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Speaking at the Friday, 28 June 2024 anniversary gala to market the I&M Group Plc’s 50th anniversary, held at the Kampala Serena Hotel, a confident Suleiman Kiggundu, the Board Chairman spoke of the financial Group’s great legacy and how I&M Bank Uganda has built on this legacy to lay a strong foundation in Uganda.
He underlined the roles played by the visionary founders, dedicated employees, amazing loyal customers, and supportive partners who in one way or another supported the bank’s “firm commitment to excellence” that “has propelled us to stay ahead of the curve, delivering exceptional value to our stakeholders while maintaining our position as a trailblazer in the banking industry”.
“We have consistently raised the bar and broken through what was accepted as the ceiling at times, and for that, we will unapologetically pat ourselves on the back,” he said, adding: “As we celebrate our golden jubilee, we rededicate ourselves to the principles that have defined us as an institution – a commitment to serving our customers with integrity, empowering our employees to excel, and making a meaningful difference in the communities we serve”.
At the gala, Robin Bairstow, the Chief Executive Officer, I&M Bank Uganda reiterated that, as the bank marks 50 years, it was both a moment to look back, but more importantly, to as well look “forward with optimism, determination, and a renewed sense of purpose”.
“It’s about reaffirming our commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and operational excellence as we continue to evolve and thrive in the ever-changing landscape of banking and finance,” he said.
Leading this transformation of the bank is a team of competent professionals with diverse experience across several management disciplines.
“They are driven by the passion to position the bank as a pacesetter in the banking sector,” reckons Robin.
Here below, we shine a light on the 13 executives at the helm of this mission.
Robin Bairstow
Chief Executive Officer
Robin Bairstow was appointed I&M Bank Uganda Chief Executive Officer in October 2023. Robin, who previously served as the CEO of I&M Bank Rwanda for 8 years, has a remarkable track record in the financial services sector with both domestic and international banking organizations. His journey in finance began with a solid foundation, graduating from the South African Merchant Naval Academy and furthering his education with a CIBM (SA) and a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Leicester. With over 30 years of senior banking roles across Africa and Asia, he held senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, BOE Bank, ABSA and Nedbank. Robin’s extensive experience and dynamic leadership were instrumental in his role as Chief Executive Officer of I&M Bank Rwanda which saw the Bank thrive, tripling its total assets to RWF 491.3 billion, and increasing pre-tax profits to RWF 13.4 billion, firmly establishing itself as a leading bank in Rwanda. Under Robin’s leadership, I&M Bank Rwanda was also successfully listed on the Rwanda Stock Exchange in 2017. We are confident that Robin’s proven capabilities will drive I&M Bank Uganda to new heights of success in the future.
Sam Ntulume
Executive Director & COO
Sam Ntulume joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in 2021. Sam has a working career span of 28 years in various sectors of the economy with 16 years of these being in the Financial Services Industry. He has a wealth of experience in Executive Leadership, Corporate Governance, Strategy & Innovation, Business Development, Mergers & Acquisition, Risk Management & Control, Compliance, Financial Management, Corporate Reporting, Operations & Information Technology and Transformation at Senior Management and Board level, having worked for both international and local institutions within and outside Uganda. Sam has held several Executive Management positions and was most recently the Executive Director, Finance & Strategy at NCBA Bank Uganda Limited. He served as Executive Director and subsequently as Managing Director of NC Bank Uganda Limited before the business amalgamation with Commercial Bank of Africa (Uganda) Limited. He also served in senior management roles at Stanbic Bank in both Uganda and Kenya, Total Uganda Limited and Uganda Revenue Authority. Sam holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the East & Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI) in Arusha; is a qualified Accountant (FCCA & CPA) and holds a Diploma in Business Studies (UDBS) from the National College of Business Studies, currently known as the Makerere University Business School. Sam enjoys supporting social transformation causes and coaching & mentoring young people during his spare time.
