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MAGDALENE MWENDE MULANDI
HEAD OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS – SBM BANK KENYA
“When purpose and performance align, brands don’t just grow—they endure.” This quote introduces Magdalene’s story on building brands that matter in banking by purpose, precision and trust.
With over fifteen years of experience in marketing and communications, Magdalene Mwende Mulandi has built a career defined by strategic clarity, disciplined execution, and a strong sense of purpose. Currently serving as Head of Marketing & Communications at SBM Bank Kenya, she leads brand building and strategic communications for the bank in a highly regulated financial services environment.
Her work sits at the intersection of brand trust, customer growth, and integrated communications, spanning digital, media, product marketing, and stakeholder engagement. She states, “I drive integrated, multi-channel strategies that support customer acquisition, retention, and brand trust.”
At SBM Bank Kenya, a subsidiary of SBM Group, Magdalene is responsible for shaping and delivering communications strategies that support both business performance and long-term brand equity. Her role requires balancing creativity with compliance, while ensuring clarity and consistency across all customer and stakeholder touchpoints.
Her experience spans banking and consulting, with a strong track record in delivering impactful communications programmes across product development, corporate social responsibility, and sales enablement. According to Magdalene, “Working in a highly regulated environment demands both precision and creativity.”
She is particularly drawn to how brands can remain relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, describing herself as deeply interested in the intersection of data, creativity, and storytelling.
Before joining SBM Bank Kenya, Magdalene held senior leadership roles across brand and communications. She served as Director of Brand, Marketing & Communications at Qwetu, where she was involved in launching new brands, and simultaneously held the role of Director, Brand Marketing & Communications at Acorn Management Services Limited.
She also served at Chase Bank where she was the brand custodian, further strengthening her experience in marketing communications planning, budget management, and strategic delivery. “My work has consistently focused on building brands through structured strategy and clear storytelling,” She opines. Hers has been a career built across strategy, brand and communications.
Across these roles, her responsibilities included integrated communications planning, marketing budget management, and aligning brand strategy with business objectives.
Beyond her professional career, Magdalene is deeply engaged in volunteer leadership. She currently serves as President (Volunteer) of the Rotary Club of Ngong Road, where she provides strategic leadership for community-driven initiatives.
Her work through Rotary focuses on education, maternal health, and environmental stewardship, while strengthening governance, fellowship, and sustainable impact within the organisation. Rotary Club activities make for her purpose beyond the corporate role: Among the many lessons is that, “Service is about showing up consistently, listening deeply, and serving with heart.”
She has previously served as Treasurer at Rotary International and is a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Nairobi Ngong Road, reflecting long-term commitment to service and leadership beyond the workplace.
Magdalene’s leadership approach emphasizes is anchored on consistency, impact, and shared responsibility. In her reflections on Rotary leadership, she highlights the transformation that occurs not only within communities, but also among those who serve.
Her work has been recognized through her inclusion in the Top 40 Under 40 (2014), an honour she acknowledges with gratitude. “Service—when done well—transforms both communities and those who serve them,” she adds.
Magdalene holds a Global Executive MBA from USIU–Africa and completed an Executive Leadership programme at the University of Strathmore Business School. Her academic background supports her structured approach to leadership, strategy, and communications planning.
She brings together strategic communications, marketing communications planning, and digital marketing as core professional strengths, applying them across corporate and community contexts. It is a career anchored in purpose and impact.
Whether leading marketing communications at a financial institution or guiding community initiatives through Rotary, Magdalene Mwende Mulandi’s career reflects a consistent commitment to purposeful leadership. Her work demonstrates how disciplined strategy, thoughtful storytelling, and service-oriented leadership can coexist—and reinforce one another.
In a nutshell, “Purpose-driven leadership is not about titles, but about impact.”
