Allan Mbugua
Nairobi
Summary
Results-driven Business Development & Client Relationship professional with over a decade in banking, payments, fintech, and SaaS. Proven expertise in merchant acquiring, digital transformation, strategic partnerships, and financial inclusion. Strong track record of generating leads, closing deals, onboarding clients, driving retention & up-selling, and expanding market reach across East Africa.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Business Development Manager (Kenya)
Dess Technologies
Nairobi
11.2023 - Current
- Led Go-to-Market strategy and market expansion, accelerating product adoption and revenue growth
- Generating qualified leads through targeted outreach, segmentation, and campaign optimization
- Generated 100+ qualified leads per quarter through ecosystem-driven outreach
- Crafting tailored proposals, delivered demos/presentations, and negotiated contracts
- Managed onboarding and integrations ensuring strong adoption within 90 days for board management, workflow automation and electronic document management system (EDMS) SaaS platforms
- Built and nurtured client relationships leading to high retention and up-selling
Business Development Manager (East Africa)
Unipesa
Nairobi
04.2023 - 11.2023
- Developed and executed Go-to-Market strategies for payment infrastructure across multiple countries
- Generated qualified leads via data-driven outreach and fintech ecosystem engagement
- Conducted market & regulatory research; delivered insights shaping product positioning
- Negotiated contracts with banks, merchants, and aggregators; secured long-term partnerships
- Piloted clients and provided training to ensure seamless integration and adoption
Head Of Business Development
Lance Alexander Communication Ltd
Nairobi
05.2017 - 03.2023
- Built partnerships increasing market reach by 30% and generating multi-million KES revenues
- Led feedback-driven product enhancements improving customer satisfaction by 25%
- Expanded sales pipeline by 40% through market and competitor analysis
- Designed and delivered sales team training on negotiation which led to 15% improvement in close rates
Business Developer - Partnership (East & Central Africa)
Azeus Systems
Nairobi
12.2019 - 04.2020
- Generated and nurtured leads for digital board portal solution across corporate & nonprofit sectors
- Delivered customized proposals, demos, and presentations to senior stakeholders
- Provided onboarding and training which drove high adoption and platform usage
- Championed paperless board processes and long-term client relationships
Relationship Manager
UBA Group
Nairobi
08.2015 - 03.2017
- Managed merchant & institutional relationships that drove adoption of POS, mobile banking & digital wallets
- Led onboarding and training programs for partners
- Delivered product demos and customized proposals supporting financial inclusion
- Led onboarding and training programs for merchants and banking partners, ensuring seamless integration of POS systems, mobile banking platforms, and digital wallets
- Monitored market trends and client feedback to inform product enhancements and improve service delivery
Relationship Manager
Equity Bank Limited
Nairobi
08.2010 - 07.2015
- Built and managed agent, merchant & institutional networks leading to expanded digital payment access while exceeding acquisition, revenue, retention and customer experience by 10-20%
- Led large-scale onboarding and training for POS and mobile banking
- Developed rural outreach strategies and supported agency banking digitization (Financial literacy and selection in the Wings to Fly program)
Lead Generator
Barclaycard
Nairobi
07.2009 - 08.2010
- Qualified leads and built pipeline for credit & payment solutions (retail & SME)
- Conducted targeted outreach campaigns (phone, email, in-person)
- Exceeded monthly lead targets by 20-40% through multi-channel outreach
Education
Diploma - Risk Management
Alison
01.2022
Bachelor of Education - Business and History
Egerton University
01.2008
Skills
- Digital wallets
- Virtual Assets
- POS
- Mobile banking platforms
- Compliance
- Risk mitigation
- Governance
- Market insights
- Performance tracking
- Optimization
- PRINCE2 methodologies
- Proposal Generation
- Presentation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Pipedrive
- Zoho CRM
- HubSpot
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
Websites
Certification
- Cryptocurrency Banking, Alison, 2025-01-01
- Instant and Inclusive Payments, Digital Frontiers Institute, 2025-01-01
- PRINCE2 Project Management - Practitioner, Alison, 2022-01-01
- Critical Thinking for Self-Development, Metropolitan School of Business & Management (UK), 2021-01-01
- Employee Stress and Well-Being Management, MSBM (UK), 2021-01-01
- Practical Presentation Skills, MSBM (UK), 2022-01-01
- Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills, MSBM (UK), 2022-01-01
- Executive Presence, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, 2021-01-01
- Nonprofit Essentials Certificate, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, 2022-01-01
- Major Donor Fundraising, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, 2022-01-01
Timeline
Business Development Manager (Kenya)
Dess Technologies
11.2023 - Current
Business Development Manager (East Africa)
Unipesa
04.2023 - 11.2023
Business Developer - Partnership (East & Central Africa)
Azeus Systems
12.2019 - 04.2020
Head Of Business Development
Lance Alexander Communication Ltd
05.2017 - 03.2023
Relationship Manager
UBA Group
08.2015 - 03.2017
Relationship Manager
Equity Bank Limited
08.2010 - 07.2015
Lead Generator
Barclaycard
07.2009 - 08.2010
Diploma - Risk Management
Alison
Bachelor of Education - Business and History
Egerton University