Total Kenya, a local subsidiary of French oil and gas giant Total Group, has appointed Ms Ada Eze as its CEO, making her the company’s first female head.
The oil firm moved to appoint Ada – formerly of Total Uganda – after it approved the resignation of outgoing CEO, Alexis Vovk who has been with the Kenyan oil marketer since 2010.
According to a company statement informing the capital market authorities of its decision, the board met on Wednesday and approved the resignation of Mr Alexis Vovk with immediate effect.
Ms Eze’s appointment makes her the 3rd head of Total Kenya in 5 years and joins a tiny elite cohort of female CEOs heading top companies listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, following Diamond Trust Bank’s Nassim Devji and Maria Msiska of BOC Kenya.
The low rate of female head appointments according to commentators is a direct result of a so-called ‘old-boy networks’ which tends to favour men in the selection of candidates for key ranking positions.
Also policies such as ‘criteria for hiring a CEO must include previous boardroom role or executive position’ limit the opportunities for women to be included for considerations.