Timothy Musiime
Chief Financial Officer
Timothy Musiime is the Chief Financial Officer of I&M Bank Uganda. He has over 20 years of experience in banking, audit and assurance, manufacturing, commercial trade, treasury and corporate finance. Timothy holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University and a BSc in Engineering from Makerere University. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU). Timothy began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and then held key roles at Lafarge and Mantrac. He later served as the PBB Finance Manager at Stanbic Bank and the CFO of Mercantile Credit Bank. Timothy is on the 2023 cohort of the CEO Apprenticeship Program (CAP) facilitated by CEO Summit in partnership with Strathmore Business School, Nairobi.
Edward Gibson Nangono
Chief Business Officer
Edward Gibson Nangono is the Chief Business Officer, heading the Commercial Banking Department. Gibson has a Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, UK, a Diploma in Information & Communication Technology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Procurement & Supply chain Management from Uganda Management Institute and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree from Makerere University, Kampala. He has attended several leadership programs including; Absa Manager Excellence program at The Gordon Institute of Business Studies (GIBS), University of Pretoria, South Africa, 2019-2020, Barclays Africa Leadership Program at The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) London; 2018 and Finance for Non- Finance Managers; Johannesburg School of Finance, 2009. He has Fourteen years of expertise in business strategy formulation and development, business growth, governance and controls and works well with teams. Most recently, Gibson has been the Acting Corporate Banking Director at Absa Bank Uganda Limited in charge of driving strategy and business performance for the Corporate function. Before that, he performed different functions at Absa Bank/Barclays including Vice President, Head of Large Local & Regional Corporates, Assistant Vice President & Relationship Manager, and Commercial Banking Division. Gibson also worked at Stanbic Bank as a Business & Personal Banker and subsequently in the Corporate and Investment Banking Division where he managed a portfolio of Government institutions and statutory bodies.
Annette Nakiyaga
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
Annette Nakiyaga joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited on 1st June 2022 as Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications.
She joined the bank from Diageo/Uganda Breweries Ltd where she gained over 12 years of work experience in FMCG.
Her wealth of experience entails expertise in brand building, consumer insights, marketing judgement, public relations, corporate relations, key accounts management, strategic analysis, and commerciality.
One of her most outstanding achievements at I&M Bank is leading the transition from the Orient Bank brand to the new I&M Bank brand characterised by a series of distinctive and disruptive executions such as the recent launch of the I&M Bank Mastercard.
She has also delivered golf properties like the quarterly I&M Bank Katogo Golf Series, which offers the most unique golfing experience in the region and is now a permanent fixture on the Uganda Golf Union calendar. Annette also introduced the bank to the social scene through strategic partnerships offering exclusive brand-fit customer experiences; a perfect avenue to bring I&M Bank closer to its customers in unconventional spaces, to celebrate and to showcase how the bank’s digitalisation efforts have enhanced the customer banking experience.
At UBL, she is remembered for launching the Scotch and Reserve portfolio and overseeing the growth of premium whisky brands into household names across the region. Annette was the brainchild behind innovative properties like the Blue Club, an exclusive group for High Net Worth Individuals, and the Singleton Challenge, the most subscribed golf matchplay challenge series, that has since rebranded to Stanbic MatchPlay Challenge.
Annette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Makerere University and certifications in Way of Selling, Luxury Capability Program and Brand Building from INSEAD Business School (one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools).
Charles Kiirya
Head of Credit
Charles Kiirya joined I&M Bank in April 2021 as Head of Credit. Charles has over 18 years of dynamic banking experience with expertise spanning areas of Credit Risk, Compliance, Operational Risk and Relationship Management in international and regional banks. Before joining I&M Bank Charles was with Standard Chartered Bank for 15 years and worked with Bank of Africa Uganda before that. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics and is a chartered accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK). He has also had various professional training across Credit Risk, Compliance, Operational Risk, Financial Markets and Relationship Management. He has previously been a Credit Risk trainer at Makerere University.
Natalie Erinah Kironde
Head of Legal
Natalie joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in June 2011 as a Legal Officer. She has 10 years of banking experience in Legal, compliance, litigation, secretarial services, and advisory. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (Hons) from Makerere University, a Post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Bar Course), and is an accredited advocate of the High Court and courts subordinate. Natalie is a member of the Uganda Law Society and East Africa Law Society.
