Empire FX has appointed Linda Nkatha Muriuki as Head of Sales, marking the second senior executive the Capital Markets Authority-licensed broker has recruited from Pepperstone’s Africa operation within a week. Muriuki previously managed major client accounts and supported regional commercial strategy at Pepperstone. She will report to Sahil Patel, who joined Empire FX as Chief Operating Officer just days earlier after spending over six years building Pepperstone’s African business and leading its Kenya entity since 2020.
The back-to-back hires suggest a coordinated talent raid rather than opportunistic recruiting. Both executives bring direct African market experience and now form the core of Empire FX’s commercial leadership as the Nairobi-based broker pursues global expansion. Muriuki’s remit covers client acquisition, conversion and retention across Africa and other priority markets.
The moves come as competition intensifies in Kenya’s regulated forex sector, which has operated under a Capital Markets Authority licensing framework since 2017 and now hosts over 100,000 active retail traders. Pepperstone, licensed in Kenya since 2020 alongside operations in the UK, Cyprus, Germany, UAE, Bahamas and Kenya, is also dealing with other senior departures including former UK chief executive Iain Rogers, who recently moved to OKX to lead EMEA compliance.
For brokers operating in licensed African markets, the episode highlights escalating competition for experienced local talent who understand regional client behaviour and regulatory environments.
FXnCO Insight
When a competitor hires your COO and Head of Sales within five days, it’s not attrition—it’s a strategic play, and regulators will be watching how Empire FX deploys that institutional knowledge.
Source: Finance Magnates