Business Times unveils the most outstanding Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Managing Directors of companies basing on milestones published in the media or shared in public spaces in 2022.
CEOs and Managing Directors make daily decisions of the institutions they lead, supported by an oversight role of the Board of Directors.
In no particular order, below are Business Times Uganda’s top 2022 CEO’s.
Uganda Baati Limited-George Arodi
Founded in 1964, Uganda Baati was the first company in the East African region to set up an ultra-modern Continuous Galvanizing line.
George is a graduate of the University of Nairobi with work experience spanning several years. He started his career with a flagship company within the Safal Group family, Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd (MRM) in Kenya, as an Exports Officer. For 17 years, He grew through the ranks, holding various positions, till he was appointed the Exports Manager in 2007. In 2011, he was privileged to work with another Safal Group company- Ethiopian Steel Ltd, as Head of Business and Director for a period of 6 years between 2011 and 2017 when he Uganda Baati.
Before coming to Uganda, George, among other regional roles, served as the Chair of the Ethiopian caucus of steel sector manufacturers. While in Kenya, he was among the first sitting Board members of the Kenya Shippers Council. He also chaired the sub-committee on Regional trading blocs within Kenya Manufacturers Association (KAM) and was also a member of the Trade and Tax Committee within KAM, which saw him play a critical role in the Kenyan private sector delegation during the negotiation of the EAC Protocol during the formation stages of the East African Community (EAC).
At Uganda Baati, amongst many other achievements, George is credited for leading the company’s transformation that has resulted in a 300% growth in profitability, over the past 5 years.
In 2022, UBL was a proud recipient of a number of awards in Uganda and across the region, including the latest people’s choice quality awards 2022, Best Roofing and steel company in Uganda, Consumer Choice Award-Roofing, and many more accolades.
NILE Breweries- David Valencia
Nile Breweries Limited on Decemeber 4,2020 announced the appointment of David Valencia as the new Country Operations Director for Uganda and South Sudan. Valencia joined Nile Breweries from AB InBev South Africa Business Unit (BU), where he was the Director Mozambique Sales & Route to Market Southern Africa for the unit. Valencia succeeded Thomas Kamphuis who was part of AB InBev for 15 years, three of which were served at Nile Breweries Ltd.
A citizen of the world, as he describes himself, Valencia has experience of 7+ years in the beer industry, most of which have been in Africa, with exposure to multiple markets. Valencia has a solid commercial, financial and international business background. Valencia effectively defended the Mozambican market against competitor entry, retaining over 93% market share, and transformed the sales team to high engagement & warrior mindset.
In May 2022, Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) officially announced that they shall maintain the prices of their beer despite the hardships and economic pressures faced by all businesses across the globe including those in Uganda.
The brewery said this was a deliberate move aimed at enabling their consumers to continue enjoying their products as they continue to cope with the economic hardships induced by COVID-19.
Airtel Uganda- Manoj Murali
Airtel Uganda has on October 28,2020 announced Manoj Murali as Managing Director and took over the mantle from VG Somasekhar who moved back to India to work with Bharti Airtel Group.
Manoj Murali has handled different roles and worked across geographies in India, the corporate and the international operations of Sri Lanka, Seychelles, and the Channel Islands. His most recent assignment was CEO of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Prior to this, he held other roles including Chief Operating (Executive) Officer in Rajasthan and Business head (Chief Operating Officer) in Andhra Pradesh, among other positions within the system.
Before he joined Bharti Airtel, Manoj Murali worked with Crompton Greaves, where he was responsible for managing and expanding the profit center operations of Karnataka state for the lighting business group.
Under Murali, Airtel Uganda launched Airtel Cares, an initiative that is dedicated to supporting communities, through digitizing Agriculture, Health and Education. The announcement was made today during the unveiling of a partnership between Airtel and EzyAgric that is intended to boost Agri-Business in Uganda.
Airtel’s partnership with EzyAgric, an Agric-Tech company, supported farmers in embracing the use of technology through mobile phones to have access to useful information on agricultural inputs, market access, insurance options, marketing and weather information among other elements that will decision making.
Total Energies Uganda-Phillipe Groueix
Philippe Groueix took over from Pierre Jessua on September 1, 2021 as the General Manager of TotalEnergies EP Uganda with one critical goal on his mind: commercializing Uganda’s oil resources by 2025.
Groueix who holds a Master of Science Degree in Electronics from ENSEEIHT-Higher Education Institute in France joined TotalEnergies in 1990 and is described as “a seasoned and highly skilled oil and gas professional with over 30 years’ experience within TotalEnergies.”
Groueix is recognized for having successfully and safely managed large development projects associated with complex operations including his recent assignments in Gabon, Indonesia, Bolivia and Denmark.
Prior to his assignment to Uganda, Groueix was Managing Director of TotalEnergies EP Denmark, a large operating affiliate in the North Sea with an ongoing US$ 3bn major redevelopment project of Tyra field.
Much earlier, he was the Managing Director of TotalEnergies EP Bolivia from December 2017 to March 2020. Before the Bolivia post, Groueix had worked for four years as Executive Vice President for the French affiliate in Indonesia. But it appears his biggest task will be unlocking Uganda’s petroleum resources.
In February 2022, the Final Investment Decision (FID) for Uganda’s oil and gas Projects by the Total Energies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda Limited, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) was signed.
The FID announcement signified the commitment of the oil companies to invest close to US$ 10 billion to develop Uganda’s oil and gas resources through the implementation of the Tilenga Project in Buliisa and Nwoya districts; the Kingfisher Project in Hoima and Kikuube Districts (approximately US$6-8bn); and, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) that will cross the ten (10) districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Gomba, Mubende, Lwengo, Sembabule, Kyotera and Rakai in Uganda
Uganda Breweries Ltd-Andrew Itambo Kilonzo
Kilonzo, has held several executive roles across Diageo, including previously serving as the Sales Director in Uganda at UBL from 2010 to 2013, driving a turnaround within the business during this significant period when new investment in UBL was just starting.