Duncan George Karugaba
Head of Operations
Duncan Karugaba joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in February 2021 as the Head of Operations with 19 years of work experience, of which 16 are in the financial services sector. Before joining I&M Bank, Duncan held senior roles at Absa Bank Uganda where he was the Head of Retail & Business Banking Operations & Control. He has been key in the reorganization of the operations function through process reviews & mapping to optimize performance, strategically reposition the Operations structure, improve staff engagement levels to drive delivery of the strategy, and the embedment of a risk/control culture within the Operations Function. Duncan holds a Bachelor of Environmental Management degree (Hons) from Makerere University and an MSc. Financial Management from Middlesex University, United Kingdom, and a Diploma in Risk Management in Banking as an Advanced International Training Program KPMG, Sweden.
Lucy Akech
Head of Human Resources
Lucy Akech assumed the position of Head of Human Resources at I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited on April 17, 2023. Before her tenure at I&M Bank Uganda, Lucy served as the Senior People Partner & County Culture Lead at ABSA Bank Uganda from February 2016. Lucy’s professional journey commenced at Green Hill Academy Schools, where she held various roles before transitioning to Barclays Bank as a Training Advisor. Within ABSA Bank Uganda, she took on several key positions, including Acting HR Advisor, Head of Learning and Development, and Head of Leadership, Learning & Talent. Boasting an extensive career in Human Resources Management, Lucy Akech brings more than two decades of experience to her role. Her educational qualifications include a Master of Education in Administration & Planning from Uganda Christian University and a Bachelor of Education Degree from Makerere University.
Srinallapa Kumar
Head of IT
Kumar joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in 2007 as Head of IT. He has over 16 years of experience in the ICT space in India, and Uganda. Kumar holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree (Hons) from Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh; a Master in Computer Science from Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh and an MBA (Masters in Information Technology) from Sikkim Manipal University, Uganda.
Joseph Biryahwaho
Head of Risk
Joseph Biryahwaho joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited on 9th November 2022 as Head of Risk. Before joining I&M Bank Uganda, Joseph was the Head of Risk Management at FINCA Uganda where he has worked since January 2020. Joseph started his career as a Credit Officer with Faulu Uganda in 2005, before moving to Stanbic Bank Uganda where he served in various roles and rose through the ranks over 14 years, to head the Risk Management function as Head of Operational Risk and acting Chief Risk Officer. At Stanbic Bank Uganda, he established the first Business Continuity Management desk, the first enterprise risk appetite, and stress testing frameworks, the first Information and Cyber Security frameworks, and the risk data aggregation and reporting capabilities among other notable milestones. Joseph moved to FINCA Uganda with a passion for steering corporate strategy more directly, while contributing to the institution’s penetration into the underserved markets of Uganda, leveraging capabilities like data science, digital lending, and recommendation systems. Joseph Biryahwaho is a Certified Fraud Examiner with the ACFE, a Certified Information Security Manager with ISACA, an MBA (University of East London), and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Accounting) from Makerere University Business School.
Oscar Karamagi
Head of Internal Audit
Oscar Karamagi joined I&M Bank (Uganda) Limited in 2013 as an Internal Audit Officer. He has over 20 years of Banking experience in roles across Banking Operations, Credit, and Internal Audit. Before joining I&M Bank, Oscar held various roles at Centenary Rural Development Bank Limited and DFCU Bank. Oscar is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Uganda), and holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from Makerere University, and a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting degree (Hons) from Makerere University.
Ann Maria Ajok
Head of Compliance
Ann Maria Ajok recently joined I&M Bank from Standard Chartered Bank where she was the Head of Compliance, Retail Banking for nearly 7 years since September 2019. Before that, she worked as Manager, Compliance at Stanbic Bank for 6 years, from July 2010.
She holds a Bachelor of Law from Makerere University and an MBA from Uganda Management Institute.