While leaving the University of Nairobi in 1988, little did Dr Gideon Muriuki know that he would be the man behind the transformation of one of the leading financial institutions in Kenya; the Co-operative Bank of Kenya.
However, his journey to becoming Co-op Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) did not start easy. Muriuki was first appointed as a graduate trainee at Barclays Bank before joining other financial institutions in various capacities.
In March 2001, he was appointed the CEO at a time when the country’s top-tier bank had registered a loss of Ksh2.3 billion.
Through his leadership, Muriuki has steered the bank to a giant financial institution with assets estimated to be over Ksh600 billion.
By September 2021, Co-op Bank registered a profit of Ksh16.5 billion.
The bank’s remarkable milestones have been attributed to the standout customer care service which has seen the financial institution take pride in having over nine million customers owing to its diverse services.
During his reign, the bank’s programmes have been recognised, bagging the Best Bank in Financial Inclusion Award during the African Banking Awards among others.
At a personal level, Muriuki was named the best bank CEO in Africa during the African Banking Awards organised by EMEA Finance in 2021.
He was credited for his interventions that saw the bank retain its workforce despite the economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Group Managing Director and CEO Dr Gideon Muriuki has been named Best Bank CEO in Africa at this year’s African Banking Awards organised by EMEA Finance.
“The award recognised the decision by the Group CEO not to push for staff retrenchment and opting to retain full staff complement during the pandemic,” read Co-op Ban statement at the time
Additionally, he has received recognition from President Uhuru Kenyatta when he was conferred with the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) in 2018.
On Friday, February 25, Muriuki was also conferred with the Doctor of Humane Letters from the Co-operative Bank of Kenya.