He was also the Commercial Director at Kenya Breweries Limited since 2016, where he leveraged cutting-edge technology tools to build efficiency and effectiveness.
As a result, KBL has received numerous Global awards on these initiatives and projects.
Prior to that, he served as Sales Director for the Premium Trade business in Kenya from 2013, where he led the spirits transformation by driving a robust IPS and reserve brands consumer participation.
Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) in July launched a self-service portal dubbed Diageo One to enable retailers to deal directly with beer distributors in their localities as well as enable its customers to buy UBL products directly from the company’s distributors.
According to UBL Managing Director Mr. Andrew Kilonzo, the eCommerce platform, Diageo One is a business-to-business (B2B) product, that will connect business customers to Uganda Breweries, distributors, brands, promotions, messaging, ordering, and delivery among many functions.
“We are looking to facilitate innovation that is going to make us convenient and efficient. Diageo One will provide retailers with a convenient way to purchase our wide range of brands at just a click of a button and have them delivered at their convenient locations at no additional cost,” he said.
Stanbic Bank Uganda-Anne Juuko
Anne Juuko is the Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Uganda. Anne has a wealth of experience in the financial industry with regional and global expertise in banking for over 20 years.
Ms Juuko has been at the Standard Bank Group for eight years since she joined Stanbic Bank Uganda as the head of global markets. In January 2018, she was appointed the head of corporate and investment banking at Standard Bank, Namibia, her most recent role.
Before joining Stanbic Bank Uganda, Ms Juuko led the fixed income, currencies, and commodities division at Citibank Uganda Limited. She later moved to Citibank Kenya as the head of customer sales and derivates marketing. She started her banking career in 2001.
Under her leadership, the first six months of 2022 presented a complex combination of “head and “tail” winds that considerably affected both the global and local economy but Stanbic Bank managed to deliver acceptable value for both customers and shareholders, recording 4.7% growth in Profit After Tax (from UShs 158 billion to UShs 162 billion), 8.8% growth in Customer Deposits (from UShs 5.7 trillion to UShs 6.2 trillion), and an increase from UShs 3.7 trillion to UShs 3.8 trillion in Loans and Advances to customers. Our performance reflects targeted positioning for the progressive recovery of the economy, balanced credit risk appetite, prudent cost management and substantive investment in technology for innovation (Flexipay)
Crown beverages Limited -Paddy Muramiirah
Crown Beverages Limited(CBL), Uganda’s oldest beverage company has now recalibrated its guns with eyes on winning a chunk of the lucrative bottled drinking water category.
Mr. Muramiirah was in 2016 appointed CEO succeeding Mr. Simon Lugoloobi. Mr. Muramiirah who joined CBL in 2005 as the Head of Operations has an extensive background in Mechanical engineering and also comes in with a wealth of experience having worked at different levels of management in a number of organisations including beverage industries.
In November 2022, CBL introduced a new brand of water- Aquafina. It is the first international water brand in Uganda. Besides Aquafina’s international repute as a PepsiCo product, the water’s other differentiator, according to Mr Muramiirah, lies in its high-quality process of purifying and bottling as well as its great consistent taste.
Aquafina joins CBL’s raft of other equally popular brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Mirinda Fruity, Mirinda Orange, Mirinda Pineapple, Mirinda Green Apple, Evervess Tonic, Sting Energy Drink and Nivana Water. Nivan comes in two varieties, namely i.e., still and sparkling.
MTN Uganda- Sylivia Mulinge
MTN Uganda’s new Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sylvia Mulinge has assumed office following the exit of former CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte, who was promoted to a regional executive role responsible for MTN Group’s West African markets.
Ms. Mulinge whose tenure in office commenced on 1st October 2022 becomes the first-ever female CEO at MTN Uganda, bringing with her a track record of executive business experience spanning close to over 20 years, 15 years of which is in the telecom industry, that will see her steer the continued growth and strategic progress of MTN Uganda.
Ms. Mulinge who has been serving as the Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom PLC since 2018, is credited for driving the company’s customer obsession strategy to deliver long-term shareholder growth as well as creating preference for the Safaricom brand.
Since joining Safaricom PLC in 2006, Ms. Mulinge served in various roles including Prepay Product Manager, Head of retail, Head of Safaricom Business – Sales, General Manager, Enterprise Business, and Director, Consumer Business.
She joins MTN Uganda nine months after listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange in December last year inheriting a business with a total subscriber base of 16.3 million subscribers reported as at June 2022
Bank of Uganda-Mr. Michael Atingi-Ego
H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni appointed Mr. Michael Atingi–Ego to serve as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda on April 23, 2020.Mr. Atingi-Ego, while on leave from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was the Executive Director of the Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa (MEFMI) from September 2018. MEFMI is a multinational capacity building institute based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Serving as Deputy Director in the African Department of the IMF since June 2008, he was instrumental in enhancing the effectiveness of capacity development; modernising monetary policy frameworks in developing countries; and improving macroeconomic statistics in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, he was deeply involved in the Fund’s work on data management across the institution besides providing strategic guidance to many IMF African country teams on program and surveillance work.
Having started his career at the BoU in August 1984, he advanced to the role of Executive Director Research. His research and publications focused on macroeconomic and financial policies and statistics. He was an eminent resource in capacity building and a consultant on monetary operations and balance of payments in east, west, and southern Africa.
Mr. Atingi-Ego holds a PhD in Economics from Liverpool University (1996), a MSc. Economics in International Economics and Banking from Cardiff Business School, University of Wales (1991), and a BSc. Economics from Makerere University.
The Uganda shilling has been stronger than expected, strengthening by 1.6 percent month-on-month in November 2022. The shilling strengthening has been supported by the tightening of monetary policy, the recent easing of global transportation costs, decline in the global commodity prices such as crude oil which somewhat eased the pressure on the deteriorating terms of trade, increase in workers’ remittances and foreign direct investment in the oil sector. The outlook on the exchange rate is dependent on global developments, particularly the pace of monetary tightening in advanced economies.
