I&M Bank Names Michael Kwofie Group CIO

I&M Bank has appointed Michael Kwofie as its Group Chief Information Officer, bringing on board a seasoned technology and cybersecurity executive as competition among East African banks increasingly shifts toward digital capabilities.

The appointment follows another major leadership change at the group. On 29 June, I&M Group PLC named Abdi Mohamed, formerly Managing Director and CEO of Absa Bank Kenya, as the incoming Chief Executive Officer of I&M Bank Kenya, subject to approval by the Central Bank of Kenya. Together, the appointments signal a broader leadership refresh at the regional lender as it continues its growth across East Africa.

Kwofie brings more than two decades of experience in banking technology, cybersecurity and IT governance.

His career spans senior technology and security roles at Société Générale, Ecobank Transnational and Standard Chartered. At Ecobank, he rose from Information Security Engineer to Head of Group Cybersecurity Operations before joining Standard Chartered in a regional information security risk role.

Most recently, he served as Chief Information Officer at Equity Group Holdings, one of I&M’s largest regional competitors, making his appointment one of the more notable executive moves in East Africa’s banking technology sector.

He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Liverpool and an MBA from the University of South Wales. His professional credentials include CISM, CISA, CRISC and CISSP certifications, reflecting deep expertise in cybersecurity, risk management and information governance.

His appointment highlights how banks are increasingly prioritising technology leaders with strong security backgrounds as cyber threats become more sophisticated and digital banking continues to expand.

The appointment comes as the role of the chief information officer continues to evolve beyond managing IT infrastructure.

Today, CIOs are expected to lead cloud transformation, artificial intelligence adoption, data strategy, cybersecurity and digital innovation while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational resilience.

For I&M, which continues to expand across the region, appointing a CIO with extensive experience in governance and cyber resilience aligns with the growing need to scale digital services securely.

Kwofie’s appointment comes during a period of significant leadership change across East Africa’s banking sector.

Since the beginning of 2026, several leading banks, including Family Bank, Commercial International Bank Kenya, Stanbic Bank Kenya, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya and Sidian Bank, have appointed new chief executives.

At the same time, regional competition is intensifying. South African banking groups continue to expand their East African footprint through acquisitions and strategic investments, while lenders increasingly compete through digital platforms, customer experience, cybersecurity and data-driven services rather than branch networks alone.

For I&M Group, which operates in Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda and serves more than 965,000 customers, the appointment of Kwofie reinforces technology as a strategic pillar of its next phase of growth. As banking competition increasingly centres on digital capability, resilient infrastructure and trusted customer experiences, the CIO role has become one of the industry’s most influential leadership positions.