{"id":870645,"date":"2026-11-10T06:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T04:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=870645"},"modified":"2026-11-10T06:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T04:59:30","slug":"the-mk-commander-who-became-ceo-of-one-of-south-africas-largest-banks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/banking\/870645\/the-mk-commander-who-became-ceo-of-one-of-south-africas-largest-banks\/","title":{"rendered":"The MK commander who became CEO of one of South Africa’s largest banks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kenny Fihla has gone from a Unit Commander at Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) during the liberation struggle to the CEO of one of South Africa’s banks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fihla was announced as the CEO of the Absa Group in 2025, after leaving Standard Bank, where he was the Group Deputy CEO and the CEO of Standard Bank South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before moving to the financial services sector, Fihla was a student activist and leader in the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), where he rose to the NEC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was also part of the Congress youth movement and later joined the progressive trade union movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a committed figure in the liberation struggle, he was recruited into the underground ranks of the ANC and its armed wing, MK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should not be confused with the current MK political party led by former President Jacob Zuma, which is independent of the ANC and was founded in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fihla was part of the MK’s Peter Nchabeleng Unit, where he was a Unit Commander. Following the 1994 democratic elections, Fihla would hold several high-profile roles with the ANC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fihla held several leadership positions within the ANC, including the role of Greater Johannesburg ANC chairperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was appointed to the Johannesburg Mayoral Committee in 2001, where he oversaw the Finance, Strategy, and Economic Development Portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ANC in Gauteng said that Fihla played a key role in the creation of the Transitional Johannesburg Metropolitan Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said this laid the foundation for the Metropolitan system of governance in Johannesburg, Gauteng, and across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was also in charge of the iGoli 2002 programme, which aimed to shape Johannesburg as a world-class African city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to his education, he holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fihla joined the Standard Bank Group in 2006 as head of Investor Services for Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was then appointed head of Transactional Products and Services, SA, for Standard Bank CIB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then took over as the Deputy CEO of CIB in November 2016 and CEO of CIB in May 2017, a role he held for seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was then appointed as Deputy Group CEO and CEO of Standard Bank South Africa from 1 September 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his South Africa duties, he served as the accountable executive for Standard Bank\u2019s subsidiaries outside South Africa as Deputy CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He only served in his dual role at Standard Bank for a limited time, as it was announced in March 2025 that he would take over as ABSA Group CEO in June 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fihla’s appointment came amid extreme turnover among Group CEOs at Absa, with Fihla becoming the seventh Group CEO in seven years, including those who held the role only on an interim basis: <\/p>\n\n\n\n