Chandi Mwenebungu

Managing Director & Global Head, Treasury & Markets, Afreximbank · Cairo, Egypt

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When Careers in Africa first reached out to Chandi Mwenebungu, he was not looking for a new opportunity. Settled in Glasgow and working as a Treasurer at Cigna International, he had built a successful career in financial services and had little reason to consider a move. A chance conversation, however, would set in motion a journey that would take him to Cairo and change the course of his professional life.

It was the early days of LinkedIn, and a friend had encouraged Chandi to create a profile. He registered, uploaded his details, and gave it little further thought. Several months later, stepping out of a board meeting, he received a call from a Careers in Africa recruiter who had come across his profile. She described an opportunity at the African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, an institution Chandi had not previously heard of. He was not actively seeking to move, but he agreed to hear more. “There is nothing wrong with talking to people,” he recalls thinking.

He updated his CV and sent it across. Afreximbank were interested and invited him to meet their team at the Careers in Africa Summit in London. The summit proved well worth it, the interview that was scheduled for 30 minutes stretched to two and a half hours.

Encouraged by the conversation, Afreximbank invited Chandi to Cairo for a formal round of interviews. The process that followed was anything but straightforward. Chandi’s luggage got lost in transit, so he arrived at his hotel in the early hours of the morning with a suit but no tie and was scheduled to be the first candidate interviewed at 8am. A hotel employee kindly lent him one. He washed and ironed it, then headed for his interview.

Despite the positive interview, timing proved the obstacle. Chandi had a six-month notice period to honour at Cigna, and Afreximbank needed someone who could start within three. It simply was not the right time, and the opportunity did not proceed.

He moved forward with his career, subsequently joining Hannover Re. Then, in 2013, Afreximbank called again, and this time, the timing aligned and Chandi joined Afreximbank in October 2013.

More than a decade later, Chandi serves as Managing Director of Treasury at Afreximbank where he regularly engages with investors and financial institutions across the globe. He describes the experience of working on the continent as the most formative of his career. “You have to be passionate about Africa but also be able to articulate its story clearly and compellingly to those outside it.” Through his work he has seen first-hand the impact of Afreximbank’s projects in communities across the continent, and the tangible difference that development finance can make to people’s lives.

Africa can only be developed by Africans. No one else will come and develop our continent. It is our responsibility.

For those in the diaspora who are weighing up whether to make the move, his view is clear. “Have an open mind. If you can come to the continent, it is the very best thing you will ever do. Africa can only be developed by Africans. No one else will come and develop our continent. It is our responsibility.”

The call from Careers in Africa came at a time when Chandi was not looking. More than a decade later, he has no doubt it was the right one to take.