Absa has appointed Francisco Khoza as Group General Counsel, promoting him into the bank’s top legal role less than a year after he joined from rival Standard Bank.
Khoza will lead Absa’s legal function, support the group’s executive committee and board, and work with business and functional leaders across the bank to advance governance, risk management and strategic priorities across its pan-African operations, the bank said.
The appointment extends a pattern that has defined Absa’s executive ranks since Kenny Fihla took over as group chief executive roughly a year and a half ago, following his own surprise exit from Standard Bank. Khoza joined Absa in January 2026 as deputy general group counsel, moving across from Standard Bank’s corporate and investment banking (CIB) franchise, where he had served as head of legal. His promotion to the group’s most senior legal position comes barely seven months after that initial hire.
7 August 2026 – Absa and EasyEquities Join Forces
Khoza is one of several senior executives Fihla has recruited from his former employer as part of a broader push to close the gap with Standard Bank, whose CIB division remains the dominant force in South African corporate banking. Others who have crossed over include Zaid Moola, who left Standard Bank’s global markets business to become chief executive of Absa’s CIB unit, and Musa Motloung, formerly chief risk officer in Standard Bank’s CIB business, who now serves as Absa’s group strategic risk officer. Clive Potter, once head of client coverage for Standard Bank CIB in South Africa, and Sola Adegbesan, formerly head of global markets clients for the Africa region at Standard Bank, have also joined Absa’s corporate and investment banking leadership.
Fihla has said the bank intends to keep hiring, particularly within CIB, as part of an ambition to roughly double the division’s revenue and secure a bigger share of pan-African corporate banking business. Absa’s CIB arm generated R37bn in revenue in the 2025 financial year, against Standard Bank’s R74.4bn, though asset manager Coronation, one of Absa’s shareholders, has said it is encouraged by the calibre of appointments made under Fihla since he took charge.
26 July 2026 – Absa Launches Grant Fund to Back Young Entrepreneurs
The changes have not been limited to new arrivals. Absa has also seen a number of senior departures over the past year, including personal and private banking co-CEO Christine Wu and former acting CIB chief executive Yasmin Masithela, as Fihla has moved to reshape the bank’s leadership bench.
Khoza’s own background spans legal, governance and leadership roles across banking and financial services. In his new role, he becomes one of the most senior former Standard Bank executives now embedded in Absa’s top structures, responsible for a legal function that sits at the centre of the bank’s governance and risk framework as it pursues faster growth across the continent.