African Bank has appointed Katlego Lesito as its new head of enterprise risk management, strategy and governance, strengthening its senior leadership as the lender advances its growth and transformation plans.
The appointment comes as African Bank continues to expand its product offering and market presence, increasing the importance of integrated risk oversight amid tighter regulation and heightened scrutiny across the banking sector. The role combines responsibility for enterprise-wide risk management with strategic alignment and governance, reflecting the bank’s focus on balancing growth ambitions with disciplined risk appetite.
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Lesito will be responsible for overseeing African Bank’s enterprise risk framework across areas including credit, liquidity, capital, conduct, cyber and operational risk. In addition, the role is designed to ensure that strategic initiatives, product development and market expansion remain commercially viable, capital efficient and compliant with regulatory requirements.
He joins African Bank from Absa, where he most recently served as a credit executive with end-to-end responsibility for the credit function, spanning origination, portfolio management and risk mitigation. During his tenure, he played a key role in embedding technology-driven processes, improving operational efficiency and supporting cross-functional collaboration. His portfolio covered a wide range of lending activities, including commercial and property finance, public sector exposure, trade finance and merchant acquiring.
Before that, Lesito held senior roles at Barclays Africa, including credit sector head, where he was involved in implementing business banking credit strategies during a period of organisational change. His experience also includes exposure to asset-based finance, mergers and acquisitions, governance and complex credit structures.
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Lesito holds an MBA and a postgraduate certificate in business project management from Wits Business School, as well as a degree in risk management and a postgraduate qualification in strategic management from Unisa. He is currently completing a master’s degree in development finance at Stellenbosch University and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, holding ACMA and CGMA designations.
African Bank said the appointment supports its objective of building a resilient, people-centred banking model, with risk management and strategy positioned as core enablers of sustainable growth rather than compliance functions alone.