Jimnah Mbaru honoured for contributions on regional investments

Think Business Africa’s Investment Awards has honoured Dyer and Blair Investment Bank’s Chairman Jimnah Mbaru with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the securities exchange and investment sector in Kenya and the region.

The 8th Annual Investment Awards 2016 dinner gala, held on Friday in Nairobi, feted Mbaru for achievements that have spanned the founding of stock exchanges in six African nations; the founding of the African Stock Exchanges Association; and his long-term leadership of Dyer and Blair Investment Bank, which also won the Think Business Africa Investment Award for Best Investment Bank.

With more than 30 years’ experience in investment banking, Mbaru has led many landmark transactions since first becoming chairman of Dyer & Blair in 1983, including the Safaricom IPO, KenGen Rights Issue, Kenya Power Rights Issue and the Centum Bond. Under his leadership, Dyer and Blair has brought to market more transactions that any other firm in Kenya.

Mbaru is also the current chairman of the Kenya Association of Stock Brokers and Investment Banks (KASIB), which he played an instrumental role in creating, and represents KASIB as a board member of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), where he previously served as the chairman twice, between 1992 – 2001 and 2006 -2008.

While serving as Chairman of the NSE, Mbaru oversaw the move from the Open Outcry trading system to electronic trading, and also helped set up the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) and Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE). He additionally wrote the blueprint for the establishment of the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) and worked with Ghana, Namibia and Botswana on the establishment of their exchanges.

Dyer & Blair Investment Bank was also named in the awards as the Best Investment Bank, Best Lead Transaction Advisor, the Best Bonds Dealer of the Year, and won the overall investment industry Customer Service Award. In addition, it won three runners up awards, for Best Stock Broker, Best Equities Dealer, and Best Research Team.

“These awards, and our position as the country’s Best Investment Bank, alongside all the associated awards that go into securing that accolade, represent the fruit of our ongoing innovation and leadership, technologically and in the calibre of our teams,” said Mbaru, Chairman of Dyer & Blair Investment Bank.

Among many recent milestones, the bank was the first in Kenya to introduce a mobile share trading app. The Dyer & Blair Edge, which allows users to trade shares from their phones, has already drawn more than 1000 downloads, and additionally enables investors to track their investment portfolios, develop a watch list, and receive research information.

The app is available in both Android and IoS for Apple on Google Play and Apple Store.

Dyer & Blair was also the first bank to launch an Online Share Trading platform and integrate MPESA as a payment method.

The Think Business Africa awards recognise and confer merit on companies leading the dynamic and fast-paced changes in the securities exchange and investments sectors in Kenya. The judging process involves research into key areas of performance, including corporate governance, financial soundness, product and systems innovation, and customer services.

For Dyer & Blair, the new awards follow from being named in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2016 as the Best Broker In Kenya and Best Equity House, while in the Bankers Africa 2016 awards, Dyer & Blair was named as the Best Investment Bank in Kenya.