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Judy Waruiru: Payments Giant Names Kenyan Woman as Africa MD

DPO Group has announced the appointment of Judy Waruiru as its new Managing Director (MD) for Africa. Waruiru, currently the Deputy MD, will be in charge of the payments company’s operations across the 21 African markets it is present in.

Her appointment will take effect in January 2023. DPO develops payment gateways for businesses of various sizes, and counts over 50 African banks including Equity Bank, KCB Bank Kenya, UBA, EcoBank and Absa among its partners, as well as airlines, ecommerce providers, schools and insurance firms among others.

The group was acquired by Dubai-headquartered digital commerce firm Network International in 2021. Reacting to her appointment, Waruiru promised continued innovation in the payments space. She will also serve as the Country Corporate Officer for Kenya within the Network International Group.

“It is a privilege to be given this opportunity and to further work with a talented team to grow our services in Africa. I look forward to taking on this new challenge and continue delivering innovative digital payment solutions for our clients to serve the communities and economies we operate in better. DPO is at the forefront of changing the payments narrative across the continent, and I am proud to be able to drive this agenda,” she asserted.

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Waruiru joined DPO Group in 2019 as the Chief Operations Officer (COO), with roles including overseeing strategy implementation, risk management, customer excellence and operational compliance. She has over 15 years experience working on digital solutions primarily in the aviation sector, with national carrier Kenya Airways, its domestic subsidiary JamboJet and Qatar Airways among her previous employers.

DPO Founder and Chairman Offer Gat congratulated Wairuiru on her appointment, stating his belief that she was the right person to steer the company’s operations in the region.

“We are delighted that Judy will lead our business in Africa. Her experience in managing and identifying growth opportunities, new market development and her understanding of the digital payments ecosystem will prove invaluable as we continue to grow and help drive digital commerce in support of the region’s businesses and economies,” Gat noted.