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FLORENCE NYOKABI
CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER SAFARICOM PLC
Florence Nyokabi is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Safaricom PLC, one of Africa’s most admired companies and a Top Employer in both Kenya and Africa.
Since taking up the role in April 2024, Nyokabi has been at the forefront of transforming the company’s People strategy to enable Safaricom PLC’s bold ambition of becoming Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company by 2030.
With over 25 years of experience in human capital leadership across the Africa region, Nyokabi is widely respected for her ability to align people, culture, and performance to business strategy. At Safaricom PLC, she is leading efforts to reimagine the employee experience, transform workplace culture, and future-proof the organisation through strategic upskilling and future-focused learning.
A key highlight of her tenure has been the refresh of Safaricom PLC’s employer brand, anchored in a renewed people agenda that empowers employees to make a meaningful impact, grow, bring their full selves to work, and feel genuinely supported in all aspects of well-being. This refreshed approach has helped position Safaricom PLC as a progressive, purpose-driven employer in a competitive talent landscape. Under her leadership, the company retained its certification as a Top Employer in Kenya and Africa for the fourth consecutive year.
Guided by Nyokabi’s approach to inclusion as a strategic business imperative, Safaricom PLC has attained 45% women in senior leadership and increased the number of persons with disabilities to 3.6% of its workforce, clear indicators of a culture where everyone is valued, included, and supported to thrive. Nyokabi has also accelerated the rollout of agile ways of working and scaled upskilling initiatives that are empowering over 6,000 employees for the future, ensuring that Safaricom PLC’s people are not just ready for what’s next, but helping to shape it. Her impact at Safaricom PLC is grounded in a long and distinguished career defined by progressive leadership, strategic foresight, and a deep understanding of organisational transformation.
Nyokabi began her professional journey in 1995 at Kenya Television Network (KTN), where she built a strong foundation in HR and operations.
In 1998, she joined NIC Bank (now NCBA Bank), and her exceptional performance and leadership potential saw her rise rapidly to the role of Senior HR Manager. During this period, she set up the HR function, established strong HR structures, formulated people policies, and led the implementation of their HRMIS – a transformative step in digitising employee services and enhancing the overall employee experience. Her contributions at NIC laid a strong foundation for future HR innovations and positioned her as a results-oriented leader with a keen ability to align people and technology for lasting impact.
Nearly a decade later, her expertise and leadership saw her appointed Director of HR and Administration at KPMG in 2007. There, she championed a major cultural transformation focused on high performance and people-first practices for Kenya and Eastern Africa. This momentum continued at Standard Chartered Bank, where she joined as Head of HR for Kenya and East Africa in 2014. She later took on a broader role as Managing Director, Human Resources, for Nigeria and West Africa, where she oversaw Standard Chartered’s talent strategy across six countries – navigating complex regional dynamics with commercial acumen, strategic agility, and cultural fluency. During this period, she also undertook a stint as Global Head, HR for Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing to accelerate her capability to lead global teams and manage large-scale projects.
Nyokabi holds an MBA in Human Resources and a BCom in Marketing from the University of Nairobi. She is a Certified Executive Coach, a Certified HR Professional (CHRP), and has pursued executive education at Oxford University and Duke University. Her dedication to lifelong learning and people-centred leadership has earned her recognition as one of Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 (2012) and Africa’s HR Personality of the Year (2021).
Throughout her career, Nyokabi has built a reputation as a visionary People and Culture leader who delivers lasting impact by putting people at the heart of transformation. She is also an influential voice in general leadership and People circles, regularly sharing insights on organisational culture, workforce agility, and inclusive leadership at forums across Africa.
Nyokabi’s leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that when people thrive, organisations thrive, and society thrives. At Safaricom, she is living out that philosophy, shaping a culture that is human-centered, high-impact, and ready for the future of work.
In her free time, Nyokabi loves spending time in the outdoors, traveling extensively, reading and empowering youth to realize their potential.
