Beata Habyarimana is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BK Group PLC, the holding company with subsidiaries which include Bank of Kigali, BK General Insurance, BK Capital and BK TecHouse, among other interests.
The group announced the appointment on Monday, meaning that Habyarimana, who until July 30, was the Minister of Trade and Industry, will now be overseeing the group’s subsidiaries across the board. She was appointed to the docket in March 2021, replacing Soraya Hakuziyaremye who was also appointed Deputy Vice Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).
“BK Group Plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Beata Uwamaliza Habyarimana as the CEO of BK Group Plc effective 01st August 2022. The appointment was made following the resolution of BK Group Plc Board of Directors and is pending all regulatory approvals,” the group announced.
Following Habyarimana’s appointment, Marc Holtzman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BK Group Plc said that the group will benefit from the leadership of the economist who takes over the role from Dr. Diane Karusisi, who has been acting as both the CEO of the group since 2017 and as the CEO or Managing Director of Bank of Kigali -the main subsidiary of BK Group Plc.
“We are delighted to have appointed Mrs. Habyarimana as Chief Executive Officer of BK Group Plc. Her leadership and vast experience in the financial sector will be instrumental in driving the BK Group strategy and future growth ambitions. Beata will work closely with the CEOs of our 4 subsidiaries: Dr. Diane Karusisi, CEO of Bank of Kigali Plc; Alex Bahizi, CEO of BK General Insurance; Carine Umutoni, CEO of BK Capital and Claude Munyangabo, CEO of BK TecHouse,” the announcement adds.
Prior to the ministerial appointment, Habyarimana was the Deputy Managing Director of Bank of Africa and CEO of Agaseke Bank. She is an economist and financial advisor by profession, with over 19 years of experience in the financial industry in Rwanda, Africa and beyond.
Habyarimana a Master of Business Administration majoring in Finance, from Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands and a Bachelor’s degree in public economics from the University of Rwanda. At MINICOM, she was replaced by Dr. Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze as the new Minister of Trade and Industry.
