Murali Natarajan has been named by the Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited Board of Directors as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for Kenya in an position taking effect immediately.

Confirming the appointment, DTB Group CEO Nasim Devji revealed that Natarajan is joining the Bank in Kenya from DCB Bank India, where he served as the immediate former Managing Director and CEO.

DTB says the new appointment is part the bank’s recently announced strategic corporate reorganisation seeking to improve its regional business development after the company received regulatory approvals.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) affiliate, which has operated in East Africa for more than 75 years, announced the planned changes in May 2024 as it eyes to list 10 million new customers by 2026.

Among the significant strategic changes the bank announced include strengthening the DTB Group Executive and Leadership Structure as well as appointing a substantive MD and CEO for Kenya.

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Immediate former DTB Kenya MD and CEO Nasim Devji, who has been at the helm for more than 20 years, will now shift focus to enhancing the bank’s regional stakeholder relationships and franchises.

She will also continue leading Information Technology, Financial Management, Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance, amongst other Group functions in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi.

“In this role, Natarajan will provide strong leadership to elevate and accelerate the DTB Group’s Kenyan franchise business growth,” said Devji.

The DTB Kenya MD and CEO, together with the current Country CEOs for DTB Uganda, DTB Tanzania, and DTB Burundi, will report to Devji to ensure continuity and smooth customers delivery in every country.

“I am honoured to join DTB Kenya as the Managing Director and CEO and I look forward to working closely and supporting Devji and the entire team to drive growth and continue to deliver value to our customers in Kenya,” stated Natarajan.

The Bachelor of Commerce Degree holder from Delhi University is Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has over 40 years of global experience in banking and financial services.

Natarajan served as the MD and CEO of DCB Bank, India between 2009 and 2024, and prior to that he was the Global Head of SME Banking at Standard Chartered Bank.

The banker spent 14 years with Citibank’s consumer division in various functions and businesses and worked in varied retail and SME banking franchises in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and South Korea.