Former Stanbic Bank Uganda CEO Anne Juuko Emerges as EADB Director General Pick
Former Stanbic Bank Uganda Chief Executive Anne Juuko is expected to become the next Director General of the East African Development Bank (EADB) potentially ending an almost two-year search for a permanent head of the regional development lender.
The appointment has not yet been formally announced by EADB. Juuko has reportedly been selected for the five-year position and is expected to take office in the fourth quarter of 2026, potentially as early as October.
The development would make Juuko the substantive successor to Vivienne Yeda, who retired as EADB Director General on December 31, 2024, after 17 years at the institution.
The bank subsequently appointed its Head of Finance, Benard Paul Mono, as Acting Director General while the recruitment process continued.
Anne Juuko’s Banking Career
Anne Juuko brings more than two decades of experience in banking, financial markets and investment banking across East Africa.
She joined Standard Bank Group in 2012 as Head of Global Markets at Stanbic Bank Uganda before moving to Standard Bank Namibia, where she served as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking. She returned to Uganda in March 2020 as Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic Bank Uganda.
Anne Juuko became the first woman to lead Stanbic Bank Uganda and remained CEO until March 2024. Standard Bank subsequently appointed her Regional Head of Global Markets for East Africa, effective April 1, 2024.
The position covered Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Malawi and Zambia.
She left Standard Bank Group in November 2025 after 13 years with the organisation.
Earlier in her career, Anne Juuko worked at Citibank, beginning in Uganda in 2001 in fixed income, currencies and commodities before moving to Citibank Kenya as Vice President of Customer Sales and Derivatives Marketing.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Makerere University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Planning from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University.
EADB Leadership Vacancy
Yeda’s departure created the first substantive leadership vacancy at EADB after her long tenure. The bank announced that she had retired after 17 years, during which its total assets increased from $244 million in 2008 to about $497 million in 2024.
The bank also reported that profitability rose from a $9 million loss in 2008 to $13 million in 2024, while non-performing loans fell from 26% in 2009 to 0.88% in 2024.
Benard Mono has served as Acting Director General since January 1, 2025. EADB’s 2024 annual report confirms that he was appointed to the acting position following Yeda’s retirement.
The permanent recruitment process was handled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Uganda. According to reports, applications for the position closed on April 11, 2025, after the deadline was extended. The role carries a five-year term, renewable once subject to performance.
The process extended beyond the period initially anticipated by S&P Global Ratings. In its 2025 assessment of EADB, the ratings agency said the bank expected to announce a permanent Director General during the first half of 2026.
Benard Mono, however, remained in the acting role beyond that period.
Juuko’s Potential EADB Role
If formally confirmed, Anne Juuko would move from commercial and investment banking into the leadership of a regional development finance institution jointly owned by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
EADB finances development activities across the region, including support for small and medium-sized enterprises and projects in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and financial services.
EADB’s latest annual reporting showed total assets of about $506 million at the end of 2024, while more recent reporting puts the balance sheet at more than $520 million at the end of 2025.
