Mobile Money Pioneer Appointed CCO of Leading Next-generation Energy Firm Fenix

Zerubabel Kwebiiha

Kampala, Uganda, April 1, 2019 – Fenix International, a next-generation energy company and subsidiary of ENGIE operating in five countries in Africa, added digital finance expert Junior Zerubabel Kwebiiha to its core leadership team as its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).
Kwebiiha has over 10 years of commercial experience in mobile money, digital financial services and building sustainable businesses that transform communities and change the lives of those at the bottom of the pyramid.

Prior to joining Fenix, Kwebiiha served as a Digital Financial Services Expert at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Zambia.

At UNCDF, his work with partners was instrumental in increasing the proportion of adults using digital financial services from 8% to over 24% in 2 years.

In 2012, Kwebiiha co-founded EzeeMoney Limited in Uganda, where he served as CEO until 2016. EzeeMoney Limited is a company that develops state-of-the-art financial and non-financial services to meet the needs of healthcare, agriculture as well as small and medium enterprises.

His previous experience also includes his role as national sales manager at Mobile Money, part of MTN Uganda, where he was instrumental in developing and leading the go-to-market strategy that brought MTN Mobile Money from the ground up to millions of customers. Under Kwebiiha’s leadership, MTN Mobile Money was one of the fastest-growing mobile money platforms in Africa.

In his new role, Kwebiiha will lead all commercial aspects of Fenix, including sales, distribution channels, business development, marketing, and customer experience, to ensure Fenix meets its ambitious global expansion plans.

He will work alongside Fenix’s CTO Jit Bhattacharya and CFO Joshua Romisher to create an industry-leading digital finance platform, unlocking financial inclusion for Fenix’s rural, distributed customer base.

Lyndsay Handler, CEO of Fenix International, comments, “Junior’s deep experience in bringing inclusive, life-changing products and services to last-mile customers in Africa is a perfect fit with Fenix’s mission and values.

His history of building entrepreneurial businesses from the founding stage to reaching millions of customers is exactly the leadership we need as we expand into new markets. Finally, his knowledge of our customer base will enable us to keep an exceptional customer experience at the heart of the business.”

“Pay-as-you-go companies have demonstrated the power of bringing digital financial services and renewable energy technology together to change the lives of off-grid customers,” Kwebiiha said.

“But we are at a pivotal moment in this industry as pay-go companies expand their relationships with customers to drive business growth.

Fenix is a market leader in this industry and is relentlessly focused on creating an exceptional customer experience. I am excited to join Fenix at this moment as we bring new products and services to our customers and strive to reach tens of millions of off-grid households across Africa.

Fenix has sold over 400,000 solar home systems in Uganda, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Nigeria. Their off-grid systems allow customers to light their homes cleanly as well as charge phones, power radios, TVs, clippers, and woofers.

Fenix was recently acquired by ENGIE, whose ambitious targets to reach millions of households across Africa will accelerate and expand Fenix’s ability to scale off-grid energy and financial services.

Fenix will be able to capitalise on ENGIE’s supply chain, expertise, long-term capital investments and talent across the energy value chain, accelerating in its mission to improve customers’ quality of life through inclusive energy and financial services.
African Eye Report

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