Senior Management
The senior management team is responsible for the management and execution of the bank's activities, as per policies approved by the board of directors.
Leadership
Meet our Senior Management
The Senior Management comprises of the of heads of departments and they hold monthly executive meetings to review the perfomance and activities of the bank.
Ryan O’Grady
Ag. Chief Executive Officer
Building on a successful career in financial services and project development, Ryan O’Grady was appointed as Group CEO of Kush Holdings in 2022. Leading a multinational team of finance, trade, and development professionals from a base in UAE, Kush Holdings is a catalyst in the African region to unlock the potential of assets, create value for stakeholders and investors, and move projects from concept to reality, through a dynamic mix of talent, capital and market access.
A Canadian citizen, Ryan has spent the last decade active throughout the East Africa region in the areas of financial sector development and frontier project creation. Previously, he served in various positions within the Government of Canada before moving to the private sector where he specialized in modernizing operations and transforming companies for expansion or acquisition within various market segments in South America, Asia, and the Middle East regions.
Having most recently served as CEO of Kush Bank, South Sudan, Ryan understands the potential and impact of frontier investment, coupled with the opportunity inherent in working to ensure that financial institutions are active in the development of the economies they thrive in. During his time leading the bank, Ryan expanded the mission of the institution to be an engaged participant in the creation of local and national solutions, and a hands-on financial partner for clients. This led to the development of major investments into the country, driving the creation of value chains in agriculture, energy, and financial inclusion, aimed at overcoming barriers to economic growth and social inclusion.. Today, Kush Bank has a robust branch network across the country, a responsive offering of products and services, and international linkages to support the financial and management needs of clients and stakeholders.
Ryan, his wife, Virginia, and their daughter, Kayla, are based in the UAE, when they are not traveling throughout Africa exploring the incredible potential of the region.
Mohamud Nur
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Head of Finance
As one of the longest-serving management team members in the bank and with over 8 years of experience in financial management, Mohamud is a vastly experienced and keen-to-detail Finance professional with skill in navigating through challenges enthusiastically.
At Kush Bank, he plays a significant role in cross-functional team management and oversight and keeps the board of directors updated with information related to the bank’s performance. With his financial management expertise, Mohamud is also responsible for ensuring the bank’s health by reviewing and analyzing management reports and financial statements and collaborating extensively with auditors to enhance compliance and policy adherence.
Mohamud holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree from Islamic University (Uganda), specializing in Accounting.
Elizabeth Wangari
Executive Support Officer
Elizabeth is a professional business strategy, administration, and support manager. Over the past 17 years, she has worked with leading multinational brands in Kenya’s vehicle industry as a Sales & Administration Manager, among other roles.
She has a rich background in business growth and turn-around, business strategy development, implementation and review, sales administration, and Small & Medium Enterprise assessments and valuation. More recently, she has ventured into serving her local community in an advisory capacity for a primary school seeking to grow and make a difference in the lives of children.
Elizabeth supports the executive office in matters administration, review of proposal/business concepts documentation, and presentations. She also helps the management team optimize business processes by keeping track of the decision-making, action points emerging from strategic and operational meetings, and the implementation process throughout the institutional structure with a metrics-focused approach. This leaves the other team members to focus on their key deliverables.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree (Second Upper-Class Honors) in Sociology and Philosophy from the University of Nairobi.
Zaitun Rogota Mustafa
Head of Administration
Zaitun Rogota is the Head of Administration at Kush Bank PLC where she is responsible for Administrative Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Human Resources, and Fleet Management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (Honors) in Education from Kyambogo University in Uganda and is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration.
She comes to Kush Bank with an extensive management experience of over 15 years from International Aid Services, Government, and other humanitarian institutions where she served in different capacities. She is an enthusiastic, self-motivated, reliable, responsible, and hardworking person. A mature team worker and adaptable to all challenging situations.
Zaitun is also adept in creating synergy, building relationships, and maintaining them, as well as networking. Zaitun is an objective line manager who recognizes diversity and is committed to contributing immensely to the achievement of Kush Bank’s set goals and targets while focusing on her own personal growth.
Zaitun enjoys making friends and meeting new people around the globe and is passionate about helping people in need. In her free time, she listens to soft gospel music and likes cooking while at home!
Emmanuel Malish Aggrey
Head of Operations
Emmanuel Malish is an experienced banker for 10 years with strong analytical skills, financial reporting, and decision-making. He is responsible for the daily operations that constitute the banking services that customers across the country have access to at Kush bank and works with professionalism and prowess in accounting, human resources, and management of bank operations.
Malish holds a bachelor's degree (accounting) from Nkumba University, Entebbe-Uganda, and a diploma in Banking and Finance from Nile Institute of Management Studies in Arua-Uganda.
