More women join the chief executive officers’ list

Jenifer Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines CEO

Jenifer Bamuturaki is the new Uganda Airlines chief executive officer, after being appointed on July 5. Prior to her appointement, she had been serving as temporary Ceo for more than a year after the airline suspended and later fired former Ceo, Cornwell Muleya over claims of corruption and mismanagement. Bamutuaki’s appointement was authorised by President Museveni on grounds that she was the best candidate to get the airline up and running. She has her work cut out by turning Uganda Airlines into the best and most trusted national carrier in the region, years after it was reinstated. Her experience that spans 30 years is something to count on. She has seen and done it all in the airline, hospitality and travel industries, including having a seven-year stint with Air Uganda on top of working as a country manager for the East Africa Airlines. It is also an opporyunity for her to bounce back after being frozen out of the airline in October 2019 before being appointed acting Ceo in April 2021. Bamuturaki has also won plaudits for being behind the inclusion of new routes such as Guangzhou, Dubai and London, among others that the national carrier will take.

Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo, CEO, Uganda Communications Commission

Irene Kaggwa boasts of a vast experience in the ICT sector across policy development, research, regulation and implementation in various aspects including Internet development, licensing, universal access, quality of service, numbering resource management as well as promotion of research and innovation.An engineer by profession, Sewankambo served as a director for engineering and communication Infrastructure at the Uganda Communications Commission, before she became Ceo. She holds a Master of Science in Communications Systems and Signal Processing from University of Bristol in UK and a Master of Science in Economic Management and Policy  from University of Strathclyde in UK. Her bachelor’s degree is in Electrical Engineering from Makerere University. Before this appointment, she was the head of research and development unit as well.

Mercy K. Kainobwisho, Registrar General, URSB

Kainobwisho is a lawyer, business administrator and corporate executive, who has served as the Registrar General and Executive Director of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (Ursb) since her appointment in  December 2020. Before taking on that role, she had served as the the director of intellectual property at Ursb. She is well-learned;  with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University, a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and was awarded a degree of Master of Laws by the University of Turin, Italy. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Makerere University Buiness School. With Kainobwisho at the helm of Ursb, a number of innovations have sprung up. The intellectual property (IP) and an online filing  system were put in place to enable the public file for IP protection remotely over the internet. The tool is used for receiving intellectual property applications for trademarks. The system enables IP rights holders with access to the Internet and file applications  from anywhere. Her journey to the top has seen her as a legal assistant at Shonubi Musoke & Company Advocates, a state attorney at Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, manager intellectual property at Ursb, director, business registration and director  intellectual property at Ursb.

Judy Rugasira Kyanda, MD-Knight  Frank Limited

Rugasira is a businesswoman, entrepreneur and real estate expert. She is the managing director of Knight Frank Uganda Limited. Knight Frank is a real estate agency and consultancy firm. Rugasira is one of those few women who have over the years managed to shape the real estate industry. She saw herself as a physiotherapist or a lawyer, but her father guided her into land management as a valuation surveyor. After being introduced to one of her father’s friends, Steven Bamwanga, who was at the time a parliamentarian, land valuer and surveyor, Rugasira got inspired and pursued a career, but first applying to the University of Reading, United Kingdom, which was and still is the most respectable university for Land Management globally. She graduated with honours in land management.She then joined Mason, Owen and partners, a firm of Chartered surveyors in Mayfair London. She came back to Uganda and worked with Bamwanga and later went back to pursue her Masters. After four years of working in Uganda, she was headhunted by Knight Frank to be their managing director in Uganda and that she has been since. She served as the vice president of Association Of Real Estates Agents(Area) Uganda, between 2012 and 2014. She was also the director Africa Real Estates Society (AFRES) and a member of Enterprise Group Uganda. In 2017, she was appointed head of the surveyors board.

Sylvia Mulinge, CEO -MTN Uganda

MTN Uganda announced Sylvia Mulinge as their latest Chief Executive Officer, replacing Wim Vanhelleputte who had been in charge since July 2016. Mulinge previously served as chief consumer business officer at Safaricom, an organisation she joined in 2006. She took on different roles such as general manager enterprise business unit, director consumer business unit, head of retail and head of sales. In 2018, Mulinge was appointed to lead Vodacom Tanzania, but failed take up the job after Tanzanian government declined to issue her with the work permit. Mulinge is credited for the Safaricom working hard towards achieving the mission of transforming lives of customers using technology as an enabler of positive change.  She is also known for  her contribution to the Safaricom’s  stout market position, based on sales, earnings and market value. She was also instrumental in establishing the company’s enterprise and fixed data silos. She has been described as an impact-driven business leader, with an impeccabble record whose experience will be beneficial to MTN as the teleco continues to pursue sole position in digital solutions for the continent.  Charles Mbire, Chairman of the Board of Directors at MTN is confident that Mulinge’s addition is a major boost.

Anne Juuko, CEO, Stanbic BankUganda

On March 1, 2020, Anne Juuko, became the first woman to lead Uganda’s largest bank . She  has since won various accolades notably the  ‘Best Woman CEO’ in Uganda’s Banking sector for the year 2021 Award  named by London based Global Brands Magazine standing out. She also won the Primary Dealer of the Year Award for six consecutive years. Juuko carries a wealth of experience in the financial industry with regional and global expertise in banking for 22 years and had been part of the Standard Bank Group for nine years before landing the Ceo job. She joined as head of Global Markets for Stanbic Bank Uganda and was later appointed head of corporate and investment banking at Standard Bank, Namibia. She kicked off her banking career in 2001 and worked in various roles before being appointed as vice president, head fixed income, currencies and commodities at Citibank Uganda Limited. She was later seconded to Citibank Kenya as vice president, customer sales and derivatives marketing. She later joined Stanbic Bank in 2012. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University  and a master’s degree in Strategic Planning from the Herriot Watt Business School in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her career is an admirable one in which she has aced every role assigned to her while showing exemplary performance and exceptional leadership.