Eddy Njoroge: Kenyan Who Made History as Africa’s First President of Global Standards Body
In September 2019, Eddy Njoroge made history by becoming the first African President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). He took over the role from Canadian John Walker in an inauguration ceremony held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre in South Africa.
Njoroge boasts vast experience in the corporate world and has been a senior executive in multiple corporations in Kenya and globally.
He has previously served as the Chief Executive Officer at KenGen, board chairman at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), and member of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) board.
Njoroge’s appointment to ISO saw the global body establish offices in Nairobi for his January 202 to December 2022 tenure.
Education
Eddy graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Career
Mr. Njoroge was appointed CEO of KenGen in 2003, having worked in the private sector before. Three years into his role as the head of KenGen, he was able to steer the company into making big profits and engineered its listing at the NSE.
Eddy Njoroge has also served as board member of CfC Stanbic bank Kenya, Proctor & Allan (EA) Ltd, and Real Insurance Company (EA) Limited.
In October 2018, during the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, he was elected president.
This made him Africa’s first president of ISO. ISO is an organization founded on 23rd February 1947 with the aim of promoting worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.
“I will be reiterating the commitment I made during my election last October in Geneva, Switzerland, that I will enhance adoption of International Standards in governance, besides working with SMEs to improve their conformity to global standards,” he said concerning his appointment as ISO president.
During his tenure, Eddy Njoroge set aside personal interests to represent Kenya on the global stage.
He was determined in championing for the penetration of Kenyan and African products into the international market.
ISO comprises 162 member states, and therefore, a significant trade platform.
