Nick Barigye was appointed the new Group Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Ventures Ltd (CVL) on July 15, replacing Jack Kayonga, who has been at the helm of the investment holding company since 2022. CVL is a leading investment company and the largest private sector employer in Rwanda through its subsidiaries, including Inyange Industries, NPD Limited, ISCO Security, Real Contractors, and East African Granite Industries. The 48-year-old returns to CVL after leading, for the past six years, Rwanda Finance Limited, a company spearheading the development of Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC). KIFC is an initiative that seeks to transform Kigali into a regional financial hub capable of attracting foreign investments as well as encouraging the creation of highly skilled jobs in the sector. ALSO READ: Kigali up 14 spots in new global financial centres' index Prior to joining KIFC, Barigye was the Managing Partner of Karisimbi Business Partners, an Africa-focused investment and advisory firm from 2015 to 2019. Before then, he was the CEO of Mount Meru Soyco Ltd – a subsidiary of Mount Meru Group that manufactures cooking oil and soap. He has a long professional history with CVL from 2008 to 2014, where he served as Senior Investment Analyst, Group Operations Officer, and went on to work with different subsidiaries, including being the Finance and Administration Manager at Inyange Industries, and Deputy General Manager of NPD Ltd. “I am truly honored to return to CVL as Group CEO and to lead an organization that plays such a vital role in Rwanda’s transformation. I look forward to working with the team to build on this legacy of impact and innovation,” he said following the appointment. ALSO READ: Crystal Ventures Ltd, staff contribute Rwf200m towards COVID-19 fight The father of two is also the Board Chairman of Zigama Credit and Savings Bank and a Non-Executive Director of Green Hills Academy. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Strathmore Business School in Kenya and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the National University of Rwanda. CVL was established in 1995, initially under the name Tri-Star Investments Limited, with a mission to revive Rwanda’s economy post-Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, a period where the private sector and manufacturing industry were almost non-existent and the country struggled to supply even basic necessities. It was aimed at spearheading investments in various sectors, especially those with unexplored potential and high socio-economic returns.
