He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at one of Kenya’s leading financial institutions, Equity Bank.
He was born in 1962 in Kangema, Murang’a county. James was brought up by a single mum (Grace Mwangi) alongside his six siblings, after losing his father very early in life.
The Equity CEO attended Nyagatundu Primary School in Kangema village and later joined Ichagaki Secondary School for his O level before joining Kagumo High School for his A level.
At Kagumo High School, he studied Economics, Literature, English, and Geography.
Upon completing his A level, he joined the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor in Commerce (BCOM), accounting option.
Mwangi holds Several Honorary Degrees.
In addition, he started his career as a teller at Trade Bank.
Mwangi is also the chairman of Kenya Vision 2030.
In 2021, James Mwangi was listed among winners of the meaningful Business 100 (MB100).
He also led Equity Bank to clinch Africa’s best bank for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) title during the 2021 Euromoney awards.
Equity Bank Kenya received 22 accolades in the 2021 Banking Awards by Think Business cementing the bank’s position as the leading bank in Kenya.
For the 10th year in a row, Equity was ranked Best Overall Bank in Kenya and Best Bank in Sustainable CSR for the 5th year running.
In August 2020, Mwangi won African CEO of the year. The African Business Leadership Award is a prestigious recognition event to reward exceptional corporate practices and outstanding achievers in Africa’s business landscape and its private sector.
Still, in September 2020, he won the Oslo Business for Peace Award.
He was selected by four Nobel Prize Winners for his role in providing banking services to people who previously had limited access to them, and for bolstering Kenya’s GDP.