When Equity Group Holdings needed a steady hand to help root out rogue employees siphoning millions and restore integrity to its fast-growing banking empire, the top-tier lender turned to David Ssegawa.
A battle-tested human capital strategist with a track record of driving deep organizational change across some of Africa’s most complex institutions.
In a notice dated July 15, Board Chairman Dr. Donald Kaberuka announced the appointment of Ssegawa and Richard Kiplagat as independent non-executive directors, describing Ssegawa as a “highly accomplished” HR expert.
David Ssegawa, a seasoned global business executive, has spent more than two decades shaping human capital strategy and organizational development across multinational corporations and development organizations in Africa and beyond.
Career of David Ssegawa
Ssegawa currently serves as Group Human Resources Director at Equity Group Holdings Plc, a position he has held since April 2022.
Based in Nairobi, he is responsible for providing strategic thought leadership across the group’s HR functions and supporting long-term business growth through the development of organizational capabilities across markets, sectors, and customer segments.
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Before joining Equity Group, Ssegawa was the Global Chief People and Culture Officer at Living Goods from July 2020 to March 2022.
In this role, he worked closely with the board and executive committee to embed a culture grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting the organization’s long-term growth ambitions.
From December 2018 to June 2020, he served as Global Director for People and Culture at Oxfam International, where he led the development and execution of the organization’s global HR strategy.
He was instrumental in aligning HR operations across Oxfam’s 19 affiliate organizations and advancing internal transformation initiatives.
Other Global Companies He Worked For
Ssegawa also held senior leadership roles at the African Development Bank, where he served as Group Director of Human Resources and Acting Vice-President of Corporate Services from June 2016 to November 2018 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Earlier in his career, he served as Chief HR Officer at Airtel Africa between April 2012 and May 2016 and held various leadership positions at The Coca-Cola Company in both South Africa and Kenya.
These included stints as HR Director for Coca-Cola South Africa and Business Unit HR & Rewards Manager for East and Central Africa.
Academic Success
His career also includes HR leadership roles at Unilever, Standard Bank Group, and early roles at Unilever Uganda, where he started as a Human Resources Manager in 1995.
Ssegawa’s academic credentials include an Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Leicester, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University.
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Throughout his career, Ssegawa has been recognized for driving human capital transformation, growth inclusive organizational cultures, and building leadership capacity across diverse sectors and geographies.
Kicking Out Rogue Staff Stealing Millions at Equity Bank
Speaking while delivering the half-year results, Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi said David Ssegawa was picked as the Group Director, Human Resources, to help deal with rogue staff members.
Mwangi revealed the problem while presenting the lender’s half-year results, noting that Ssegawa’s experience has been instrumental in identifying and acting against errant staff.
“When David stepped in, he said, ‘Enough is enough, let us do the audit of conduct,’” Mwangi told reporters. “We have dealt with those who steal from customers and make loans unaffordable. Now, what about those who steal from the employer?”
Mwangi accused some employees of reporting to work only to “hang up their coats” and disappear, leaving customers stranded in long queues. Ssegawa’s team, he said, is now reviewing daily transaction data to flag underperforming or idle workers.
“They come and hang their coats, causing long queues by not processing,” Mwangi said. “We can catch them by looking at the number of transactions per day. I can’t wait to see this.”
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Mr. Mwangi, start paying employees renumeration commensurate to status a banker. Its immoral to boast of massive growth, supernormal profits while those responsible for such are paupers.
Stop intimidating them from joining Union so that you continue overworking and underpaying them.