The domestic economy remains resilient to the current external shocks and is projected to grow in the range of 5.0-5.3 percent in Financial Year (FY) 2022/23 driven by improvement in agricultural productivity as a result of government interventions, investments in the oil sector, and a rebound in industrial activities according to BoU.
Housing Finance Bank- Micheal K Mugabi
Michael K Mugabi is a senior banker, commercial lawyer and a chartered secretary. He is the Managing Director of Housing Finance Bank, an indigenous bank whose purpose is to enable home ownership and financial independence. Michael has built the institution into Uganda’s 8th most profitable bank, the 9th largest by total income and lending and the 10th largest in assets and deposits.
Under his leadership, the Bank’s deposits have nearly doubled from the UGX 451.3 in 2018 to UGX 818 in 2021. It is expected to have hit the 1 Trillion mark in deposits in 2022. Michael has been at the forefront of the digital transformation at the institution that has birthed pacecetters like the Government Securities Online Portal that allows Ugandans invest on TBills and TBonds remotely. The Bank is in the late stages of digitizing the customer experience through continuous product innovations (predominantly in the afforfdable housing space) and business process reengineering.
He possesses over 20years experience most of which has been at HFB where he has served in various roles with excellence. Before being appointed as the MD, in November 2018, he served as the Executive Director, Company Secretary and Head Human Resources.
He also serves as the President of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda (ICGU)
World Vision Uganda -Jason Evans
World Vision launched a new five-year strategy for its Ugandan operations, which seeks to contribute to the improved and sustained well-being of more than 5.2 million vulnerable children across the country.
The strategy titled “Partnership and Collaboration for Greater Impact” prioritises food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, health and nutrition programmes to impact children and their communities. The new roadmap will integrate child protection throughout its implementation.
Inspired by the 35-year journey of transforming the lives of vulnerable children and their families, World Vision will achieve this through leveraging its global networks, local partnerships and expertise to fundraise over the five years —2021-2025.
Post Bank Uganda-Julius Kakeeto
Having been at the bank for close to two years, Kakeeto transformed PostBank into a full-fledged commercial bank.
He started his career at Ernst & Young before joining Citibank where he served in various capacities. He then joined Equity bank Uganda as Finance Director before joining I&M Bank Uganda (formerly Orient Bank) as the Director of Business Development. He was subsequently promoted to Executive Director and later Managing Director / CEO at Orient Bank.
He previously served as a member of the Governing Council of the Uganda Securities Exchange and is also the immediate past Council President of the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, a member of ICPAU and an alumnus of Manchester Business School where he obtained a master’s in business administration.
During this period he has overseen various changes and transformations in the bank that have led to the growth of the brand, balance sheet, improvement in profitability and the bank’s ascent to a Tier 1 (fully-fledged commercial bank). The changes have included restructuring the workforce, rolling out digital channels and driving customer penetration, upgrade of the core banking system, upgrade of the switch and opening new distribution touchpoints (Agents, branches, ATMs)
Finance Trust Bank Uganda-Annete Nakawunde Mulindwa
She holds a Masters in Business Administration majoring in Finance, a postgraduate diploma in Financial management and an honors degree in BA (Arts).
She has also attended a number of trainings including the Advanced Leadership training in Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania in USA, Coaching Program for Mission, Leadership and Performance By Creative Mether, Oxford, England, Women in leadership by Women’s world banking center for microfinance leadership, New York where she got the Financial Woman’s Association’s Women in Leadership Award for 2008, Balance score card training and Basic banking by Institute of Bankers.
She is passionate about women and youth empowerment, as well as ensuring best practice in banking and microfinance and creating value for customers. She is result oriented and an excellent team player with strong leadership qualities.
Marking its 38th anniversary, Finance Trust Bank moved its headquarters from the suburb of Katwe to TWED Plaza, Lumumba Avenue, Nakasero.
Annete Nakawunde, the bank’s managing director said that the unveiling of a corporate branch is a strategic move to reposition the bank for its next phase of growth.
“The decision to relocate our head offices is right because what you used be a microfinance customers have since grown to be corporates and they now deserve the service of being corporates,” Nakawunde said, noting that the previous location had turned inaccessible for the regulator, customers, and bank shareholders.
The bank, which has been in existence since 1984 has supported the growth of women-led businesses and now serves over 500,000 savers and 29,000 borrowers countrywide with a large network of 35 branches.
KCB Bank Uganda-Edgar Byama
Incepted in 2007, KCB Bank Uganda has for the last 15 years offered financial services via traditional and online banking channels with the aim of enabling access to timely financial services to the banks customers in Uganda and in the diaspora.
Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Edgar served as Executive Director for KCB Bank Uganda . He is a seasoned banker with over 18years working experience and has served in key leadership roles such as; Head of Treasury KCB Bank Uganda, Head of Treasury and Financial Institutions at Ecobank (U) Limited , Asset and Liability Manager (Global Markets Unit ) at Stanbic Bank Uganda , Unit head -Credit Risk Management at Citibank Uganda and Audit Senior at Ernst and Young.
Edgar has received Leadership trainings from Harvard University Senior Executive Programme for Africa . He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered, Certified Accountants (FCCA), holds an ACI Dealing Certificate (International Financial Markets dealing Certificate).
By October 2022, the bank boasted of an asset base of over Shs. 961,430,000 and over 40,000 customers, which success is greatly attributed to a committed team that has keenly served the bank over the years.
The growth registered influenced expansion to 14 branches, and necessitated the bank to innovate digital-driven banking solutions so that they extend banking services through channels like Online banking, Kaycee – Chatbot, the ATM Recycler Machine among others.
