Eugene Were

Senior business leader with 10+ years driving growth across fintech, financial services, B2B sales, and program management.

At Fortune Credit

Limited, built a national branch network from 8 to 31 locations, grew the active loan portfolio from KES 106M (FY2024) to KES 514M in just the first half of 2026 (+385%), and scaled the customer base by over 300% year-on-year — earning three promotions within 24 months. Expert at translating high-level strategy into structured execution: P&L ownership, cross-functional team leadership, digital product launches, credit risk management, and data-led performance frameworks across SME, agribusiness, and informal retail markets.

Head of Business at FORTUNE CREDIT LIMITED (2025-10 – Present)

• 31-branch national network: own full P&L and strategic leadership across a 31-branch national network, aligning portfolio growth, credit risk discipline, and branch-level operational efficiency.
• +94% network expansion: scaled from 16 to 31 branches (+94%), significantly extending geographic reach and market penetration across Kenya.
• KES 514M disbursed in H1 2026 alone: equivalent to 85% of the entire FY2025 book in just six months — implying a KES 1B+ annual run-rate.
• 538% YoY disbursement growth: grew the loan portfolio from KES 80.6M (H1 2025) to KES 514M (H1 2026) while maintaining a 78%+ overall collection rate.
• 6,979 unique customers (H1 2026): up from 1,741 in H1 2025 (+301%), driven by a structured acquisition and repeat-lending strategy.
• Architected and deployed a Balanced Scorecard performance management framework across all 31 branches, lifting accountability and execution quality at every level.
• Spearheaded ESG-linked and agribusiness lending initiatives, diversifying the portfolio and opening new revenue streams in dairy, cooperative, and e-mobility segments.

Head of Direct Business – National at FORTUNE CREDIT LIMITED (2025-02 – 2025-10)

• +100% network growth: scaled from 8 to 16 branches in under 9 months through strategic territory expansion and partnership-led market entry.
• Directed 16 branch managers and field teams, driving consistent execution of lending, collections, and customer acquisition strategies across diverse markets.
• Streamlined cross-branch reporting frameworks, giving leadership real-time visibility and significantly reducing decision-making lag.
• Maintained credit risk discipline during rapid scale-up, closely monitoring arrears and portfolio quality to protect asset performance.

Growth and Innovation Officer at FORTUNE CREDIT LIMITED (2024-01 – 2025-02)

• Led end-to-end design and launch of Duka Loan — a digitized micro-lending product extending credit access to informal retailers and market traders at scale.
• Directed a zero-disruption customer data migration to a new core lending platform, improving data integrity, reporting capability, and operational efficiency.
• Re-engineered the digital lending workflow, cutting loan processing turnaround time and eliminating key operational bottlenecks.
• Built strategic partnership frameworks across cooperative and agribusiness ecosystems, unlocking dairy, livestock, and check-off financing as new segments.

Business Development Officer at PEZESHA AFRICA LIMITED (2023-07 – 2023-12)

• Led go-to-market execution for the company's 2.0 platform, managing field team performance across SME acquisition, conversion, and post-onboarding retention.
• Owned the full partner lifecycle — onboarding, contract negotiation, system integration, and performance monitoring — while growing the partnership base.

Sales Team Lead at WABI PROJECT (2021-04 – 2023-06)

• Set and led regional sales targets across Nairobi; designed coaching and mentorship programmes that measurably lifted team productivity and product knowledge.
• Recognised: Best Team Lead of the Year (2021/2022) and Best Performing Territory (2021).

Trade Development Representative at Twiga Foods Limited (2018-04 – 2021-03)

Research Assistant at Ipsos Kenya (2016-02 – 2018-03)

Field Officer, Family Strengthening at SOS Children's Villages Kenya (2012-08 – 2015-12)

M.B.A. in Leadership and Strategic Management – European International University Community Development – Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (2012) Certification in ICDL Certification – Alphax University College (2007)