Ecobank Kenya has appointed Risper Alaro, Group Finance Director at Centum Investment Company PLC, as a Non Executive Director after approval from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
The appointment gives women five of the nine seats on the bank’s board.
Board adds a fifth woman
Alaro joins a board that has changed in 2026. Rebecca Mbithi became Managing Director on 9 February, succeeding Josephine Anan-Ankomah, who moved to a regional role as Regional Executive for Central, Eastern and Southern Africa (CESA) at Ecobank Group. Flora Mutahi, founder and chief executive of Melvin Marsh International and the first woman to chair the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, joined the board in June. Bertha Dena also sits on the board.
Yesse Oenga, who led the board at the time of Mbithi’s appointment as acting chairman, said then: “Rebecca brings over 20 years of executive leadership experience across various sectors, including Kenya’s financial services industry.”
The board explained its choice of Alaro in an announcement.
“As Ecobank advances its growth ambitions and deepens its presence in Kenya, we are confident that Risper’s extensive leadership experience will bring valuable perspective to the Board’s oversight role in the Bank’s next chapter,” it said.
Alaro runs finance across the Centum portfolio
Alaro has served as Group Finance Director at Centum since March 2022. In that role she provides financial leadership across the group’s investment portfolio, covering capital allocation, business performance and long term value creation.
She worked at Centum earlier as Group Finance and Operations Director from January 2013 to January 2016. She then served as Managing Director of Centum Business Solutions, a Centum subsidiary, from 2015 to January 2018. Her LinkedIn profile cites over 20 years of leadership experience in finance, business transformation and organisational leadership in the finance and investment sector. The bank puts the figure at more than 25 years.
Governance record spans capital markets and climate finance
Alaro has sat on the board of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) as a Non Executive Director since June 2018. She has held the same role at Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV) since July 2019. She served as a Non Executive Director at Bank of Kigali from February 2019 to February 2025 and sat on the ACCA Kenya Advisory Board from 2015 to 2017. The bank’s announcement also lists a past board seat at Population Services Kenya, which extends her record into the non profit sector.
Coaching practice and qualifications
Alaro has run Risper Alaro Consulting since February 2018 as a Certified Executive Coach. Her profile lists her as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Mentor Coach. She completed a Certificate in Executive Leadership Coaching at CDI-Africa in 2015 and the Women in Executive Leadership League (WELL) programme at Strathmore Business School in 2016.
She holds a Master of Business Administration from United States International University Africa, completed in 2001, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Moi University, completed in 1998.
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