By Kabelo Seitshiro
Keabetswe Pheko has finally ticked all the boxes as she is soon to be formally named the first Motswana woman substantive Managing Director at Barclays Bank Botswana.
Pheko’s impending appointment to the plum post at Barclays is reportedly endorsed by the local Barclays board of directors. She has also been recommended to the Bank of Botswana (BoB) and ABSA Group in South Africa for advanced stages of approval.
She is currently the bank’s Chief Operations Officer (COO), deputizing the outgoing MD Reinette van der Merwe whose stay at the bank and Botswana was supposed to have ended after her five year contract term that ended on 30th September 2018.
The board at the time extended her stay with a short-term contract for a period of six months. She is expected to leave the bank at the end of March this year.
The new Barclays MD in waiting has gone through several vetting processes both internal and external over the years on as a bank senior executive.
Her pending appointment comes at the time when Bank of Botswana has also been aggressively advising the country’s commercial banks board of directors to localize executive positions within the banks.
Pheko joined Barclays in 2010. She has over 11 years’ experience in Banking. She held the position of Head of Technology overseeing the execution of bank projects, programmes and initiatives aimed at ensuring the business operates in a stable environment.
Barclays Bank Public and Media Relations Manager Spencer Moreri on Friday denied the rife speculation that one executive from the local financial institutions is joining Barclays.
“The Board of Barclays Bank of Botswana Limited is responsible for the appointment of the Bank’s Managing Director,” said Moreri.
He further stated that that the board has been running a process of recruiting the successor to the current MD, adding that once the process is concluded and at the appropriate time, the board will make an announcement regarding the appointment of a new MD.
Pheko’s CV, shows that she has gained vast experience in the banking and telecommunication industries over the past ten years.
She holds a Bachelor of Administration in Information Technology specialising in IT Management, and Business Applications from Tshwane University of Technology and has attended several leadership training programmes including Management Development Programme at Stellenbosch, and a Chief Operating Officer Excellence Programme. She is currently studying towards her Masters in Business Administration.
