ICEA LION Group has refreshed the boards of its two largest insurance subsidiaries, appointing four independent non-executive directors while marking the retirement of David Hutchison, a director who served the company for years.
The changes took effect on June 19, 2026, and touch both the General Insurance and Life Assurance boards.
Two New Faces Join the General Insurance Board
Suzanne Muthaura and Allan Wainaina now sit on the board of ICEA LION General Insurance Company as independent non-executive directors. Muthaura brings a legal pedigree built over more than 25 years. She practices as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, holds certification as a public secretary, and works as a partner at MMAN Advocates.
Her academic training includes a Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Warwick. Her specialty runs through mergers and acquisitions, asset finance, private equity, corporate advisory and commercial contracts, work that has earned her recognition from international legal ranking agencies.
Wainaina arrives with a finance career spanning 35 years. A Certified Public Accountant of Kenya and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, he built his experience across internal and external audit, general management and corporate strategy at firms including PwC, British American Tobacco, Nairobi Java House Group and Telkom Kenya.
He currently serves on several other boards, among them Paramount Bank Kenya, Cianda Holdings, Vivo Fashion Group and SOS Children’s Villages Kenya, giving him a wide vantage point on governance across different sectors.
Life Assurance Board Adds Communications and Governance Expertise
Dorothy Ooko and Charles Luo join the ICEA LION Life Assurance board, bringing skills that sit outside the traditional insurance mold. Ooko has spent more than 20 years shaping strategic communications and brand management across Africa, including work for global technology companies.
She co-founded WS&O, an organization that helps founders build purpose led brands while supporting the growth of artificial intelligence tools. Her academic background includes a Master of International Business Administration in Strategic Management from United States International University, and her expertise extends into financial oversight, stakeholder engagement and risk management.
Luo leads Cynergy Global Limited as Chief Executive Officer and serves as Principal of Aventum Advisory Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and an MBA from the University of London, alongside credentials as a Certified Public Accountant and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Before his current roles, he worked as a partner at Deloitte, where he led audit and advisory engagements across multiple countries and industries. That background in audit and business transformation positions him to strengthen governance practices on the life assurance side.
Hutchison Steps Down After Years of Service
Alongside the new appointments, ICEA LION announced the retirement of David Hutchison from both boards, effective the same date. Company Secretary Sally Gitau confirmed the move in a notice issued on July 16, 2026, with the boards thanking Hutchison for years of service and contribution to the company’s growth.
A Board Built for the Next Phase
Taken together, the four appointments give ICEA LION a board bench that stretches well beyond the usual insurance skill set, pulling in legal deal making, audit depth, brand strategy and governance experience from outside the sector.
The company has framed the changes as a deliberate move to strengthen leadership and governance while it grows its footprint across insurance, pensions, investments and trusts. Whether that broader mix of expertise sharpens decision making at board level will become clearer as the new directors settle into their roles over the coming year.
