embraces life-work integration. Spending time with family, taking invigorating walks, and hitting the gym fuels her spirit. An information junkie, she devours books, podcasts, and curated content, constantly adding new perspectives to her arsenal.
So, what is Gwen’s secret weapon you may ask? It's her unique blend of people centricity, strategic acumen, genuine warmth, and a relentless drive to make a difference. She's not just building businesses; she's building a better future, one empowered team, at a time.
Our Management Team
Chief Executive Officer
Gwen Kinisu is more than your average insurance and banking professional. She's a passionate leader, marketing maven, and tech-savvy strategist who's spent the last 15 years transforming businesses and empowering teams across the insurance and banking landscapes. She weaves together diverse teams, cultivates strategic partnerships, and drives growth through innovation. Currently, she's steering the ship as CEO of Prudential Kenya, leveraging her leadership skills, marketing prowess, and deep industry expertise to chart a course for growth. Gwen's vision extends beyond spreadsheets, she believes in the power of relationships, fostering a vibrant culture where people grow and succeed.
Gwen's journey began as a student of life, fueled by insatiable curiosity and a knack for building meaningful human connections. An Executive MBA from USIU, certifications in Marketing and LOMA, and a BSc. in International Business, fueled her ascent through top positions at Sanlam, National Bank Kenya Insurance Agency, and Old Mutual. Each stop, a steppingstone, shaping her into the leader she is today.
Introverted? Yes. Gwen finds power in quiet reflection, drawing inspiration for bold moves and creative solutions. But make no mistake, she's a relationship builder at heart, connecting with stakeholders across the spectrum to champion collaboration and progress. A budding philanthropist, Gwen gives back some of her time to the community by volunteering as a board member in a not-for-profit organization, and through various coaching and mentoring sessions.
When she's not scaling corporate mountains, Gwen embraces life-work integration. Spending time with family, taking invigorating walks, and hitting the gym fuels her spirit. An information junkie, she devours books, podcasts, and curated content, constantly adding new perspectives to her arsenal.
So, what is Gwen’s secret weapon you may ask? It's her unique blend of people centricity, strategic acumen, genuine warmth, and a relentless drive to make a difference. She's not just building businesses; she's building a better future, one empowered team, at a time.
Head of Risk and Compliance
Evah Ngugi is the Head of Risk and Compliance at Prudential. She is a seasoned Risk and Compliance professional with over 15 years’ experience in the financial services sector.
Evah has been at the forefront of coordinating the embedding of the governance and risk framework by ensuring that principles and requirements for managing risks are consistently applied across the business which has led to a stable control environment to nurture the realization of business objectives.
Evah’s previous Role include Risk and Compliance Officer- Life and Investment at UAP Old Mutual Group.
Chief Transformation Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Lead Marketing
Head of Actuarial Services
Head of Corporate Business
Agency Development Executive