Umeme-Selestino Babungi
Selestino has previously served as Umeme’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), where he has been responsible for driving the Company’s business and financial strategy, leading to the overall growth in Umeme’s financial performance over the years.
Prior to his appointment as CFO, Selestino served in Operations as a Regional Manager and Credit Control Manager, gaining a deep understanding of the Electricity distribution business and sector as a whole.
Selestino has also worked with Ernst & Young Uganda, providing audit and advisory services to clients in the private and public sector. He is a graduate of Statistics, a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (UK)(FCCA) and a Certified Public Accountant – Uganda (CPA).
According to Uganda’s major hydro power supplier financial results for the first 6 months of 2022, the total electricity sales increased by 9% to 1.875 GWh amidst a reduction in energy losses to 17.1% as compared to 17.9% for 2021, as power consumption in the domestic, commercial, medium and large Industrial consumer segments posted double-digit growth.
Even with a tough economic situation that was partly induced by COVID-19 and other deterrent factors, Umeme managed to record an impressive boost in demand for its services. In the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment, the electricity sector proved very resilient and posted a 9% increment in energy demand. This was a result of the reopening of the economy in January of 2022.
Consequently, electricity sales to customers increased by 3.2% to Ush876.4 billion in comparison to Ush849.2 billion in 2021.
The company’s operating profit grew by 21% to Ush100 billion as compared to Ush82 billion in 2021 driven by performance on gross profit and operating costs.
Next Media Services- Kin Kariisa
In 2008 Kariisa turned CEO of NBS Television, currently one of the famous television networks in Uganda after taking it over from the then owner Nathan Igeme Nabeeta, former Jinja East MP.
He grew it into Next Media Services, a multimedia company that runs two television stations, NBS and Sanyuka Televisions, NXT Radio former Jazz FM in 2018, an online news portal the Nile Post, digital communications agency and productions houses that’s Next Communications & Next Production.
Kariisa is the current Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, an umbrella industry association for all Television, Radio and Online broadcasters in the country.
Standard Chatered bank-Sanjay Rughani
Mr Sanjay Rughani is the Standard Chartered Bank Uganda CEO, a position he has held since June 2022.
Sanjay has a career spanning over 20 years in banking across Africa, Asia and Europe. He has worked in senior roles in the UK, Kenya, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone with responsibilities overseeing the operations in Standard Chartered Bank business in India and Africa. His most recent role prior to his appointment was Standard Chartered Bank, Tanzania.
He is recognised for driving significant business transformation. In his role as CEO, he won significant accolades for his position and through his strong leadership representation with different important thought leadership forums.
Sanjay is currently the Chairman for Professional Accountants in Business Advisory Group (PAIB AG) of International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
His personal credentials and qualifications include being a chartered accountant through NBBA Tanzania, MBA in finance, a fellow of institute of information management (Nigeria), Management post-graduation in HRD and Bachelor of Commerce.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority- Fred Bamwesigye
On May 05, 2018, Bamwesigye was appointed the Authority’s Deputy Director General. Prior to that, he had served as the UCAA Director Human Resource and Administration from February 2009.
Before joining UCAA, Bamwesigye had worked with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and as Legal and Human Resource Manager with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
He is an experienced aviation management professional with competencies in Senior Civil Aviation Management, managing Aviation Policy and Regulation, Transport Economics and managing Airport Operations and Air Navigation Services, all attained from the Singapore Aviation Academy. His experience in corporate Management and quality Assurance spans over 25 years of service.
Bamwesigye is an advocate of the High Court of Uganda with a Master of Arts in Development Studies (specializing in Human Resources Management) from the Hague School of Development Studies in Netherlands. He also holds a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Manchester, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University.
After a precipitous drop in traffic in March 2020 passenger traffic into and out of Uganda responded well to the reopening of the economy with numbers for May trending above the African average of 74%.
Passenger traffic through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport reached 89.7% of pre-pandemic levels during May, reflecting the stead recovery in airline schedules as travel restrictions ease for Ugandans. Monthly data by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority CAA, showed that 125,933 international passengers passed through the facility during May 2022,
National Water and Sewerage Corporation- Dr Eng Silver Mugisha
In August 2013, Dr.Eng. Silver Mugisha was appointed the Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Uganda – a public utility that is 100% owned by the Government of Uganda. Since his appointment in 2013, Dr Eng Silver Mugisha has led the Corporation with passion, inculcating strong work ethic, high level of professionalism, fostering a positive service culture and a united leadership approach that has enabled the corporation achieve high organisation performance and international recognition. At the time of his appointment, the Corporation was at cross roads with a good historical performance record and the increasing demand for services. Under his strategic leadership, NWSC changed the Corporation’s strategic focus and launched the first ever Five Year Strategic Direction (2013-2018 rolled over to 2018-2021), that provides the Corporation’s outlook and key strategic interventions taking into account the wider stakeholder expectations, policy directions and competitive environment.
Dr. Mugisha holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Economics of Makerere University, Uganda. His PhD research, which was carried out in collaboration with PURC of University of Florida, USA focused on areas of performance monitoring, incentive design and productivity analysis. He was previously a Chief Manager in charge of Institutional Development and External Services at the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
In 2022, NWSC celebrated 50 years of existence. The body which now boasts of 900,000 connections serving approximately 18 million people, was established by Decree No. 34 of 1972, to operate and provide water and sewerage services in areas entrusted to it by the Government, on a commercial and financially viable basis.
During the celebrations, President Yoweri Museveni anuagrated a total of seventy-five (75) completed projects focused on improving water supply and extending supply to new areas.
They include among others; Lwengo Water Supply Project, Adjumani Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Kampala Network Restructuring & Rehabilitation, Improvement of Water Supply and Sanitation Services in Informal Settlements, Mbale Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Mbarara Water and Sanitation Project, Masaka Water and Sanitation Project, Moroto Water Supply Project, Pakwach Water Production Augmentation, and Lira Water Supply Improvement Project.
