Microsoft's African Development Centre (ADC), its engineering hub in Nairobi, has welcomed a new leader. Catherine Muraga took over as Managing Director on June 1, 2022, succeeding Jack Ngare, who had led the centre since its inception in 2019.
Catherine brings over 15 years of experience in the IT industry, having worked in various sectors, including manufacturing, aviation, and banking. Prior to joining Microsoft, she led the Engineering team at Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan and was a member of the bank's Executive Leadership team.
With a strong educational background, Catherine is an alumnus of Columbia Business School Digital Strategies for Business and the Oxford University Fintech Programme. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University.
Under Catherine's leadership, the ADC will continue to grow and innovate, with a team of over 450 full-time employees working on various projects, including software engineering, machine learning, and data science.
The ADC relocated to its new ultra-modern facility at Dunhill Towers along Waiyaki Way in March, which will house the engineering, design, research, and innovation teams, as well as the Microsoft Garage and the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI).
Outgoing MD Jack Ngare played a key role in the unveiling of the $27 million Microsoft Africa Development Centre, which aims to create high-tech jobs for the youth in the digital space. The ADC has already employed over 450 engineers in Kenya and 500 employees in other areas, with a total of 570 engineers working on various projects.
