Benson Wairegi
Dr. Benson I Wairegi (born 1953) is an accountant and business executive in Kenya. He is the current Group Managing Director of Britam Holdings Plc (Britam), a financial services conglomerate headquartered in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. In Britam, he presided over the transformation of the company from a small home service insurance company, into a diversified financial services group operating in seven (7) countries, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique and Malawi with interests in life insurance, general insurance, health insurance, retirement planning and property.
Dr. Benson I Wairegi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 (age 69–70) |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Alma mater | University of Nairobi (Bachelor of Commerce) (Master of Business Administration) Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (Certified Public Accountant) |
| Occupation(s) | Accountant, Business Executive & Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1977 - present |
| Title | Group Managing Director & Group CEO Britam Holdings Plc |
| Spouse | 1 |
Career
In 1977, at the age of 24, Benson Wairegi joined PriceWaterHouseCoopers as an audit trainee. In 1980, he went to join British-American as the Chief Accountant.[1] In 1984, Kenyan regulators ordered all foreign-owned insurance companies to sell at least 33.3% shareholding to Kenyan nationals. Wairegi took out a KSh600,000 personal mortgage against his house and bought a 3.3% stake in Britam. He also encouraged other Kenyans to do the same. That same year, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer at the company. Over the years, his investment in Britam has grown to KSh1.7 billion (US$19 million), as at February 2014.[2][3]
References
- Ochieng, Lillian (1 April 2014). "For Britam Boss, Juggling A Bag Full of Plans Is Part of His Daily Schedule". Daily Nation Mobile (Nairobi). Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- Njanja, Annie (7 February 2014). "Life Was Not Smooth For Britam Chief". Nairobi News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- Leon (4 July 2011). "From Grass To Grace: How Benson Wairegi Transformed A KSh600,000 Investment To a Multibillion Business". BritishAmericanBlogSpot. Retrieved 1 December 2014.