Kanyongolo appointed Standard bank Board Chairperson

At Chancellor College, we always celebrate moments when our people are recognized in various fora in the country and beyond, through the appointment to various positions. One of the most recent of such acknowledgements is the appointment of Dr Ngeyi Ruth Kanyongolo, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, as Chairperson of Standard Bank PLC. She becomes the first female Board Chair in 50 years for Standard Bank Malawi.

Dr Kanyongolo has been part of the Standard Bank PLC board since 2013. She sees her participation in various boards as part of the outreach mandate of an academic. “I include my participation in various boards as part of outreach. I am offering myself and sharing my expertise and serving the nation in private capacity. It is a service to the nation. As academic staff, we are encouraged to do that.” She notes that engaging with the bank has enabled her to appreciate the business world better, but at the same time she takes her position as an opportunity to emphasize the social aspect of doing business, the need to be responsive to staff, customer and other stakeholder interests.

On her appointment as the Standard Bank PLC Board Chairperson, Dr Kanyongolo expresses optimism that she will be able to balance her duties with her academic work, since she has become very familiar with the operations of the board over the past 7 years. Normally, the board has quarterly formal meetings held in the country, with some other meetings occasionally outside the country. Going forward, however, the board may combine the face-to-face meetings with the virtual platforms.

Apart from her role at Standard Bank, Kanyongolo is involved in other outreach positions. She is a founding member of the Women’s Lawyers Association, where she is still active, and also a board Member of Tilitonse Foundation, Equality Effect of Canada, and SASPEN, an Association of Social Protection Experts in Southern Africa.