Having worked in two other major banks in South Sudan, Malish’s great knowledge of the country’s banking sector especially in the planning of business expansion makes his role in leading the operations of the bank very pivotal.
While remaining focused on ensuring that Kush Bank is minimized from risk exposure and meets all regulatory compliance requirements, Malish in his spare time enjoys reading books and spending time with his family.
Deng Michael Diing Aguer
Legal Manager and Corporate Secretary
Deng Michael Diing is a Legal Manager and Corporate Secretary at Kush Bank Plc., where he plays the important role of advising the board and management on legal matters and preparing the bank’s legal documentation.
He also takes a central role in documenting the board of directors’ meetings and activities to ensure compliance with the country’s compliance requirements. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law, LLB. (Second Grade Upper) from the University of Juba and has gained more than 10 years of experience in serving the local and international NGOs working in the country in various capacities related to legal aid and program management.
When he is not busy at Kush Bank offices, Deng creates opportunities to impact the society around him by working with local communities and facilitating training through workshops and participating in Focus Group Discussion sessions that aim to positively transform South Sudan. He enjoys reports writing, editing, and reading Legal Journals and books.
Rachel Shivachi
Ag. Head of Sales & Marketing
Rachel Shivachi is the Ag. Head of Sales Marketing at Kush Bank where she oversees the Sales team, and channel marketing activities.
Rachel has more than 15 years in Sales and Distribution. Before joining Kush Bank, she worked in various sections of two major telecommunication companies in Kenya in different capacities. This included Sales Operations, Trade marketing, and Partner & Channel management.
Rachel enables Kush Bank to widen financial inclusivity across South Sudan by growing the brand and offering easily accessible innovative products and services that meet the customer’s needs while creating value for the communities where the bank operates.
With an extensive pursuit of academic qualifications, Rachel is a certified Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt and also records certification in Finance for Non-Finance Managers, and Business Management, among others.
In keeping with her passions and immense abilities and creativity, Rachel enjoys traversing different countries and has a biased response to good music.
Lomoro Peter Samuel
Human Resource Manager and Deputy Head of Administration
Lomoro Peter is an experienced HR practitioner whose role is to ensure that Kush Bank hires, trains, and retains qualified professionals for the identified and designated roles.
With over five years of experience in Human Resource Management & Administration, Lomoro specializes in HR administration, employee relations, process improvement, and payroll administration at the bank. He has a strong background in overseeing HR business management functions and driving the implementation of policies to enhance organizational effectiveness.
When not in the office, Lomoro enjoys spending time with his family and friends in South Sudan while catching up on sports and community-building activities.
Arol Dut Jok
Executive Assistant
Arol has a depth of experience in the Executive Assistant role, functioning in fast-paced, high-deliverable environments, working directly with Chairs of Boards and C-suite level officers in South Sudan.
At Kush Bank, Arol helps in ensuring that the flow of deliverables and decisions is effective from the CEO’s team and is a resource to assist the teams in the Executive Committee and Branch in their work with the CEO’s team. He is responsible for the flow of information on and off the CEO’s desk, booking of all meetings, and coordination of logistics related to travel and expense. Additionally,
Arol and the Executive Support Officer collaborate regarding material creation, review and sign-off, and handle various special initiatives and tasks that need to be managed across the organization. Arol holds a Diploma in International Relations & Diplomacy (Distinction), BA in International Relations & Diplomacy (First Class Honors) and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Monitoring & Evaluation. He has received academic and leadership accolades from his institutions of studies such as Vice Chancellor’s Roll of Honor, Vice Chancellor’s Letter of Commendation and Excellence in Leadership.
Ijjo Franco Simon
Internal Auditor
Ijjo Franco Simon joined Kush bank plc as an internal auditor in July 2022. With a broad background in accounting, auditing, finance and banking.
His experience includes risk management, audit management; information systems, financial, and operational auditing; financial reporting; consulting and training. Ijjo is responsible for developing and implementing an effective internal audit function that provides independent, objective, assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve Kush bank plc operations.
Ijjo Franco is also the founder and Executive director of KFMS-Audit and Tax Consulting firm in South Sudan. He supervised and audited many non-governmental organizations and helped plan the audit department's implementation of control self-assessment, risk assessment methodology, and self-directed work teams.
Additionally, he helped develop the training programs for many national non-governmental organizations (NNGO) in South Sudan. Ijjo began his banking career with Kenya Commercial bank South Sudan Ltd in the year 2011 as a bank clerk and rose to section head level. He worked in various departments of the bank including Operation, credit, finance and corporate section where he was a corporate relationship banker.
Ijjo is a holder of Master of Science in Accounting and Finance (MAF); He also received a Hon. Degree in Business Administration Accounting option from Ndejje University Kampala Uganda. He is a member of Ndejje University Accounting Association.
