Pomp, glamour as Equity Bank celebrates 35 years, unveils new look [Photos]

Kenya’s leading bank, Equity Bank, on Wednesday rolled the red carpet for its customers and stakeholders as it celebrated 35 years in the Kenyan market.

The event was one of a kind, marked by pomp and color, a demonstration of the organisation’s maturity from a humble building society to a Kenyan multinational with operations in nine countries.

Equity Group Foundation

Over 5,000 customers were invited to celebrate and witness the historic journey that Equity Bank has undertaken over the past thirty-five years.

From the red carpet, there was a gallery dotted with photos and memorabilia - the physical files, landlines, and old generation computers marking the nascent days.

The photos were juxtaposed with more recent photos of its success, most of it shared with poor students under the Equity Group Foundation through its globally acclaimed Wings to Fly programme.

Peter Munga

The bank’s founding Chairman Peter Munga was moved by emotions of joy as he reflected the personal challenges that inspired him to start an indigenous bank that disrupted the industry through innovation and being customer centric.

“Growing up in rural Kenya, I witnessed many hardworking tea farmers who despite their hard work, faced a great challenge in accessing their money as they were paid in cheques and did not hold bank accounts. When I started working, I would travel home every weekend and find many of my neighbors had brought their cheques for me to cash for them, that is why I decided to start a bank,” Munga said.

Equity Group CEO Dr James Mwangi said the company had come of age from its youthfulness to a mature universal movement.

“Tonight we celebrate 35 years and move from the youthful brand to the mature brand. When we look back at the journey we have come, we marvel at the goodness of our Lord and the support from our customers,” Dr Mwangi said.

The two agreed that the biggest lesson they had learnt from Equity’s story was on the power of business that helps society solve its challenges.

Mwangi went on to unveil the new look Equity Group, with the company’s new logo shining on the imposing KICC building.

The event was attended by over 70 clerics, going on to show the power of spirituality in its growth.

Here are more photos: