Dr. James Mwangi hedder han – verdens bedste iværksætter i år. Juryen lagde især vægt på, at den bank, han har fået på benene igen, arbejder på at favne kunderne bredt og give alle adgang til finansielle ydelser og derved maksimere kundernes muligheder, selv om de bor i et u-land.
Og udviklingslandet Kenya, hvor James Mwangi har base, præges fortsat af mange svage strukturer, der blokerer kundernes potentielle fremdrift.
Den verdensomspændende revisions- og konsulentvirksomhed Ernst & Young har i mere end 25 år kåret “verdensmesteren i iværksætteri”. I 2012 deltog flere end 5.000 virksomheder fra 59 lande i konkurrencen ved at åbne regnskabsbøgerne og handlingsplanerne for firmaet.
Hvert land kårer en vinder, der går videre til finalen, hvor et dommerpanel af otte tidligere vindere vurderer rapporterne og interviewer deltagerne over fire dage.
MONTE CARLO, 10 June 2012: Dr. James Mwangi, CEO and Managing Director of Kenya’s Equity Bank Limited was Sunday named the Ernst & Young World Entrepre-neur Of The Year 2012 at an awards ceremony held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
James Mwangi was picked from among the 59 country finalists vying for (konkurrere om) the title across 51 countries, each of whom had already been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in their home country, the firm writes in a press release.
Equity Bank is the largest bank by customer base in East and Central Africa and the largest African majority owned company in the region. The bank has more than seven million accounts (konti) representing over half of all bank accounts in Kenya. It also has operations in Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Banken og mobiltelefonen
Dr. James Mwangi has been pivotal in the transformation of Equity Bank from a failing micro-finance institution to a publicly listed commercial bank. He has also driven the bank’s aim to transform the lives and livelihoods of people socially and economically by giving them access to modern, inclusive financial services that maximize their opportunities.
The award-winner James has been pivotal (drivkraft) in the bank’s investment in a robust IT platform that can accommodate 35 million accounts, as well as a level four data center – the only one of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. This gives Equity a lead in creating synergy between banking and mobile telephones.
Other innovations include Mkesho, the world’s first mobile centric bank account, Orange Money, a mobile money transfer platform for Orange Telecom subscribers, and agency banking.
Through strategic capitalization, Equity Bank attracted the single largest capital injection in East & Central Africa’s history (180 million US dollar) from Helios EB.
Formand for veldædig fond
James Mwangi is also Chairman of Equity Group Foundation, established to scale up the existing CSR initiatives of the Group.
In recognition of the diverse nature of socio-economic needs in Africa, the Foundation has identified six program areas;
1) education and leadership development,
2) agriculture,
3) financial literacy & entrepreneurship,
4) health,
5) innovation and
6) environmental sustainability.
The Foundation has partnered with the MasterCard Foundation to form the largest Secondary Education and Leadership Scholarship Program in Africa.
In FY09-FY10 (finansåret 2009-10) the bank’s turnover (omsætning) increased by 32 per cent and its assets (indestående) by 42 per cent. In 2010, the Financial Times named James Mwangi as one of the top 50 emerging market business leaders.
Mange rosende ord
Ruben Vardanian, President, Troika Dialog and Chair of the judging panel said,
“Not only has James really transformed people’s lives across Africa by offering them access to funding that they have never had before, Equity Bank continues to grow quickly through a strong financial performance.”
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the people and customers of Equity Bank”, said James Mwangi, adding: “This is a global recognition for Africans who are embracing the power of entrepreneurship to change the economic and social state of Africa.”
Maria Pinelli, Ernst & Young’s Global Vice Chair for Strategic Growth Markets said,
“James has been pivotal in the transformation of Equity Bank into one of Africa’s brightest business success stories. His is truly an inspirational story of entrepreneurial spirit with an innovative business model that has the potential to be replicated globally.”
Jim Turley, Global Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young, said,
“Over the past 26 years, entrepreneurs have done more than any other group to stimulate innovation, job creation and prosperity during both periods of growth and in challenging economic conditions. James epitomizes (legemliggør) the vision and determination that set entrepreneurs apart and is very worthy of the title Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012.”
Broadcast coverage and an interview with the winner will be available to download for broadcast and online use, at: http://digitalnewsagency.com/stories/6683-ernst-young-world-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2012-announced-in-monte-carlo
Om “Entrepreneur Of The Year”
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs.
The award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.
As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in over 50 countries.
Om dommerpanelet
The independent judging panel was a distinguished group of former Entrepreneur Of The Year Winners. The panel was chaired by Ruben Vardanian, President, Troika Dialog, of Russia.
Joining him on the panel was:
Haryanto Adikoesoeme of PT AKR Corporindo Tbk (Indonesia)
Kunio Namekata of TMI Associates (Japan)
Lui Jiren of Neusoft Corporation (China)
Michael Spencer of ICAP plc (UK)
Rebecca MacDonald of Just Energy Group Inc. (Canada)
Rodrigo Alonso Herrera Aspra of Genomma Lab Internacional (Mexico)
Steve Case of America Online (US)
Ernst & Young om sig selv:
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152.000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.