Dfcu-Mathias Katamba
Prior to his appointment, Mathias Katamba served as the Managing Director of Housing Finance Bank, a position he held for the last five years. He also previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Finance Trust, now Finance Trust Bank, for a period of five years and has held several other senior positions in the Financial services sector.
Mr. Katamba has over fifteen years experience in the Banking and Financial services sector, twelve(12) of which have been at C-Suite level. Mathias holds a Masters of Science in Financial Management from the University of East London, UK, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Greenwich and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. He has also attended several advanced executive leadership trainings
Under Katamba’s leadership, dfcu has come up with several innovations aimed at serving customers better. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, dfcu posted good financial performance in the first half of 2021 with consolidated net profit after tax increasing by 33% from Shs29.1billion in June 2020 to Shs38.8billion in June 2021. The upside in profit performance was attributed to 23% growth in net income. Under its umbrella campaign dubbed ‘Banking at the Speed of U!’, the bank announced a new enhancement to its digital services, with the introduction of Cardless Deposit Functionalities across the country. With the new service, both dfcu and non-dfcu customers are able to make free cash deposits into any dfcu Bank account using dfcu ATMs countrywide. The development followed the bank’s recent replacement of its ATM fleet with new Smart ATM recyclers, which in addition to cash withdrawals and statement provisions, accepts card and cardless deposits from customers.
Uganda National Oil Company-Prosovia Nabbanja
UNOC CEO, Proscovia Nabbanja, bagged the ‘CEO OF THE YEAR’ award at the African Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa which took place from October 18th to 21st 2022.
Proscovia has 19 years of experience in oil and gas industry. Formerly served as a Principal Geologist in the Petroleum Exploration & Production Department under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. She headed the Technical Division and was at the forefront of reviews of technical proposals especially field development plans and petroleum reservoir reports.
She headed the estimation and reporting of the oil resources and reserves in the country, field operations monitoring and management of petroleum data.
She has sat on a number of inter-ministerial committees and also worked on a number of Donor funded programs such as Oil for Development and USAID. Proscovia holds a BSc (Chemistry, Geology) -MUK, MSC Petroleum Geoscience- Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, DIC, Dip Petroleum Management and Operations, MBA-Imperial College Business School.
With nearly 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Proscovia Nabbanja was recognized for handling the Government of Uganda’s commercial interests with the utmost professionalism and innovation within the petroleum sector, while ensuring that the country’s resources are exploited in a sustainable and profitable manner.
Leading African energy players, companies and projects were also recognized during the Awards. The UNOC CEO, Proscovia competed alongside the leadership of industry giants like Sonangol Group, Perenco, Sasol Ltd, Nigeria LNG, Siemens, and Britannia to emerge the winner.
Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary- Ramathan Goobi
Ramathan Ggoobi is a Ugandan Policy Analyst, a political economist who spearheaded the arm ‘economics that works in Uganda’, economics lecturer, author, consultant and the current Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance.
Ggoobi co-authored several studies on Uganda’s economy. He has lived his dream as an economics teacher and is so passionate about imparting and sharing knowledge with others, particularly the young generation.
He tried to change the economic face of Uganda from a complicated and mathematized discipline to user-friendly. Ggoobi says at school, economics appears to be like rocket science, the way it’s taught yet it deals with real-life which would have been embraced by everybody.
Electricity Regulatory Authority-Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako
Established in 2000, ERA is a statutory body mandated by the Electricity Act, 1999, to issue electricity Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Sale and Import Licenses, set License conditions and ensure compliance to License conditions by Licensees. ERA is also mandated to establish a tariff structure, approve rates of charges among other functions.
Eng. Waako is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Electricity Regulatory Authority, a position she assumed on 23rd March 2017. Her position involves providing strategic direction to the ERA Secretariat to ensure that the organization effectively delivers on its mandate efficiently.
She possesses over 30 years of work experience in and vast knowledge of Uganda’s Electricity sub-Sector, 15 of which have been at Senior Management Level. She holds a MSc. and BSc. Electrical Engineering, both from Makerere University, and a Master of Business Administration in Leadership from Walden University, USA.
Committed to ensuring a sustainable Electricity Supply in the country, ERA has over the years raised Uganda’s flag in the energy sector for the landmark achievements not only in the great lakes region but at a continental level.
Not surprising, the fourth consecutive year in 2021, Uganda’s electricity sector emerged the Africa’s best regulated across a number of key metrics, according to the African Development Bank’s 2021 Electricity Regulatory Index.
Uganda topping the rankings consecutively for four years came as no surprise to many, as ERA spends significant time on consultation and analysis, including regulatory impact assessments of key interventions and follow-through to ensure full implementation.
Absa bank Uganda-Mumba Kalifungwa
Mumba Kalifungwa, the Managing Director at Absa Bank Uganda is one man who has scaled the corporate ladder, in the truest sense of the word. He rose from being an Audit Manager at what is now Grant Thornton in Zambia and in 2002 crossed over to Government, working his way to become a Senior Revenue Accountant at the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).
He, in September 2005, joined Barclays (now Absa) Zambia as Finance Manager/Deputy Finance Director. By September 2012, he had risen to become Executive Director, Finance at the same bank. After 2 and a half years in that role, in July 2015, he would move to Absa Bank Botswana as the Chief Finance Officer. It is from here, that he, in April 2020, was promoted and moved to Uganda, to head Absa Bank Uganda, one of the country’s five largest banks.
Absa Bank reinforced its position as one of the leading banks in Uganda after a record year that saw them hit a profit mark of over sh100billion for the first time. Absa Uganda financial results for the year ending December 2021 show a rise by 169% of Profit After Tax.
Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a challenging economic environment, Absa Uganda were able to turnaround the profitability of the business after a dip in 2020. They increased revenue by 15.4% to Sh365 billion and growing profit after tax almost three-fold year on year closing at sh110 billion, up from Sh41 billion posted the previous year.
