Absa Group announces key executive leadership appointments

Sitoyo Lopokoiyit has been appointed Chief Executive of Personal and Private Banking, effective 1 April 2026. 

Lopokoiyit, formerly Managing Director of M-PESA Africa and Chief Financial Services Officer at Safaricom, brings over a decade of experience in fintech, telecoms, and large-scale business transformation. He played a key role in scaling M-PESA, Africa’s largest mobile money platform, to over 56 million customers and more than five million businesses.

Absa Group Chief Executive Officer Kenny Fihla said Lopokoiyit’s appointment aligns with the bank’s focus on integrated, customer-centric solutions and exploring new growth opportunities in Personal and Private Banking.

In governance changes, Prabashni Naidoo, previously Group Chief Internal Audit Executive, will assume a newly restructured role as Group Chief Governance Officer, overseeing Legal, Compliance, and Group Secretariat functions, effective 1 March 2026. 

Rushdi Solomons has been promoted to Group Chief Internal Audit Officer, and Fatima Newman has been appointed Chief Compliance Officer, both effective 1 March 2026.

“These appointments reflect both the depth of talent within Absa and the strength of our succession planning, as well as our ambition to enhance our organisational resilience by bringing on board expertise from outside the firm to close the gaps in key capability areas," said the Absa Group CEO.