Jean Philippe Prosper has taken over from Marc Holtzman as the Chairperson, Board of Directors, BK Group Plc. Prosper, a former head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was appointed by the AGM 2023 on Friday.
BK Group Plc, which owns Rwanda’s biggest bank, Bank of Kigali, has announced the appointment of Jean Philippe Prosper as the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors, replacing long-serving Marc Holtzman, who had held the position since October 2015.
The appointment was made following the resolution of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of BK Group Plc Board held on 19th May 2023 and is pending all regulatory approvals.
Jean Philippe Prosper has been consecutively the IFC Vice President of Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean and the IFC Vice President of Global Clients services from 2013 to 2015.
Between 2008 and 2013, Prosper held the positions of IFC Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and IFC Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Speaking at the bank’s AGM, the BK Group Plc CEO, Beata Habyarimana, said that Prosper, a Haitian national, brings extensive knowledge and experience to the banking institution and will
“Jean Prosper, who was suggested as the chair, has extensive experience because he worked with IFC and World Bank for many years. He has occupied several leadership positions across the globe and excelled at what he does,”
“This is attested by the many awards and recognition he has earned over the years from across the globe, including the diversity and inclusion leadership award, among others,” Habyarimana said.
She pointed out that Prosper has worked in the region for at least 8 years, where he was heading IFC operations in East Africa, headquartered in Nairobi, which makes him a suitable candidate to fill Holtzman’s shoes.
Habyarimana added that Prosper has earned experience over the years in dealing with corporate finance institutions, understands investment trends on the globe and the continent, all of which will add value to the BK Group’s portfolio.
Before joining IFC, Prosper was the Regional Coordinator for Mexico, the Andean Countries, Central America, and Panama for the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) of the Inter-American Development Bank. Between 1986 and 1990, he worked at SOFIHDES, a private development finance company in Haiti, where he became Managing Director.
In addition, Prosper sits on several Corporate Boards as independent Director. Prosper holds a degree in Mathematics and Civil Engineering and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Monetary Economics.
Prosper is fluent in Creole, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish and has a working knowledge of Kiswahili.
Meanwhile Holtzman, outgoing BK Group Plc chair is headed to the Rwanda Capital Market Authority, as the chair of the Board of Directors.
Holtzman, one of the major shareholders of BK Group, exited the financial institutions board due to conflict of interest since the bank is listed on Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), which is regulated by the Rwanda Capital Market Authority.
