Nicholas Cheruiyot Sang is a portfolio manager at Britam Asset Managers, a subsidiary of Britam Holdings LTD., which is a diversified financial services group with insurance and asset management as the core business. Nicholas graduated with a BA in Economics and Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania and began his career in finance in a variety of firms, both in the United States and in Kenya, where his expertise as a financial analyst continues to grow.
“In high school they told me “From those to whom much has been given, much will be required,” and so I aspire everyday to give back as much as I have received.”
“His resilience and ability to overcome obstacles, in addition to his intelligence, made him a perfect fit for the 2007 KenSAP cohort. Even with the political instability in the country at that time, Nicholas was able to take advantage of all the resources available to him through KenSAP, a feat that secured him a place at the University of Pennsylvania. His journey, however, had only begun. ”
Nicholas is the fifth of eleven children of an agricultural family from the slopes of Southwestern Kenya. Growing up, he had limited access to quality education. However, his academic brilliance which started manifesting itself in primary school paved a pathway for him to Starehe Boys Center, an institution known for its generous aid to students like himself.
At Starehe, Nicholas frequently outshined his colleagues, and eventually emerged as one of the best students, not just in his institution but the country as a whole. His resilience and ability to overcome obstacles, in addition to his intelligence, made him a perfect fit for the 2007 KenSAP cohort. Even with the political instability in the country at that time, Nicholas was able to take advantage of all the resources available to him through KenSAP, a feat that secured him a place at the University of Pennsylvania. His journey, however, had only begun.
At UPenn, Nicholas interacted with and learned from some of the most distinguished professors of Economics, Finance, and Statistics, acquiring skills that would prove invaluable to him. In 2012, Nicholas braved the tides once more and moved to become an actuarial consultant at Towers Watson in Washington, DC, after 4 years of calling Philadelphia home. After a successful year at Towers Watson, the company offered to sponsor him for an H1-B extended work visa, but for many reasons, Nicholas decided to move back to Kenya.
Since 2013, Nicholas has fully dedicated himself to understanding markets in order to provide impactful investment analyses for the clients that he serves. For 2 years, Nicholas immersed himself in the extensive research of African and global economics, financial modeling, and valuation. In addition, he has been resourceful in the development of investment strategies for major banks such as STANLIB and diverse financial services groups such as Britam. Nicholas’ leadership in the finance sector is essential in analyzing, understanding, and taking full advantage of economic conditions for the betterment of people’s finances, and the country’s economy at large.