Toyota Uganda-Thomas Pelletier
Thomas Pelletier is the Managing Director of CFAO Motors Uganda, a company with 4 business locations and 200 employees, and the country delegate for CFAO Group in Uganda.
He has over 25 years’ experience in the automobile industry in Africa, having worked in various positions in France, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and now Uganda. He has been a French Trade Advisor since 2004. He was the Country Delegate/Chairman of the Board of Directors of CFAO GHANA LIMITED between 2004 and 2012 and became the President of the Ghana Automobile Distributors Association. He also served on the Board of Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Ghana. Prior to his transfer to Uganda in 2021, he was the
country delegate of CFAO Group in Nigeria (Mobility, Healthcare, Consumer Goods), head of the mobility Division in Nigeria, Managing Director of Massilla motors and Managing Director of CFAO Nigeria Ltd.
Present in Uganda since 2005, Toyota Uganda Limited announced a name change to CFAO Motors Uganda. CFAO Motors Uganda is a subsidiary of CFAO Automotive, a division of CFAO Group, which is owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation.
CFAO Motors Uganda is the exclusive manufacturer authorized distributor of brand new Toyota vehicles and genuine parts in Uganda with a network of 4 branches and 3 authorized service centres across the country.
In effect the name change is more representative of the full range of mobility solutions offered by CFAO Motors Uganda in addition to the exclusive distribution of new Toyota vehicles in Uganda.
CFAO Group has a presence in 39 countries in Africa with a diversified business portfolio covering mobility, healthcare, infrastructure and consumer goods.
Boasting of revenue of over €5.8 billion 87% of which is in Africa, CFAO Group has over 21,000 employees, 170 years of hands-on knowledge and local expertise and 158 operating subsidiaries.
EACOP-Martin Tiffen
EACOP is being constructed in parallel with two upstream development projects which are not part of EACOP development and investment, known as Tilenga and Kingfisher respectively. Each development will consist of a Central Processing Facility (CPF) to separate and treat the oil, water and gas produced by the wells. Kingfisher will have 4 well pads and a CPF with a peak daily capacity of 42000 bbl/d. Tilenga has 31 wellpads and a 204000 bbl/d CPF.
The pipeline route via Tanzania was confirmed in April 2016 at a summit with the East African Heads of State. In the period 2016-2018 the EACOP route was studied and narrowed down to its final width of 30 metres, allowing to then initiate land surveys and the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.
This EACOP will be designed, constructed, financed and operated through a dedicated Pipeline Company with the same name. The shareholders in EACOP are affiliates of the three Upstream joint venture partners (the Uganda National Oil Company, TotalEnergies E&P Uganda and CNOOC Uganda) together with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation. Shareholdings are TotalEnergies 62%, UNOC and TPDC 15% each and CNOOC 8%.
Hima Cement-John-Micheal Pons
In 2019, Mr. Jean-Michel Pons, who joined the company from LafargeHolcim Moldova. Pons replaced Mr. Nicolas George, who was with Hima Cement since February 2018.
Pons, who was with LafargeHolcim Group since 2011, has worked in Russia, Serbia, Algeria, France and more recently Moldova.
UBA-Kenneth Kisambira
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Uganda Limited has appointed seasoned banker, Kenneth Kisambira as their executive director- business.
Kisambira who has been the bank’s head of corporate and commercial banking, has also been inducted to the UBA board, as non-executive director
He started his banking career at Barclays Bank (Now Absa Uganda) in 2008 as a relationship manager, corporate banking.
Prior to joining UBA in 2021, Kisambira had served at Standard Chartered Bank Uganda and Orient Bank Uganda as relationship manager, large local corporates and head of corporate banking respectively.
Centenary bank-Fabian Kasi
He joined Centenary Rural Development Bank in August 2010 from FINCA Uganda, where he had served as Country Director (2002-2010). During his time at Finca, net profits grew from Shs22bn per year to Shs56bn and, credit extended to public went up by 80 percent by end of 2012, while client numbers grew from 900,000 to 1,300,000. Finca’s loan book expanded from Shs21bn from Shs4.5bn, with portfolio at risk of only 2%.
After five years at the helm of Centenary Bank, the bank’s performance portrayed it as the second most profitable bank. In 2015, its customer deposits grew by 17.5% above the industry average of 12.1%. The Bank’s strength is in provision of financial services especially microfinance to the unbanked and those often considered to be at the peripheral.
Under Kasi, Centenary Group, the holding company of Centenary Bank, Uganda’s second largest bank, has made its first foreign acquisition of a financial entity by the purchase of MyBucks, a bank incorporated in Malawi. At the end of 2021, the bank’s assets were worth USh4.8trn ($1.26bn). The bank recorded profit of USh211.5bn in 2021, a 31% increase from the previous year.
The group, together with the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe acquired 100% stakes in MyBucks Banking Corporation of Malawi, whose proprietor MyBucks S.A. was placed into bankruptcy in December 2021.
Vivo Energy Uganda- Johan Grobbelaar
Mr. Johan Grobbelaar was on November 9,2021 appointed Managing Director of Vivo Energy Uganda replacing Gilbert Assi, who was appointed Vivo Energy Guniea Managing Director.
Johan joined the Vivo Energy group Group in 2013, and was most recently Regional Project Manager. He was previously Managing Director, Vivo Energy Zimbabwe and prior to that Managing Director Vivo Energy Namibia. Since joining the Group he has been instrumental in driving growth.
The Uganda Revenue Authority named Vivo Energy Uganda, the marketer and distributor of Shell fuels and lubricants, as the “Top Revenue Generating Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)” in 2022.
AEO is a regional trade facilitation programme recommended by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to ease trade and customs clearance for tax-compliant importers and exporters. AEOs are businesses certified by customs administrations to do self-assessments in compliance with customs rules, under the World Customs Organisation supply chain security standards.
