Absa appoints Nadine Byarugaba board chair

Absa has appointed Ms Nadine Byarugaba as the substantive board chairperson.
Before her appointment, Ms Byarugaba has been acting in the position for close to a year.

The appointment comes at a time when Absa announced the completion of a rebranding exercise from Barclays.
Ms Byarugaba, who has beeen part of the Absa (formerly Barclays) board since January 2016, replaces Mr Swithin Munyantwali, who vacated the position following his appointment to the Absa Group board as a non-executive director in September 2019.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Peter Matlare, the Absa Group deputy chief executive officer, said the bank was delighted to confirm Ms Byarugaba’s appointment, noting that her strategic leadership and seasoned knowledge of the banking sector was a good stead in the bank’s continued pursuit of becoming Uganda and Africa’s leading and trusted financial services company.

“I am confident that Byarugaba’s leadership will strengthen our resolve to deliver continued value to our customers and shareholders,” he said.

Ms Byarugaba holds a MBA from Herriot Watt University, Edinburgh. She is a seasoned banking professional with experience spanning over 25 years.

Besides Absa, Ms Byarugaba is also a board member of New Faces New Voices, a Pan-African Advocacy Group, under the Graca Machel Trust that focuses on expanding the role of women in the financial sector.

She is also a non-executive director at Uganda Reinsurance Company Limited (UgandaRe), the country’s first reinsurance company.
Mr Mumba Kalifungwa, the Absa Uganda managing director, said the bank will leverage on Ms Byarugaba’s experience to scale to greater heights.

“Ms Byarugaba, who brings with her a wealth of expertise in the financial services sector, will provide crucial strategic direction and oversight as we work towards delivering continued business growth and success for the bank for both our shareholders and customers,” he said.

[email protected]