Over 70 CFOs from across East Africa came together at Kigali Marriott in Rwanda for the much-anticipated launch of the CFO East Africa Rwanda Chapter.
The event kicked off with a welcome from co-founder and community manager KC Rottok Chesaina, who provided a progress report on the growth of the community in East Africa over the past 18 months of its existence. He explained that CFO East Africa brings finance executives together, boosting their knowledge, networks, and careers through down-to-earth engagement, world-class events, and engaging original content.
“Our community thrives with the support of partner organisations that share our vision. These partners gain a unique opportunity to connect with decision-makers in a neutral setting, fostering meaningful relationships. Everything we do is driven by a commitment to positively impact lives and careers, inspire organisations, and contribute to a stronger, more vibrant East Africa,” KC said.
A panel comprising Bank of Kigali CFO Anita Umuhire, East Africa Power CFO Shereena Wilson, Access to Finance Rwanda COO Allan Mugabi and former CFO of ContourGlobal David Wafula took the stage to discuss the benefit of a CFO community in uncertain times. The panel was moderated by the Managing Director of Executive Communities, Joel Roerig who set the tone on a light note by asking each CFO to share something surprising about themselves.
The panelists shared their experiences of taking part in communities and encouraged their colleagues to show up to upcoming events where they could benefit from super-charged levels of networking and storytelling by finance peers.
Brian Ngunjiri, a partner at PwC Rwanda, delivered the partner address, where he explained the firm’s reasons for supporting a networking platform for finance leaders.
“As proud partners of the CFO community in East Africa, PwC is committed to supporting a platform that fosters collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and leadership among finance professionals. We believe that strong financial leadership is key to driving sustainable growth and innovation, and this forum provides an invaluable opportunity for CFOs to connect, exchange insights, and shape the future of the industry in Rwanda and beyond,” Brian said.
ICPAR strategy director Julian Ingabire encouraged CFOs to support the upcoming Africa Congress of Accountants, which will be held in Kigali in the first week of May 2025.
A second panel hosted by KC discussed the changing role of the CFO. Liquid Intelligent Technologies CFO Shime Baligira, ICPAR Vice President John Bugunya and Admaius Capital Partners CFO Anita Kagenza, explored the need for CFOs to take charge of ESG implementation and finance transformation.
After a sumptuous dinner, the CFOs split into groups for roundtables led by KC and Joel, where discussions around the impact of technology on finance, stakeholder relations, business partnering and sustainability were held. The finance executives also discussed the need for a regional community, given the evolving role of the CFO and set the agenda for upcoming events.
In a historic conclusion to the night’s proceedings, the CFOs signed a declaration of support for the community. This was the fourth plaque endorsed in the region, following similar launch summits in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The event was sponsored by principal partner PwC and associate partners ALN Rwanda, GardaWorld Security, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR) and Yellow Card.