Vivo Energy Uganda, which enrolled under the AEO Program in 2019 and was recognized as leader in the financial contribution to Uganda Revenue Authority tax contribution to the tune of Uggx1.2t to date.
FINCA- James Onyutta
James Onyutta is the Managing Director of FINCA Uganda Limited (MDI). As Managing Director, James leads an Executive Leadership Team focused on FINCA’s vision to build a network of sustainable and scalable social enterprises that improve lives. Under his leadership, FINCA Uganda is empowering its customers through access to sustainable financial solutions.
Prior to joining FINCA Uganda, James was the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Musoni Kenya Limited, the world’s first institution to provide a cashless/branchless banking concept. He was in charge of supervising the institution’s transformation to a paperless, cashless, and data-driven microfinance banking model, establishing it as a pioneer in financial services innovation in the Kenyan market.
UNRA-Allen Kagina
After transforming Uganda’s tax authority, Allen Kagina joined the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to revitalise the organisation and tackle corruption.
Kagina previously served as Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) from 2004-2014. She is credited with turning around the performance of the tax body and has been recognised by a number of institutions, including the Parliament of Uganda, for transforming URA into a reputable Government organisation.
Major institutional reforms have laid the foundations for a new era for UNRA, characterised by transparency, efficiency, and improved service for the Ugandan people. With the fruits of the restructure and reforms emerging, UNRA is keen to focus on the substantial task of paving the country’s 145,000km of roads and accommodating the burgeoning oil and gas sector.
Huawei Uganda -Jean Gao
In May 2022, under Gao’s leadership Airtel Uganda joined Huawei Uganda and the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance in a campaign to improve Uganda’s service delivery, social and economic transformation through offering quality and affordable ICT services.
This was executed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was launched between Huawei Uganda and the Ministry of ICT on 19th May 2022 in the National Innovation Hub at Uganda Institute of Communications Technologies (UICT), Nakawa.
The MOU will see an establishment of the Huawei ICT Academy at the UICT. This MOU will provide adequate skills, training and certification courses such as 5G, A.I, Cloud, Security, Data communications and others that are required by employers to UICT students and ICT officers.
Jubilee Allianz Insurance-Paul Kavuma
Paul Kavuma was appointed the CEO of Jubilee Allianz General Insurance Company Limited Uganda, effective April 04, 2022.
He replaced Deepak Pandey, who will stay with the company until April 30, 2022 after which he will take up a new role in the Jubilee Group, the minority shareholders of Jubilee Allianz Uganda, while serving as a Director on the Jubilee Allianz Uganda Board.
Kavuma has extensive experience in the insurance industry, having worked for over 24 years in both the insurance and broking sides of business. Prior to joining Jubilee Allianz Uganda, Paul was the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Insurers Association since 2018. He also worked with AIG Insurance and AON Insurance Brokers in Uganda for over 9 years before serving as the Chief Operating Officer and later the Deputy Managing Director of Goldstar Insurance.
Movit Products-James Bisase Ssegawa
Movit Products, scooped the Consumers Choice Award 2022 as the: Best Manufacturer of Personal Care, Body, and Hair Care Products in Uganda.
Commenting on the achievement shortly after receiving the award, Mr Segawa attributed the victory to consumers who have contributed to business resilience in tough times.
“Regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic that slowed down business, we managed to ensure business continuity with immense support from consumers, he said adding that for over 23 years in the business, our consumers have always been at the heart of everything we do and all our products are designed to meet their needs which explains this victory.”
“We are pleased to have been recognised for our strong consumer centricity. It is indeed very heartening to see our efforts bear fruits and we are looking forward to nurturing brand love through many more impactful and unmissable innovations,” he said.
I&M Group – Kumaran Pather
Kumaran Pather, the Managing Director and CEO at I&M Bank Uganda. He joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in January 2020 as Managing Director. He is a seasoned banking executive with experience in Retail Business Banking spanning over two decades across seven countries. He is reputed with building winning Banking strategies that have led to transformative business performance throughout his career. He was most recently the Retail Business Banking Director at Barclays Uganda.
Kumaran, started his banking career in South Africa before he moved to Botswana as Barclays’ Retail Director. He then took on the role of Head of Retail Sales at BMI Bank in Bahrain and would later serve as General Manager, Retail Banking Services at Teba Bank in South Africa. He returned to Barclays as Retail Business Banking Director, serving in Mozambique, Tanzania, and most recently, Uganda.
I&M Group PLC officially launched its rebranded operations in Uganda today, following its acquisition of Uganda’s Orient Bank Ltd on 30th April 2021. The Ugandan bank will now operate as I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited and adopt the Group’s vibrant corporate logo and colors.
The Nairobi-based financial Group announced that the rebrand comes after the I&M Group’s successful acquisition of a 90 percent shareholding in Uganda’s Orient Bank Ltd earlier this year.
I&M Bank Uganda builds on 28 years’ uninterrupted legacy of Orient Bank based on trust and personalized banking. This legacy fuses into I&M Group Plc’s 48-year legacy that has seen the group rise to over USD3.6 billion (UGX12.5 trillion) in assets as of 31st December 2021.
Coca Cola Beverages Uganda-Conrad Van Niekerk
Conrad was appointed the Coca Cola Beverages Africa managing director for the central region covering Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana. He however sits in Uganda.
Under his regime,CCBA’s Ugandan subsidiary, officially changed its name to Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda Limited (CCBU) in 2022, after the consolidation of its bottling subsidiaries through the amalgamation of Rwenzori Bottling Company Limited and Century Bottling Company. Through these bottling companies CCBU has a 24-year track record in Uganda.
Investing in Uganda, CCBA commissioned a US$10 million Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water manufacturing line in 2019 at its Namanve site, which produces 24 000 bottles per hour.
In Uganda, CCBA owns and runs a recycling plant called Plastic Recycling Industries (PRI) under Rwenzori Bottling Company. PRI is the leading plastics collection and recycling operation in the country and the only one owned and run by a bottler.
