Lina Higiro, Chief Executive Officer, NCBA Bank Rwanda and Emmanuella Nzahabonimana, Head of Information Technology at KCB Rwanda have been ranked among top 10 women increasingly becoming influential in the regional finance scene.

The inaugural ranking by The Kenyan Wallstreet, a financial news media company and Kaleidoscope Consultants ranked top Women to Watch in Banking and Finance considering personalities steering and shaping the financial services sector.

Higiro’s approach to leadership has been fostering institutional growth through digital-led efficiency and staff engagement.

In her first years as Chief Executive, Lina consolidated operations, revised the business model and introduced new income and customer segments, resulting in a remarkable growth in operating income by 141 per cent, driven by a 163 per cent growth of the loan portfolio. 

Higiro was noted to have delivered key digitization and efficiency projects, which attracted new customers and grew the bank’s deposit base by 99 per cent ($21m to $41m) between 2019 and 2020; and mobile money customer base to represent 80 percent of Rwanda’s active mobile money users.

Prior to joining NCBA, she served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at AB Bank Rwanda.

Nzahabonimana is Head of Information Technology at KCB Rwanda, where she is responsible for directing the planning and implementation of IT systems in support of business operations in order to improve cost effectiveness, service quality, and business development.

Among her top achievements include the successful delivery of a USD 3 million project for new infrastructure, covering the core banking system and the bank’s primary and disaster recovery datacenters. This project was completed with a 10 per cent cost saving and within timelines, despite challenging requirements.

She is also a member of Techwomen Rwanda, an initiative connecting and supporting the next generation of women leaders in STEM through which she mentors and trains students in local schools.

The list attracted professionals from Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

The criteria included an assessment of the professionals’ area of responsibility and contribution to the firm’s performance.

 Professionals in Banking, Capital Markets, Insurance, Investment Banking, Fintech, Fund Management, Microfinance, and Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) were considered.