The Superbrands CEO Club, launched last year, is now bringing together hundreds of regional CEOs in regular briefings to support them in managing high-growth companies, with its next private meeting on Thursday 11 March 2011 presenting best-in-class tools for managing corporate treasuries, balance sheets and cash to maximize earnings.

Superbrands awards the Superbrands status to products that have achieved clear brand leadership, but its CEO Club has been opened to an even broader platform of companies, in an effort to promote the accelerated creation of international brands of East African origin.

“Building and creating leading international brands requires a quality of leadership and information that Superbrands has understood it can play a key role in delivering,” said Michael Odongo, Brand Director-Kenya.

Last year, the CEOs Club held seminars on a wide range of business subjects, including presentations from the highway authorities on the complete road plan for Nairobi, on e-marketing, and on reaching the bottom-of-the-pyramid market.

This month’s club meeting, which is being attended by more than 50 regional CEOs, will hear from CFC-Stanbic on treasury management tools, and also get a detailed presentation on Toyota’s management methodology. The closed forum enjoys candid discussion among the CEOs and information sharing.

The target for the club is to high growth companies that have performed better than the industry average over a period of years and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The current members include leaders of purely East African companies as well as of leading international companies operating in the region. The club also seeks to aide a next tier of East African companies in reaching forwards to a future international presence.

Members of the Superbrands CEO Club include Toyota, DT Dobie, Safaricom, KWS, Airtel, Nakumatt, Tuskys, Serengeti Breweries & CRDB Bank in Tanzania, Daily Monitor and madhvani Foundation in Uganda, Nivea, MPesa, Basco Paints, Brookside Dairies, Copy Cat, Capital FM, Daily Nation, Mumias Sugar and British American Insurance.

Growth companies face particular challenges across new product innovation, market share and customer satisfaction. Studies show time and resource constraints often mean they find it difficult to execute a corporate governance policy. US-based auditing firm S&P studied 500 high growth companies in the US and found that companies in initial growth had less corporate governance than the norm.

“It is vital for us all that these high-impact leaders be given the fullest support and information in growing their operations as effectively as possible," said Michael Odongo.