Kinshasa, 22 July 2024 - The Rawbank Board of Directors, meeting on 6 April 2024, unanimously decided to appoint Isabelle Lessedjina as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with immediate effect. This decision comes at the end of Mazhar Rawji's term of office, when he was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Rawbank, and at the end of an approval process initiated by the Central Bank of Congo in early 2024. According to Rawbank's Board of Directors, Isabelle Lessedjina has all the qualities required to chair the Board of Directors.
Rawbank's directors said: : « Le conseil d’administration se réjouit du choix d’Isabelle Lessedjina, qui a contribué significativement aux travaux du conseil et de ses comités depuis 2020. Sa riche expérience au sein de grands groupes internationaux et sa connaissance approfondie de la gouvernance d’entreprise et de l’ESG constituent de solides atouts pour Rawbank, à l’heure où la banque entre dans une nouvelle dynamique. Isabelle Lessedjina et Mustafa Rawji formeront un tandem parfaitement complémentaire, au service du développement de Rawbank, dans une période particulièrement favorable pour la banque. »
Isabelle Lessedjina says : « I am delighted and honoured to take on the role of Chairman of the Board. On behalf of Rawbank, I would like to express our deep gratitude to Mazhar Rawji for his outstanding leadership during his tenure as Chairman, which has propelled the bank to unprecedented growth through his visionary guidance. I also warmly thank our shareholders and the Board of Directors for their confidence. I am particularly inspired by Rawbank's mission and growth potential, as well as its ongoing commitment to financing the Congolese economy and improving the lives of Congolese people. More than a bank, Rawbank is dedicated to these overarching goals. I look forward to working with all Rawbankers to contribute to the sustainable development of the bank in line with the highest standards of governance. ».
Following this General Meeting, the Board of Directors remains composed of 13 directors, including 6 independent directors.
Biography
Isabelle Lessedjina is an expert with over twenty years' experience in international finance. She holds an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the Institut d'Études Supérieures de Commerce (IESE Business School) in Spain, as well as a Master's degree in Financial Risk Management and a Bachelor's degree in Management from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. She began her career as a trader with Puilateco bank before becoming Treasurer of Virgin Express airline in Belgium. In 2003, she became Group Treasurer at Besins Healthcare Group, a privately-owned pharmaceutical company based in Monaco with offices in France, Thailand, Brazil and Belgium. In 2009, she became Associate Director at Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai.
In 2010, she was appointed Vice President Sales and Marketing of GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) in Ireland and Ghana as well as a member of the Executive Committee of GE Ghana, a position she held until 2015 when she was appointed Director in charge of Advisory, Innovation and Financing Solutions of ESSA Ltd in Mauritius. She was then recruited by Philips Capital in the Netherlands as Director France, Iberia and Head of Structured Finance for Southern Europe & Africa. Since 2019, she has been Senior Vice President of The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), a development hedge fund.
Isabelle LESSEDJINA was appointed as an independent director of Rawbank in January 2020.
About Rawbank
For 22 years, with total assets of 5 billion dollars, Rawbank has been supporting the development of the Congolese economy. The leading bank in the DRC for 12 years, Rawbank offers the most modern products and services to its 500,000+ corporate, SME and individual customers through a network of more than 100 branches in 19 provinces of the country, a digital offering with illicocash, internet banking, and more than 250 ATMs.
Its work has been rewarded with the African Bankers Award 2022 and 2024 for the best regional bank in Central Africa, a Moody's CAA 1 rating, and ISO/IEC 20000 and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications. RAWBANK's partners include IFC, BAD, TDB, BADEA, Shelter Africa, AGF, etc.
The partners who have placed their trust in RAWBANK include : AfDB, AGF, IFC, BADEA, Shelter Africa and TDB.
For more information, visit our website: www.rawbank.com/en/
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