Coop Bank IT Head Crowned CIO Of The Year 2023

Charles Khacheso Washika, Director ICT and Innovation at the Cooperative Bank of Kenya, has emerged as the CIO of The Year 2023 surpassing five contenders vying for the coveted position among tech leaders in Africa.

Organized by the African digital transformation driver, dx5, the CIO100 Awards program celebrates organizations and individuals utilizing IT in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by creating a competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth, improving customer relationships, or digitally transforming the business.

The CIO of The Year Award is a peer award where CIOs and judges nominate an individual who has excelled in managing the IT leadership function in an organization.

Washika was honored after outperforming contenders, including Peter Kanda (Getrude’s Children’s Hospital), Gilbert Mutai (Car & General Group), Sachin Samant (NCBA Bank Kenya), Martin Mwarangu (CIO, KTDA), and James Nyakomitta (CIO, APA Insurance).

Previous winners include Moses Okundi (CTO/CIO of Absa Bank), Tom Mboya (Technology Lead for East Africa, Unilever), George Njuguna (Director of Information Technology – CIO, Safaricom PLC), Jaine Mwai (CIO, Standard Chartered Bank), and Kenneth Ogwang’ (Head of Digital and Technology for Eastern & Southern Africa, Diageo).

“I had actually written a speech just incase I won but I can’t even locate it. I’d like to give thanks to God, and to my Dad, who is currently in Mumias. I wouldn’t have gone to a career in IT but my Dad encouraged me. My wife is also around, and I dedicate this award to my family as well,” an elated Washika mentioned after receiving the award.

Harry Hare, Chairman at dx5, said, “Kudos to the trailblazing winner of the CIO100 Awards 2023! This event provides the opportunity to recognize what the techies do to improve business turnovers. Your tech prowess sets a high bar for innovation. Massive gratitude to our brilliant tech community —delegates and sponsors—for powering this event to success.”

Georgina Mukami, Head ICT Channels Operations, National Bank of Kenya (NBK) was also honored as the dxNova Award winner, a special recognition for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the tech sector. The dxNova Awards honor women in technology who have made significant contributions and broken barriers in a traditionally male-dominated industry. The category highlights the importance of diversity and gender equity in technology leadership and innovation.

The awards also recognized winners in different categories, including: