By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, July 15, 2026 - Equity Bank Kenya has appointed Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chief Executive Officer and Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) board member Carole Kariuki as an independent non-executive director, bringing one of Kenya's most influential private sector leaders into the bank's governance structure.
When the appointment was announced, the Nairobi Securities Exchange congratulated Kariuki, who also serves as one of the company’s board members on joining the board of one of Kenya's largest lenders.
The move strengthens Equity Bank's board with a leader who has spent more than a decade championing private sector reforms, public-private dialogue and policies aimed at improving Kenya's business environment.
In a statement, the NSE praised Kariuki's contribution to Kenya's corporate landscape.
"The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) extends its heartfelt congratulations to our Board Member, Ms. Carole Kariuki, on her appointment to the Equity Bank Kenya Board," the exchange said.
The exchange further described her as a leader "whose strategic insight and commitment to advancing Kenya's private sector have made a significant contribution to the country's business community."
Kariuki has served as Chief Executive Officer of KEPSA since January 2010, where she has led the umbrella body representing Kenya's private sector in policy advocacy, investment promotion and dialogue between businesses and government.
During her tenure, she has spearheaded reforms aimed at improving the country's ease of doing business and attracting both local and foreign investment.
Before assuming the top role at KEPSA, she served as a Programme Manager at the organisation between 2005 and 2009 after earlier working as a Research Associate at the Sagamore Policy and Research Institute in the United States and as an Assistant Project Manager at Nairobi Chapel.
Her appointment adds to an already extensive corporate leadership portfolio. Besides serving on the NSE board, Kariuki sits on several other boards and advisory bodies and has previously chaired institutions including the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board and the Special Economic Zones Authority.
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She also serves on the boards of Jubilee Health Insurance and USIU-Africa Trustees, among others.
Academically, Kariuki holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Nairobi and a Master's degree in Public Administration and International Affairs from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, United States.
She has also undertaken leadership and private sector development programmes both locally and internationally.
The appointment comes as Equity Bank Kenya continues to strengthen its governance framework amid rapid expansion across East and Central Africa.
As the banking subsidiary of Equity Group Holdings, the lender remains one of the region's largest financial institutions by customer base and assets, with operations spanning Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia through representative offices.
Kariuki's experience in shaping business policy and fostering collaboration between government and the private sector is expected to support Equity Bank's strategy of financing entrepreneurship, trade, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), sectors that remain central to the bank's growth model.