African Excellence Awards 2026 20 Most Innovative Business Services Finance Leader 2026 – Kenya In Africa’s economic landscape, Rakesh Kumar Jangra stands out as a finance leader who refuses to stay in the back office. Renowned across the industry for his ability to connect finance with operations, technology, governance, and people, the dedicated professional has earned recent applause in the African Excellence Awards 2026. We caught up with Rakesh to hear more about his award-winning work. Based in Kenya, Techno Brain BPO ITES Ltd is part of the wider Techno Brain Group. The company supports clients seeking reliable, scalable, and well-controlled service delivery across Global Business Services, BPO/ITES, testing services, shared services support, backoffice operations, and technology-enabled process work and AI adoption. As Head of Finance of Techno Brain BPO ITES Ltd, Rakesh Kumar Jangra sits at the intersection of finance and delivery. He supports pricing discipline, billing governance, cost control, financial planning, reporting, tax readiness, and operational decision support across USD 30M+ annual operations. Rakesh recognition reflects a career built on disciplined finance leadership, practical innovation, and cross-sector impact. From strengthening finance operations in (Global Business Services (GBS) and ITES to supporting community development and regional governance, his work shows how finance can move beyond reporting to become a driver of trust, resilience, and responsible growth. “In GBS and shared services, a model can look strong on paper and still fail in the numbers,” he told us. “My job is to ensure that commercials, delivery, controls and compliance stay connected. Increasingly, this also means driving automation, enabling responsible AI adoption and building practical AI tools that turn operational and financial data into meaningful insights for faster and better-informed decisions. At the same time, growth must remain sustainable, responsible and inclusive, creating long-term value for the business while giving back to society and the communities in which we operate.” Beyond Techno Brain, Rakesh’s wider leadership also encompasses serving as Chairman of the Haryana Association of Kenya (www.haryana.ke), Secretary of the Obuya Grassroots Foundation (www. obuyagrassrootsfoundation.org), and supporting regional finance oversight for a leading pan-African non-profit organisation. Whilst these sectors are different, Rakesh’s operating principle remains the same: to build trust, keep governance clear, and make the work create impact beyond the balance sheet. At his core, Rakesh leads with the values of integrity, accountability, service excellence, practical innovation, teamwork, and responsible leadership. In finance, these values show up in the basics: clean reporting, disciplined controls, timely billing, clear cost visibility, tax readiness, and decisions based on facts. Day-to-day, he pushes for ownership, transparency, and collaboration between finance, operations, clients, and leadership teams. A large part of Rakesh’s recent work has been focused on strengthening the finance operating base of Techno Brain. This work has spanned billing governance, contract renewal support, cost control, reporting discipline, and better alignment between finance and operations. While this work sounds routine, it is essential to protecting margins and building service credibility within GBS and ITES. Rakesh has also supported regional finance supervision across multiple African jurisdictions through a leading pan-African non-profit organisation, including South Africa, Kenya, Senegal and Amman. “Multi-country oversight looks straightforward from outside,” he commented. “In practice, it tests governance, donor accountability, documentation, compliance, and timing every day.” Through his role as Chairman of the Haryana Association of Kenya, Rakesh contributes to both community development and commerce beyond his formal corporate responsibilities. On the community side, he and the Haryana association support CSR-led initiatives including tree planting, menstrual health awareness, donation of sanitary pads and stationery, food support for vulnerable communities, and broader social service activities. The association also plays an important role in preserving Haryanvi culture, language, traditions, and social unity among the diaspora in Kenya. On the commerce side, the association helps members through business referrals and engagement with the Haryana Government to encourage two-way investment: Haryanvi capital into Kenya, and Kenyan opportunity back into the community network. Over the last two years, this work has supported close to USD 2M in business within the community in Kenya. Rakesh is also involved with the Obuya Grassroots Foundation, which uses cricket as a platform for youth development, mentorship, education, and community opportunity. Though varied in scope, each of these projects are linked by confidence. “Businesses grow when delivery is reliable,” said Rakesh. “Communities grow when trust is built. Africa’s economy needs both: strong institutions and practical platforms that create jobs, skills, and opportunity.” Ultimately, Rakesh aspires to establish finance as an enabler, not a gatekeeper. In Africa’s current economic climate, this mission is more important than ever; capital is tight, margins are thinner, and scrutiny is higher. Clients are seeking value over activity. In this environment, organisations do not only need someone who can manage their numbers, but instead a finance leader who understands operations, risk, technology, and people. Named Kenya’s Most Innovative Business Services Financial Leader 2026, this is precisely where Rakesh’s focus lies. He prioritises sustainable growth over short-term wins, controls that hold up, resources allocated properly, and compliance that is built into the process and not simply added at the end. Rakesh’s exceptional work demonstrates that finance has the potential to help organisations compete, grow responsibly, and still contribute something back to the communities they operate in. “For too long, finance has been seen as the function that says no – the scorekeeper, the brake, the department people visit only when something is wrong. I see it differently,” he concluded. “Modern finance leadership should help organisations innovate, grow responsibly, serve clients better, build talent, increase transparency and give something back to society. Finance done right does not slow growth. It drives it.” Contact: Rakesh Kumar Jangra Company: Techno Brain BPO ITES Ltd Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.technobraingroup.com
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