Roofings Group- Dr Sikander Lalani
Born in Kampala in 1944 and trained as a histopathologist in London in 1960s, Lalani’s love for steel seem to have made him leave medicine to deal in steel products.
Indeed, in 1970s, he opened his first retail electronic shop, followed up with a roofings material plant in Kigali Rwanda.
However, he abandoned the Rwandan business when genocide erupted in 1994 and headed for Tanzania. However, due to long bureaucracy to set up a similar investment in Tanzania, he switched his plans to Uganda.
Since then, with the help of World Bank and syndicated loans, the entrepreneur has rapidly built a steel-manufacturing conglomerate in Uganda, generating US$US$60-70 million per year in exports, and with more than 1,500 employees.
These include; Roofings Limited (1994), Roofings Rolling Mills (2009), and Roofings Polypipes (2010) – producing wide range of steel products in East and Central African region.
The Group is vertically integrated in that it produces materials that are used within its establishment and other companies in the region for the production of finished products.
With total investments worth more than US$275million, the group produces a wide range of value added steel products to the tune of 200,000 MT per annum.
On 12th November 2022, Roofings in conjunction with Uganda Sickle Cell Rescue Foundation carried out free sickle cell screening and training on home care management of sickle cell disease. The event took place at Lions Club, Tororo. 351 people were screened, and over 500 people were trained on how to manage patients suffering from sickle cell disease. Close to 2,000 people have been screened and over 3 million reached with awareness messages since the campaign started in August 2022. We are strengthening the nation by building healthy communities.
KPMG-Edgar Isingoma
Edgar Isingoma has over 15 years’ experience leading development programmes in Eastern Africa. He is currently a partner leading the KPMG Advisory practice in Rwanda and Uganda. Edgar has led the IDAS practice’s work in Rwanda over the past decade, in providing technical assistance and capacity building services to staff of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). Under his leadership the programme realised increased audit coverage from 60% in 2008 to 82% in 2016 with OAG staff beginning to be able to conduct and finalize less complex audits independently, from NIL in 2008 to 84 audit reports in 2016.
Edgar’s expertise also extends to fund management, having led KPMG’s engagement with the DFID-funded Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) and Financial Services Inclusion Programme (FSIP) in Uganda. In this role he helped establish the two financial inclusion focused programmes and transition them into the successful independent entities that they are today. Edgar also specialises in due diligence and pre award assessments and has led the KPMG Uganda team in monitoring of the energy Sector in Uganda on behalf of the Norwegian Government, in addition to helping carry out value for money reviews of World Bank funded projects in Uganda and Ethiopia.
He has seen billions of dollars invested on the continent over his 20 year career as a financial analyst and consultant and during this time, he has become convinced that development projects succeed most when investments are made in the capacity of people.
KPMG East Africa’s regional expansion came in 1995 with the setting up of offices in Dar-es-Salaam and Kampala. The Uganda firm serves over 180 clients and more than 150 professional and support staff providing the full range of services across our major service lines of: Audit, Information risk management, Public sector reform and privatization and Aid and development. KPMG’s practice in Uganda provides the full range of IDAS services, including project design, managing competitions, risk and compliance, fund management and impact evaluation and reporting.
This includes services and standard approaches that are tailored to meet both the international standards and circumstances specific to Uganda. The firm is therefore well placed to carry out any assignment, given its experience and presence in the region and more so in the Ugandan economy.
The IDAS practice has robust experience in Uganda, having managed a number of projects over the years, including: the Norway-funded Uganda Power Sector Project, which worked with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA); the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL); The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development; the Norwegian Embassy in Kampala and individual consultants engaged by both REA and UETCL. Other programmes include the DFID-funded Financial Services Inclusion Programme (FSIP) Uganda, the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, and the Food Market Eastern Africa.
Petroleum Authority of Uganda-Ernest Rubondo
If there is anybody in Uganda who knows Uganda’s oil and gas story, that person is Ernest Rubondo. Having completed his MSc in Petroleum Reservoir Geology at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London in 1990, he worked briefly with Scott Pickford Plc, a UK oil and gas consulting company and returned home to work for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) as one of the pioneers in the newly set-up Petroleum Exploration and Production Department (PEPD). For nearly 30 years, he would work in PEPD, rising to become its Commissioner between 2008 and 2014. In 2015, he was appointed Director of Petroleum in the Ministry until 2016, when he was appointed by the Board of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda as the Authority’s first Executive Director.
In February 2022, Uganda signed the Final Investment Decision (FID) for Uganda’s oil and gas Projects by the TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda Limited, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).
The FID announcement signified the commitment of the oil companies to invest close to US$ 10 billion to develop Uganda’s oil and gas resources through the implementation of the Tilenga Project in Buliisa and Nwoya districts; the Kingfisher Project in Hoima and Kikuube Districts (approximately US$6-8bn); and, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) that will cross the ten (10) districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Gomba, Mubende, Lwengo, Sembabule, Kyotera and Rakai in Uganda.
According to Mr. Ernest N.T. Rubondo, Executive Director, Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), contracts worth US$ 6 billion for over 40 work packages for the Tilenga, Kingfisher and EACOP projects have been submitted by the licensees to the PAU for approval before award. “The Scope of companies being regulated by the Authority is increasing significantly to include world-class contractors who are setting up base in Uganda. Ugandans should therefore continue preparing for the direct and indirect opportunities that are now becoming clearly visible”, he said.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the private sector adversely, 2022 was a year of recovery after the reopening of the economy and while some companies were still struggling, others were resilient partly because their managers exhibited exceptional leadership ethos.
Contact Details
Email address: businesstimesug@gmail.com
Physical address: Martyrs Mall – Naalya, Kyaliwajala, P.O Box: 5433 Kampala, Uganda
Phone number: +(256) 757-024774
