Business
Thom Mpinganjira
Founded FDH, the first Malawian-founded private bank to list on the stock exchange.
Quick answer: Thomson Frank Mpinganjira is the Malawian banker who founded First Discount House in 2002 and FDH Bank in 2007, the first privately founded Malawian business to list on the Malawi Stock Exchange. He retired as group chief executive in 2020. He funds the International Blantyre Cancer Centre, built in memory of his late wife Barbara, and is president of Mighty Wanderers.
The accountant who started a bank
Mpinganjira graduated from the University of Malawi in 1984 and qualified as a chartered accountant. He worked at Deloitte & Touche, Blantyre Printing and Publishing and Mandala before going into finance on his own.
Over the years he also chaired the boards of the Malawi Revenue Authority, the Malawi Investment Promotion Agency and ESCOM, and the stakeholders committee of the Millennium Challenge Account.
From discount house to listed bank
He began planning First Discount House in December 1999. It opened in April 2002, with him as managing director, and dealt in government bills and money markets.
In November 2007 FDH won a full banking licence and the group was restructured under a new holding company, FDH Financial Holdings. Today the group includes FDH Bank, FDH Money Bureau, First Discount House and a property arm.
In 2020 FDH Bank listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange, the first indigenous, privately founded Malawian business to do so. He retired as group chief executive on 1 September 2020, saying his work was done. His son William took over as group CEO.
A cancer hospital for Barbara
His wife Barbara was diagnosed with cancer in January 2017 and died in January 2019. In her memory he set up the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation.
The foundation built the International Blantyre Cancer Centre at Nyambadwe, Blantyre, with a partner organisation. President Chakwera opened it on 5 March 2024. It gives radiotherapy and cancer care inside Malawi, so fewer patients need to travel abroad for treatment.
Earlier, he personally paid for a solar-lit house for a woman in Dowa whose hands had been cut off by her husband. That gesture grew into FDH Cares, the bank’s programme for health, education and sport. In June 2026 he helped pay to bring stranded Malawians home from South Africa.
Mighty Wanderers and football
Mpinganjira is president and board chair of Mighty Wanderers FC 2021 Limited, the company that runs the Nomads. He has funded the club heavily since 2021, and in November 2026 he toured the renovated clubhouse at Lali Lubani Road and announced a players’ gazebo and a children’s corner.
FDH Bank also backs football across the country. In January 2026 it took over the top-flight league sponsorship with a five-year deal, and the league is now the FDH Bank Premiership.
Thom Mpinganjira
- Full name
- Thomson Frank Mpinganjira
- Known for
- Founding FDH Bank and FDH Financial Holdings
- Education
- University of Malawi (1984); chartered accountant
- Roles now
- President, Mighty Wanderers FC 2021 Ltd; Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation
- Family
- Late wife Barbara (died 2019); son William, FDH group CEO
- Awards
- CFI Outstanding Corporate Leader, Africa (2015); MBC Large Scale Entrepreneur of the Year (2016)
FAQ
Who founded FDH Bank?
Thom Mpinganjira. He started First Discount House in 2002 and got the FDH Bank licence in November 2007.
Is Thom Mpinganjira still CEO of FDH?
No. He retired on 1 September 2020. His son William Mpinganjira became group CEO.
Who owns the International Blantyre Cancer Centre?
The Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation, with a partner organisation. It opened in March 2024.
Is Thom Mpinganjira the Mighty Wanderers owner?
He is president and board chair of Mighty Wanderers FC 2021 Limited, the company that runs the club, and its biggest funder.
