NCBA Group appoints new executive to lead Kenya unit

Tier one lender NCBA Group has appointed international banking executive James Gossip as the new managing director of its Kenyan unit. 

This move will see long-serving Group CEO John Gachora shift his focus to broader group-level strategic initiatives.

The appointment comes as major financial institutions across the region increasingly focus on carefully managed leadership transitions to ensure continuity and strengthen corporate governance.

The appointment of Gossip to head NCBA Kenya, effective May 12, 2025, follows the receipt of all requisite regulatory approvals, said the lender’s board in a statement. 

"The appointment marks a significant step in advancing the bank's long term by reinforcing its commitment to strong, independent leadership and sound governance structures,” the lender said in a notice.

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Gossip brings over 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles across Europe, Asia, and North America, including C-suite, Executive Committee, and Board positions within major financial institutions. 

His background includes organisational transformation, operational management, and the establishment of new market operations and controls.

Prior to joining NCBA, Gossip held various senior roles at HSBC. 

Most recently, he served as Managing Director, Belt & Road Initiative and Business Corridors, Asia Pacific, at HSBC Global Services Limited in Hong Kong. 

In that capacity, he led regional growth strategies focused on unlocking cross-border trade and investment flows within Asia and connecting Asia to international markets.

Gossip holds a BA in Economics and Accountancy from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (UK) and the Securities & Futures Association (UK).

Gachora will continue to serve as CEO of NCBA Group. 

His role will, according to the bank board, now be exclusively focused on “broadening NCBA’s stakeholder relationships and franchises, ensuring group-wide strategic cohesion, driving overall business growth, and delivering on NCBA’s purpose across its pan-African footprint.”

NCBA board said the “strategic repositioning” of leadership aims to enhance the group's overall operational efficiency and market reach.

Appointed CEO of NIC Bank Group in 2013, Gachora was instrumental in the 2019 merger with CBA that created NCBA Group, currently one of Kenya's largest banks by assets. 

The lender holds subsidiaries in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.

The announcement of the changes came as NCBA posted a 3.41 per cent rise in net profit to Sh5.48 billion in the three months of this year. 

The lender attributed the net earnings largely to growth of non funded income.

NCBA interest income fell to Sh17.1 billion in the three month’s period from Sh19.1 billion the previous year. 

However its total operating income jumped to Sh17.33 billion in the period from Sh15.9 billion the prior year largely supported by rise in non funded income.