Kihuguru, who cut his teeth in the trade as an insurance officer with Uganda Commercial Bank (defunct) between 1985 and 1990, is a guru who has ironed his collar in the insurance sector over the years with steadfast commitment to the sector. At the mention of Insurance growth in Uganda, you can’t miss his name.
In 1985, a young Geoffrey Kihuguru walked into Uganda Commercial Bank, then the biggest commercial bank in the country, for his first job. He was fresh from Delhi, India, armed with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Insurance.
It would probably have been the wildest imagination if Kihuguru had imagined that 32 years later his childhood passion would see him scale height to become a regional insurance guru and envy of the sector. But here Kihuguru’s stars in the trade continues to shine with the latest posting as board chairman of Citibank Group Uganda.
Kihuguru, who is also the chief executive of Pentad Insurance Ltd, was appointed to the top position in February and will oversee the overall running of activities for Citibank conglomerate within the region.
Citibank is the consumer division of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City Bank of New York.
Kihuguru, who cut his teeth in the trade as an insurance officer with Uganda Commercial Bank (defunct) between 1985 and 1990, is a guru who has ironed his collar in the insurance sector over the years with steadfast commitment to the sector. At the mention of Insurance growth in Uganda, you can’t miss his name.
Among the other managerial acumen Kihuguru boasts is directing the affairs at Citibank Uganda. He has also previously held different top positions such as chairman of Uganda Insurers Association (twice–2004-2006 and 2010-2012.
In between the two leadership opportunities, Kihuguru served as the chief executive of Lions Assurance Company from November 2003 to July 2010.
Prior to that, he was the general manager of Pan African Insurance Company from 1999 to 2003, a position he took over after his maiden managerial role as an insurer, also his longest service in a single position, when he was the marketing manager of Pan World Insurance Company Ltd from 1990 to 1999.
The former chairman of the governing council of the Insurance Institute of Uganda was born to the former long serving Dean of Students at Makerere University, George Kihuguru.
Kihurugu attended University of Delhi in 1984 for a Bachelor`s Degree in Insurance where his passion for insurance started.
The insurer, who also attended Ntare School and King’s College Buddo, attributes his childhood days to hard work which they groomed them with.
On his LinkedIn profile, Kihuguru describes himself as an experienced consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry.
“Skilled in business planning, risk management, business development, strategic planning, and commercial insurance. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Arts focused in Insurance from University of Delhi,” reads the profile.
Citigroup Inc. or Citi (stylised as citi and pronounced like “city”) is an American multinational investment banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City.
Citigroup was formed from one of the world’s largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group in October 1998 (announced on April 7, 1998).As of January 2015, it is the third largest bank holding company in the US by assets.
Its largest shareholders include funds from the Middle East and Singapore.At its height until the global financial crisis of 2008, Citigroup was the largest company and bank in the world as measured by total assets, with 357,000 employees.
In the region, the bank has branches in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.