This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
Microsoft has announced the appointment of Finserve Africa's Managing Director, Jack Ngare, as the Managing Director of its Africa Development Centre (ADC) in Kenya, effective immediately.
Ngare, a fintech expert, was instrumental in the launch of Equity Bank's subsidiary, Equitel, which offers customers access to both banking and telecom services.
Under his leadership, Finserve Africa also launched Mkey and the Jenga Payment Gateway, both of which are based on application programming interfaces (APIs).
Ngare boasts over 15 years of experience in various business functions, including management, telecommunications, financial services, and emerging technology.
Before joining Finserve Africa, Ngare held positions at Stanbic Bank, NIC Bank, and British Telecom, where he worked in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Peru, and Japan for seven years.
Ngare holds a Master's degree in management from Harvard University, a Master's degree in advanced computer science, and a Bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Leicester.
“The ADC is a unique investment on the continent, enabling us to better listen to our customers, develop locally, and scale for global impact,” said Mike Fortin, corporate vice president at Microsoft, who established the first ADC engineering team in Nairobi.
“We've been aggressively adding to our team of engineers, and to have Jack leading this talented group is fantastic,” Fortin added.
Launched in May this year, the ADC gives Kenyan talent the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology, creating solutions for local and global impact, while reinforcing the country's position as a leading digital innovation hub.
Ngare expressed his excitement about joining Microsoft, saying, “This is such an incredible opportunity to join an organisation that is truly empowering people globally, and in Africa, to achieve more. I look forward to welcoming many talented engineers to the centre as we embark on this wonderful digital transformation journey.”
