Saracen Marketing Group has appointed Clifford Kinyua as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st October 2025, in a move that signals a new phase of institutional growth and regional expansion for the pan-African marketing firm.
The appointment coincides with the Group’s 23rd anniversary and reflects a broader governance transition as Saracen moves from founder-led management to a more structured institutional model designed to support long-term growth across African markets.
Saracen operates in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia, and is now positioning itself for deeper regional expansion backed by strengthened governance frameworks and potential institutional capital.
Founder steps into Board leadership
Kinyua succeeds co-founder Lenny Nganga, who has served as Chief Executive Officer since the company’s inception in 2002. As part of the leadership transition, Nganga will assume the role of Group Chairperson, stepping back from day-to-day operations to provide strategic oversight at the Board level.
Announcing the appointment, Nganga described the transition as deliberate and forward-looking.”As Saracen marks 23 years, we are deliberately evolving our leadership to match the future we are building. This is a transition from founder-led to founder-backed growth. Clifford brings the strategic clarity, commercial discipline and regional experience needed to lead the Group into its next phase, while the founders continue to safeguard Saracen’s values and long-term vision at the Board level,” he said.
A return with regional experience
Kinyua brings more than a decade of experience in strategy, media and enterprise leadership across Africa. He has previously held senior roles at organisations including Jubilee Insurance and Betika, as well as within global agency networks affiliated to WPP and Omnicom.
Most recently, he served as Group Chief Transformation and Sustainability Officer at Betika, where he led enterprise-wide transformation initiatives spanning strategy, operations, brand and regional expansion.
In that role, he worked closely with the Board and executive leadership to strengthen operating discipline, scale across African markets and embed long-term sustainability practices.
Kinyua is also returning to familiar ground, having previously worked within Saracen. His comeback combines institutional knowledge of the Group with external insights into how African brands and businesses are evolving.
“Saracen has helped shape East Africa’s media and marketing landscape for more than two decades. The next chapter is about building calmer, more predictable growth systems across markets by combining the craft the Group is known for with stronger data, technology, and regional integration,” Kinyua said.
Preparing for capital-backed expansion
Alongside the leadership transition, Saracen is advancing plans to strengthen its operational and governance frameworks as it explores access to institutional capital to fund regional expansion.
The Group confirmed it is evaluating a range of strategic options with advisers, including potential capital partnerships to accelerate growth across additional African markets.
Founded in 2002, Saracen Marketing Group has built a reputation as a trusted regional partner for leading local and international brands. The company said existing country and business unit leadership teams will remain in place to ensure continuity for staff, clients and partners as it executes its long-term strategy.