The Board of Directors of I&M Bank Rwanda Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Benjamin Mutimura as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1st July 2023 and subject to regulatory approval by the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).
Benjamin was previously the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Bank of Kigali from June 2020 and has been serving as a board member of Bank of Kigali, Capital as well.
Benjamin replaces Mr. Robin Bairstow, who the bank said is joining another role within the Group.
“Robin’s transition into a new assignment within the Group subject to regulatory approval, will be communicated over the next few weeks,” the bank said in a statement.
The bank also said, “Robin Bairstow has been instrumental in leading the growth of the Bank for over seven years that saw him take the Bank public in 2017 and oversee the full implementation of the new Finacle Core Banking System and the construction and move to a new iconic head office building in Kigali”.
“Robin championed digitization with digital onboarding and loans application thus increasing access to finance via a blockchain-powered mobile money application. During his tenure, the Bank has picked up numerous industry awards for governance, product innovation, diversity and inclusion. Core to this has been the entrenchment of the Group’s culture transformation agenda, resulting in best-in-class staff engagement levels,” further said the statement.
Who is Benjamin Mutimura?
According to the bank’s statement, Benjamin has over 16 years of experience in the financial services sector and has “significantly contributed to the success of the organisations he has worked for”.
He started off his career at I&M Bank Rwanda in 2007 as a Development Finance Officer and rose through the ranks to become a Credit Manager, Head of Retail Banking and eventually the Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking, a position he held until 2020 when he moved to Bank of Kigali.
“In his last immediate role as the CCO for Bank of Kigali, Benjamin played a key role in overseeing the development and implementation of the commercial strategy, ensuring the distribution and availability of competitive products, strategic marketing, relationship management and channel utilization,” the statement said.
Benjamin holds a Master’s Degree in Development Economics from Louvain la Neuve & Namur University in Belgium and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the former National University of Rwanda. He has completed a Leadership Program at Strathmore University, the Senior Executive Program at Harvard Business School and is a certified credit professional (Omega Performance) with a passion for organizational leadership.
Commenting about the development, Bonaventure Niyibizi, Board Chairman, I&M Rwanda Plc said: “The Board would like to thank Mr. Robin Bairstow for his exemplary service and stewardship during his tenure as the I&M Bank Rwanda Plc CEO. During his tenure, the Bank grew three-fold in assets and increased its net revenue market share by 35%. Robin has also played a vital role as an advocate for the industry, having been chosen by his peers to lead the Rwanda Bankers’ Association. On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome the incoming CEO Mr. Benjamin Mutimura as he sets out to harness the full potential of I&M Bank Rwanda by offering best in class financial solutions and a customer-centric approach. The Board is delighted to welcome Benjamin back to I&M Rwanda to lead the business in the ongoing growth strategy”.
Kihara Maina, the Regional CEO, I&M Group Plc said: “We believe that Mr. Benjamin Mutimura is the right leader to drive the delivery of the ambitious growth plans for our next cycle under our Imara 3.0 strategy. He has the requisite business experience and the drive to help us take I&M Bank Rwanda to the next level of growth and development. I thank Robin for the dedicated service and leadership he has provided to I&M Rwanda and the Rwanda Banking Industry and welcome the opportunity to tap into his deep experience elsewhere in the Group”.