Patricia Ithau-inset- appointed as WPP Scangroup CEO. [Courtesy]
Patricia Ithau has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of WPP Scangroup.
Scangroup Chairman Richard Omwela, in a statement seen by The Standard, said Ithau will begin her term on March 14, 2022.
She brings in a wealth of experience at the firm, having served in leadership and marketing roles for over 20 years.
“She oversaw the expansion of major consumer brands in Eastern Africa at companies including Unilever, Diageo, and LOreal,” Omwela said.
The Board of directors noted that Ithau is a passionate leader who strives to create opportunities that improve people’s lives.
She is currently the Regional Director at the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Development Economies, Seed.
The marketing guru also sits at several boards including at ABSA Bank Kenya, Jambojet Limited, and the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a trustee on M-Pesa Foundation and Vodafone Foundation UK boards.
Ithau was in 2020 awarded the Head of State Commendation (HSC) for her philanthropic work in supporting enterprise development in Kenya.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management from the United States International University- Africa (USIU) and a B Com from the University of Nairobi.
She comes in to head Scangroup following the resignation of Bharat Thakrar as CEO and board member in March 2021.
Thakar was suspended by the Board for alleged gross misconduct. “Thakrar also resigned as the director of the company’s affiliates and subsidiaries,” the company said last year.
The company’s former Chief Finance Officer Satyabrata Das, who had at the time been suspended with Thakrar, also resigned. “The investigation into the allegations of gross misconduct and possible offenses against the two executives will continue,” the board in a statement.
