Chief Executive Officer & Principal Officer - Britam Life Assurance Company (Kenya)

nowledge, experience and qualifications required:

Mandatory Requirements:

• A recognized university degree at minimum first degree level; A Master’s degree and postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
  

  
  

• A professional insurance qualification recognized by the IRA — ACII (Chartered Insurer), FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute), or equivalent approved professional certification.
  

  
  

• IRA fit-and-proper compliance, a clean professional regulatory record with no adverse determinations, disciplinary findings, or sanctions.
  

  
  

• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in the life insurance and financial services industry, with at least 5 years in a Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, or equivalent senior leadership role with full P&L accountability.
  

  
  

• Demonstrated experience operating as or directly supporting a Principal Officer under Kenyan or comparable insurance regulatory framework.
  

  Strongly Preferred Requirements:
  

  
  

• Experience leading a life insurance entity with revenues of KES 20 billion or more.
  

  
  

• Direct experience in the Kenyan insurance market deep understanding of the competitive landscape, customer segments, and regulatory environment.
  

  
  

• Track record of delivering on a high-growth strategy not just managing a book, but transforming a business's market position.
  

  
  

• Experience in alternative investments, IFRS 17 implementation, or advanced actuarial management.
  

  
  

• Experience building or scaling a digital distribution or direct-to-customer channel.
  

  Regional/pan-African experience across East or Southern Africa.
  

Strategic Leadership and Business Performance

• Lead the development, communication, and full execution of BLA's ASCEND 2026–2030 strategy, ensuring alignment with Britam Group strategic priorities.
  

  
  

• Translate the Group's bold aspirations into annual business plans, budgets, and operating targets with clear accountability across the executive team.
  

  
  

• Drive the achievement of all financial targets: revenue, profitability, market share, shareholder returns, and solvency ratios.
  

  
  

• Identify and pursue growth opportunities organic and inorganic including new market segments, distribution partnerships, Takaful, and regional expansion.
  

  
  

• Provide the Board with regular, high-quality strategic and financial reporting that enables informed governance and decision-making.
  

  
  

• Make bold, evidence-informed executive decisions with speed and conviction, managing risk appropriately without creating decision paralysis.
  

  Commercial Growth and Distribution
  

  
  

• Drive the retail life business to achieve premium income targets through the FA network, bancassurance, broker, and digital channels.
  

  
  

• Lead the corporate and SME segment building a 20,000-strong client base in partnership with the corporate business team.
  

  
  

• Scale the FA network to 4,000 financially educated, productive advisers with 60% monthly productivity making the FA channel BLA's most powerful competitive moat.
  

  
  

• Build direct and digital distribution channels to capture 20% of new business from the GenZ, Diaspora, and digitally enabled customer segments.
  

  
  

• Champion product innovation driving the transformation to unit-linked and risk-only products while maintaining competitive investment returns on client funds.
  

  
  

• Develop and execute the NSSF Tier 2 and Trust Business strategy to capture the growing retirement savings market.
  

  Investment Management and Financial Stewardship
  

  
  

• Oversee BLA's investment strategy ensuring competitive returns on client funds (targeting >12% p.a.) and shareholder funds (targeting 18–24% p.a. through alternative assets).
  

  
  

• Champion the alternative investment framework deploying capital into infrastructure and energy, private equity, private credit, real estate, and venture capital via Betalab.
  

  
  

• Ensure robust IFRS 17 financial management, accurate actuarial reserving, and full compliance with IRA financial reporting requirements.
  

  
  

• Maintain BLA's capital adequacy and solvency at the levels required by IRA regulations and the Group's internal risk appetite framework.
  

  
  

• Manage the P&L with rigour driving OPEX ratio reduction from 33% to 26% through operational efficiency without compromising service quality.
  

  Regulatory, Governance and Principal Officer Responsibilities
  

  
  

• Serve as the IRA-approved Principal Officer, bearing personal and corporate accountability for BLA's full compliance with the Insurance Act (Cap 487), all IRA regulations, circulars, and guidelines.
  

  
  

• Build and maintain a proactive, transparent, and constructive relationship with the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Kenya.
  

  
  

• Prepare and present board papers that provide strategic direction, financial performance assessment, and material risk disclosures to the BLA Board of Directors.
  

  
  

• Ensure that all statutory returns, actuarial reports, and regulatory filings are submitted accurately and on time.
  

  
  

• Ensure the establishment and maintenance of a robust risk management framework, including enterprise risk management, operational risk, and compliance oversight.
  

  
  

• Operate within Britam Holdings PLC's Group governance framework — including group policies, delegation of authority matrices, and reporting obligations to the Holdings Board.
  

People Leadership and Organizational Development

• Build, lead, and develop a world-class executive team capable of delivering the ASCEND strategy; recruiting, retaining, and developing talent at every level.
  

  
  

• Create a high-performance, values-driven culture aligned to Britam's values: Accountability, Trust, Agility, and Customer-first.
  

  
  

• Implement the People and Talent pillar of ASCEND ensuring BLA is an employer of choice in the Kenyan insurance market.
  

  
  

• Develop clear succession plans for all key executive and senior management roles, including the CEO role.
  

  
  

• Lead organizational design and structure to ensure BLA has the capabilities, capacity, and agility required by its growth ambitions.
  

  
  

• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization including gender parity in leadership representation.
  

  Stakeholder and Brand Leadership
  

  
  

• Represent BLA credibly and compellingly to all material external stakeholders: Board, regulators, institutional investors, corporate clients, intermediaries, and media.
  

  
  

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with government ministries, regulators, industry bodies (AKI), and peer institutions relevant to BLA's business interests.
  

  
  

• Champion BLA's brand ensuring the company is recognized as Kenya's leading, most trusted, and most customer-obsessed life insurer.
  

  
  

• Maintain constructive relationships with Group peers and the Group Managing Director, operating as a collaborative member of the Britam Group leadership community.
  

  
  

• Proactively manage BLA's public and reputational profile positioning the company as an industry thought leader.