Overview:
In April 2024, Juuko was promoted to Regional Head, overseeing Global Markets operations across seven countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, South Sudan, Malawi, and Zambia. This role highlighted the Group’s confidence in her leadership and regional vision.
KAMPALA — After 13 years of climbing the ranks at Africa’s largest banking group, Anne Juuko has stepped down as Regional Head, East Africa – Global Markets at Standard Bank Group, effective November 30, 2025. Her exit closes a chapter on a career that broke barriers and reshaped banking across multiple African markets.
Internal sources described Juuko’s resignation as “significant” and “unexpected,” noting her pivotal role in shaping Standard Bank’s East Africa Global Markets strategy and securing major sovereign deals across the region.
The bank has not yet named a successor, sparking speculation about potential shifts in strategy, leadership dynamics, and the Group’s future direction across East Africa.
For Juuko, the move may mark the beginning of a new chapter — whether in another financial institution, a private-sector venture, or a role leveraging her extensive regional banking expertise. Observers believe she is unlikely to fade from the sector, given her strong track record and reputation.
Juuko began her banking career in 2001, working with Citibank in Uganda and Kenya before joining Standard Bank in 2012 as Head of Global Markets at its Ugandan subsidiary. She later held senior roles across the continent, including Head of Corporate & Investment Banking in Namibia.
In March 2020, she became CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda — the first Ugandan woman to hold the post — guiding the bank through the economic turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the bank’s assets grew substantially, market capitalization increased, and services expanded, including support for smallholder farmers and women entrepreneurs through SACCO financing and the “Stanbic4Her” programme.
In April 2024, Juuko was promoted to Regional Head, overseeing Global Markets operations across seven countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, South Sudan, Malawi, and Zambia. This role highlighted the Group’s confidence in her leadership and regional vision.
Juuko is among the few Ugandan women to reach top banking leadership, first as CEO of the country’s largest commercial lender and later as a continental executive — a milestone for local talent recognition.
Under her stewardship, Stanbic navigated global headwinds, maintained profitability, expanded services, and invested in financial inclusion. Her departure raises questions about whether this momentum will continue.
Juuko’s exit creates space for emerging leaders within Standard Bank and across Uganda’s banking sector to step into key roles and potentially reshape regional strategies.