News
Jayanth Murthy Named Among Africa’s Top 100 Entrepreneurs of Indian Origin
Kaizen Institute is proud to announce that Jayanth Murthy, Joint Managing Director, Kaizen Institute India & East and West Africa, has been named one of Africa’s Top 100 Entrepreneurs of Indian Origin. The recognition, published by the India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum, celebrates individuals of Indian origin whose work has shaped business, trade, and development across the continent. This was announced during the sixth India Africa Entrepreneurship Summit held in Cape Town, South Africa.
About the Recognition
India and Africa have built one of the world’s fastest-growing trade relationships: bilateral trade has climbed from $7 billion in 2001 to more than $98 billion in 2023, and roughly 3 million people of Indian origin now call the African continent home. The India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum has spent six years turning that relationship into a working platform, connecting business leaders across energy, healthcare, technology, and education. Its latest report profiles 100 individuals who have helped drive that connection forward, with Jayanth Murthy being named among them.
A Career Built on KAIZEN™
Jayanth’s path into Kaizen Institute started with an engineering degree from the University of Mysore in 1990, followed by a scholarship (AOTS) in 1996 to study Quality Management in Osaka, Japan. Over the following three decades, that interest in Continuous Improvement carried him from independent consulting work into a career with Kaizen Institute, where he was instrumental in extending the organization’s reach across Africa. Today, that reach covers more than 15 countries on the continent.
Along the way, Jayanth has directed large-scale transformation projects across manufacturing, service, and public-sector organizations throughout South Asia and Africa. His government partnerships include work with Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania, and India. His work also includes direct engagement with India’s Office of the Prime Minister, bringing KAIZEN™ principles into public administration. More recently, that work has extended to healthcare. Alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kaizen Institute India and Kaizen Institute teams in Africa have applied KAIZEN™ methods to strengthen medical supply chains and the distribution of essential health commodities.
Honors
Jayanth’s contributions have not gone unnoticed elsewhere either. He holds a 2005 Fulbright Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University and has received the Monozukuri Jinzai Ambassador citation from The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS), awarded by the Government of Japan. He remains a regular voice at international conferences on Lean Management, Operational Excellence, and productivity policy.
Recognition
This honor reflects not just Jayanth’s own three-decade dedication to Kaizen Institute, but the work of every Kaizen Institute team member across India, Africa, and beyond.
Congratulations Jayanth on this well-deserved milestone!