Patience Mutesi

Patience Mutesi is the Managing Director of BPR Bank Rwanda PLC, a subsidiary of KCB Group and the second largest bank in Rwanda by assets, valued at US$ 697.9 Million in December 2022. BPR Bank is a strong retail, SME, and Corporate Bank that resulted from a successful amalgamation of the former Banque Populaire du Rwanda and KCB Bank Rwanda PLC. She took up this appointment on 1st February 2023. From July 2016 to the date of joining BPR, Patience was the Country Director of TradeMark Africa (TMA), an Aid-for-Trade Organization that aims at growing prosperity in Africa through increased trade. There, she oversaw delivery of a portfolio of trade facilitation projects in areas including trade infrastructure development, quality standards, ICT for trade, cross border trade, logistics, trade-related advocacy, export development and women in trade, contributing towards increasing intra-regional trade by eliminating barriers to trade and increasing private sector competitiveness. Prior to joining TMA, Patience enjoyed a 12-year career in banking and finance with Ecobank Transnational Inc, BCR Rwanda (now I&M Bank Rwanda) and Rwanda Micro Finance (now Letshego), where she was involved in structuring corporate finance transactions, product development and strategic planning. Patience has served as an independent non-executive director on the Boards of BPR Bank Rwanda PLC, MTN Rwandacell PLC, the largest mobile operator listed on the Rwanda Stock Exchange, and Rwanda Cooperation (RCI), the single window to Rwanda’s home-grown solutions that advocates for innovative development initiatives through South-South cooperation. She also served on the Advisory Council of One Acre Fund - TUBURA a non-profit social enterprise helping farmers to improve productivity. Patience is passionate about advancement of women and youth participation in social and economic development and is driven by her passion for family, strong communities, her country, and Africa. Born in Kenya, educated in Uganda and moving to Rwanda to start her career in 2004, Patience considers herself a true East African. She has an MBA in Finance from Maastricht School of Management and a BSc. in Quantitative Economics from Makerere University Kampala. She is an Eisenhower Fellow, 2020 Women’s Leadership Program.