African Development Centre (ADC), Microsoft’s premier engineering hub, has announced, on Thursday June 2, the appointment of Catherine Muraga as its Managing Director effective 01 June 2022.
Launched in May 2019 in Nairobi , the Africa Development Center (ADC) is Microsoft’s first ever engineering office in Africa. The centre aims to recruit 500 engineers by the end of 2023 who will work and innovate with artificial intelligence and machine learning in areas such as health, agriculture, finance and human-centric automation.
Since its inception in Nairobi in 2019, the ADC has grown to over 450 full-time employees working in areas such as software engineering, machine learning, data science, market research, infrastructure, and much more. The ADC relocated to its new ultra-modern state-of-the-art facility at Dunhill Towers along Waiyaki Way in March, from Microsoft’s office, where it had been hosted for the previous three years. The new facility will house the engineering, design, research, and innovation teams, as well as the Microsoft Garage, an incubation hub established as part of the continent’s ongoing efforts to scale tech innovation. It also serves as the home of the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI).
Seasoned IT professional
Catherine Muraga, a seasoned IT professional with over 15 years of experience, succeeds outgoing MD Jack Ngare, who has led the ADC since its inception in 2019. In her new role at the ADC, Catherine Muraga will work with an innovative team of engineers who work across industries from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) healthcare, agriculture, finance, and human-centric automation. Catherine Muraga brings a wealth of experience and is well-versed in the IT landscape in Kenya and the region, having worked in a variety of industries such as manufacturing, aviation, and banking.
Catherine Muraga said: “I’ am excited to be joining the ADC at this particular time and look forward to continuing the tremendous work that has already begun.”
Successful career in different fields
Prior to joining Microsoft, Catherine Muraga led the Engineering team at Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan and was a member of the bank’s Executive Leadership team. Prior to that, she was the Chief Information Officer at Stanbic Bank, where she provided strategic vision and operational IT leadership for the Information Technology Department and was accountable for directing, planning, organizing and controlling all IT functions. In addition, she was responsible for the delivery of a broad range of IT services and sponsor process/system improvements aimed at the efficient and effective provision of IT services.
Catherine Muraga’s career started off at ISP Kenya as an engineer after which she moved to EABL (East African Breweries Limited) for a six-year stint as Team Leader – IS Support. She then progressed to Kenya Airways where she soared as a Manager IS, Office Automation, and later, Manager IS, Service Delivery. It was at this point that she moved to Stanbic Bank Kenya where she was Manager, Service Delivery later rising to Head, IT Operations. She was at Stanbic for two and a half years before joining Sidian Bank on the up and up as Director, IT & Operations. It was at this point that she joined Stanbic Bank Kenya for the second time where she was appointed CIO. In a little over a year as CIO, she was promoted to Head of Engineering.
Catherine Muraga is an alumnus of Columbia Business School Digital Strategies for Business, Oxford University Fintech Programme and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University, Nairbi, Kenya.
