Lilian Wangui Kariba
Founder & Fractional CFO
Nairobi, Kenya
- CFO / Finance Director
- CPA-K
- MBA Finance
- Strategic CFO
About the founder
Institutional finance experience, made accessible to growing businesses.
Lilian Wangui Kariba is a senior finance executive with extensive experience leading finance strategy, performance, governance, treasury, corporate reporting, tax, risk, fundraising, due diligence and finance transformation.
Her experience spans technology, fintech, manufacturing, shipping and logistics, media and agribusiness, with senior leadership across Kenya, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Nepal and 22 African subsidiaries.
She has partnered with Boards, CEOs and senior leadership teams and brings a strong commercial orientation: combining financial discipline with business partnering, value creation, cash-flow optimisation and operational improvement.
Selected career impact
Experience measured in outcomes.
$65m
Led due diligence, data-room preparation and investor negotiation for a Series C round.
$2m
Recovered previously written-off receivables from Pan-African banks.
15 → 3
Reduced reporting cycles to enable faster management and Board decisions.
20%
Operating-cost saving through cost optimisation and supplier negotiation.
66%
Reduction in bank charges by optimising a USD overdraft facility.
25
African and EMEA countries with Board, governance and stakeholder exposure.
Career history
Finance Director
Nodor International
Chief Financial Officer
Incentro Africa
CFO / Head of Finance
CloudFactory
Head of Finance
DPO Africa
General Manager – Finance
APM Terminals (Maersk Group)
Senior finance roles
Mediamax, Monsanto, BAT, Standard Group
Qualifications
- CPA-K
- MBA Finance - University of Nairobi
- FMVA - CFI
- Strategic CFO Program - MECA CFO Academy
- B.Com, Accounting - University of Nairobi
Global footprint
Regional hubs across Africa, Europe and Asia.
Africa hub
Nairobi, Kenya - headquarters
Finance leadership across 22+ African subsidiaries, with hands-on experience in Kenya, South Africa and Pan-African banking, treasury and receivables.
Europe hub
United Kingdom · Netherlands
Group reporting, governance and stakeholder engagement for European parent structures and multi-entity consolidations.
Asia hub
Nepal
Cross-border finance leadership for technology and outsourcing operations, including Series C fundraising and investor reporting.
Who we serve
Founder-led, growth-stage and multi-entity businesses.
Growth SMEs
Businesses moving beyond founder-led financial management and needing stronger planning, reporting, cash management and controls.
Startups & Scale-ups
Companies preparing for fundraising, scaling operations, improving unit economics or building investor-ready finance infrastructure.
Established Businesses
Businesses navigating transformation, restructuring, acquisitions, ERP implementation, margin pressure or leadership gaps.
Family-Owned Businesses
Owners seeking more disciplined reporting, governance, succession-ready finance structures and professional decision support.
Multi-Entity Groups
Groups that need consolidated reporting, intercompany discipline, treasury oversight and consistent finance processes across entities.
Manufacturing Businesses
Businesses requiring stronger inventory, product costing, standard costing, margin and working-capital management.