#24

Alice Kilonzo-Zulu

MD, ECOBANK RWANDA

Alice Kilonzo-Zulu is the Managing Director of Ecobank Rwanda. Prior to this, Alice was the Group Head of Trade Finance, responsible for product development and sales of the trade portfolio across the Ecobank Group. Prior to joining Ecobank in 2012, Alice worked with Citibank Kenya in various roles.

Her career in banking goes back to June 1995, when she took up employment with Citibank Kenya, as a relationship manager, serving in that capacity for over six years. She was then promoted to senior relationship manager, responsible for public sector enterprises, where she served for nearly two years, until 2003.

She was then promoted to vice president, corporate banking at Citibank Kenya, where she served for some three years. During that period, she served as a member of the Branch Credit Committee. Starting in January 2006, and for the next six and half years, Kilonzo served as director, heading trade finance for the bank’s customers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Alice was responsible for revenue growth and expense management of trade portfolio for East Africa, including Zambia. She also managed and provided leadership to a team of trade product managers across East Africa. Alice structured and executed standard and complex trade transactions while providing risk management of trade portfolio.

In 2012, she was head-hunted by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated to serve as a senior group manager responsible for trade finance and based in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and largest city, serving in that role for four and half years. In November 2016, she was appointed as a CEO and managing director of Ecobank Rwanda.

As the Managing Director, Ms Kilonzo is charged with leading and growing Ecobank’s business in Rwanda. Alice is responsible for creating and executing Rwanda country strategy focused on increasing revenue, planning and executing on business development activities, working with business and function heads to deliver on each country initiative, and managing the financial performance and growth of Ecobank’s revenue and Profit and Loss (P&L) in Rwanda.

Alice bears the responsibility for ensuring compliance with local legal and regulatory requirements and serves as the spokesperson for all Ecobank matters in Rwanda.

Kenya born Alice Kilonzo studied at the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom, graduating with a Bachelor of Art (BA) in Politics with International Studies. Later, she obtained a Master of Art (MA) degree in Economics and Social Studies from the University of Manchester. Alice is equipped with strategic skills including in business and transformational leadership.

Alice is listed at number 7 on the 2021 among the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa recognized by Reset Global People and Avance Media, awarded during the 2021/2022 African Women CEOs Summit.

The 2022/23 Africa Women CEOs Summit will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa. This award is in recognition and support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). This was the second list after the inaugural one in 2019.

This recognition throws the spotlight on African women leading various organizations across 21 countries in the continent. The organizations these 100 women CEOs continue to excel under their leadership and beyond the shores of Africa.

A recent McKinsey Global Institute study found that the global GDP could increase by $12 trillion by 2025 by advancing women’s equality. To be one of these women is an extraordinary achievement.