CS Kuria Waithaka has a career spanning over 26 years, with extensive experience in company secretarial, corporate governance, sustainability, legal, regulatory, risk management, and communication matters, gained through senior roles in diverse industries and organizations. His career includes positions at Kenya Airways, Citibank N.A., Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the Privatization Commission Kenya, East African Breweries Plc, and the Nairobi Securities Exchange Plc (NSE), where he currently serves as the Company Secretary & Chief Legal Officer. He has overseen the Exchange’s company secretarial, legal, compliance, corporate affairs, and sustainability functions for over 8 years and has also been the Head of Secretariat for the African Securities Exchanges Association.
CS Waithaka has had the opportunity to be a key speaker at various professional events, including Law Society of Kenya seminars, capital markets seminars, and has served as a panelist at forums on Sustainability/ESG, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship.
From a leadership and community service perspective, he is a member of the Registration Committee of the Institute of Certified Investment and Financial Analysts, a member of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee of St. Johns Ambulance Kenya, a Nature Kenya Board Member, an immediate past member of the National Civil Aviation Administrative Review Tribunal, and a past Kenya Country Chair for Rotary District 9212. He also sits on several private company boards as a director.
In his early years as a Certified Secretary, attending the Institute’s training seminars was instrumental in equipping him for the profession. He has been actively involved in company secretarial work since 2003, beginning as the KCAA Corporation Secretary. He has practiced the profession in both the public and private sectors, including in the listed company space, and would bring this extensive background to bear if elected to the Council. At the NSE, he has been at the forefront of promoting good governance practices among public listed companies, including advocating for ESG disclosures. He believes this exposure would be beneficial to the Institute at the Council level, where policy discussions take place.
As a member of the esteemed Task Force that reviewed the Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya Act, CS Waithaka provided insights into the profession and its future as it establishes itself as the ‘governance profession’. The process was insightful, and he feels well-placed to sit on the Council to share perspectives that would help advance the Institute to the next level. As part of the process, he led the public participation exercise in Kisumu in April 2023. From the views expressed by stakeholders, he gained an understanding of various areas where the Institute can improve or leverage to enhance the standing of the profession. He was able to address several questions directed at the ICS and felt inspired to serve on the Council to contribute to the profession's development.
Based on these qualifications, CS Waithaka believes he has the skills, expertise, and experience to be a valuable Council member and looks forward to favorable consideration.