Rita Kavashe is the Chair of the Board and Managing Director of Isuzu East Africa Ltd (formerly General Motors East Africa, GMEA), the largest motor vehicle assembler in the region selling a wide range of Isuzu vehicles.
Her career in GM began in 1995 in its East African operations where she has worked for the last 25 years, and successfully transitioned the company to Isuzu East Africa in 2017.
Prior to her current position, Rita held several key roles in Sales and Marketing organizations both in Kenya and South Africa, and participated in GM sponsored leadership programs including the Harvard Business School Leadership Program.
Rita is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Advisory Board Member of the Palmhouse Foundation. She also serves as a member of the University of Eldoret Endowment Trust Board of Trustees. Rita is also a non-executive director on the board of Bamburi Cement Ltd and Chairperson of the board of BAT Kenya Plc, both being listed firms on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
In 2017, Rita was awarded a state honor, the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for exemplary service to the country in her capacity as a business leader.
Isao Wada is the Deputy Managing Director and Board Member of Isuzu East Africa Limited. He has recently joined Isuzu EA from Isuzu Motors Limited where he has been working over the last 25 years handling various roles. He holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Waseda University in Japan.
His career in Isuzu began in 1999 at Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan and has held several key roles in Accounting & Finance Administration, Corporate Planning & Sales planning in Isuzu Motors. Between the period 1999 and 2005, he worked in the Finance department. He was later seconded to Isuzu Motors Europe in 2007 with the responsibility for Corporate Business promotion and communications. In 2020 he was promoted to Senior Manager, IR Group in charge of corporate planning and later in 2022 to General Manager Sales Planning. In April 2024, Isao was appointed to his current position of Deputy Managing Director & Board Member at Isuzu East Africa Limited. In his current role, he leads strategic initiatives, integration and liaison roles with Isuzu Motors for growth and success.
Charles Kariuki received his Bachelor of Commerce in Management Science at the University of Nairobi in 1997 and thereafter an MBA in Finance. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA (K). Through GM University, Charles has undertaken many courses in the areas of Finance, Human Resource, Leadership and Corporate Governance. He is a graduate of the Emerging Leader Training program under Harvard University and an Executive Coach certified by the Academy of Executive Coaches (AOEC) UK.
Charles started his career in GM in 1998 as a Finance Analyst and has held various leadership positions including Treasury Accountant and Chief Accountant. As Treasury Accountant, he set up the Foreign Exchange Policy for the organization to address foreign currency exposure in Japanese Yen and US dollar.
He also set up Financial Accounting Systems for Isuzu EA to allow dual reporting in International Accounting Standards and US GAAP in his role as Chief Accountant. In 2007, Charles was nominated to undertake a developmental assignment in Miami, Florida with exposure in the New York Treasury office for eight months. He then became the Financial Controller prior to assuming his current role.
Under his Leadership, Isuzu EA has achieved a fortress balance sheet and a world class cost and efficient organization. Charles is a member of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM). He also served as the Chairman of the Isuzu EA Employee Pension Scheme.
Apart from Career Coaching, Charles plays a Leading role in the development of the community including youth mentorship and is currently the Patron of Isuzu Mentenda group and Board Chairman of the Council at Ridgeways Baptist Church.
Fred Wasike has worked as a human resources professional and company secretary in both public and private sectors spanning over twenty years. From this rich experience, he has gained considerable skills in a broad spectrum of Human Resources Management covering: organization design, talent management, labour relations, performance management, knowledge management, human resources administration, transport and security management, employee communications and company secretarial practice.
Prior to his current role, he was Head of Human Resources and Company Secretary at D.T Dobie & Company Kenya Ltd, a member of the French Multinational Group, CFAO. Fred is a Certified Public Secretary and Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya. He holds an MBA from the University of Nairobi; a postgraduate Diploma in Education from Kenyatta University; a Higher National Diploma in Human Resources Management from the Instituteof Human Resources Management, Kenya; and a National Diploma in Business Management from the Kenya Institute of Management. Fredhas a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Nairobi.
Fred is a member in good standing of the Institute of Directors (IOD), the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM), the Institute of Human Resources Management (IHRM) and the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya, ICPSK. He is a Director of the CPS Governance Center Ltd and previously worked as Director, Operation Smile, Kenya and Board Chair of Carolina for Kibera (CFK),a non-profit organization supporting the welfare of the youth in Kibera slums, Nairobi.
Eng. Daniel Kilenge received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universityof Nairobi in 1989 and a post Professional Diploma in Procurement & Supply from theChartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) UK in 2014.
Daniel started his career in 1990 at the Ministry of Energy as an Electrical Engineer and subsequently worked with the Kenya Power & LightingCompany Ltd, Signode(K) Ltd, Unilever (K) Ltd and UDV (K) in various engineering, manufacturing and general management positions before joining General Motors East Africa Ltd (currently Isuzu East Africa Ltd) in 2002.
In Isuzu East Africa, Daniel has held various leadership positions including Production Control and Logistics Manager, Production and Maintenance Manager,Procurement and SupplyChain Manager and General Manager;Manufacturing, Purchasing and Supply Chain and General Manager; Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Maintenance before being appointedto his current position in 2020.
Throughout his career, spanning over 30 years, Daniel has had extensive international training and exposure assignments in various countries including Germany, Japan, Thailand, China, South Korea, South Africa, Egypt and Zambia.
Daniel is a member of various professional organizations including the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), The Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM), the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and the Centre for Corporate Governance.
Wanjohi Kangangi is the Sales and Marketing Director at Isuzu East Africa. He joined the company in 1996 and has worked in various roles including logistics, marketing, customer relations, aftersales, and sales till 2012. He then moved to Toyota Kenya to set up the Hino brand as the General Manager.
In 2016, he joined CMC as Managing Director and re-joined General Motors East Africa at the beginning of 2017. Kangangi received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering, Economics and Management from Oxford University, United Kingdom.
Julius is responsible for directing all aftersales – parts and service, customer experience, technical support, training and development and execution of channel distribution strategy in order to build the pipeline of dealer and retailer network.
