NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 -Equity Group Holdings has announced the appointment of Yves Cuypers as the first Equity Group Holdings Plc., Regional Director in charge of the Central and Southern Africa Region.
Yves is the immediate former Managing Director of Banque Commerciale du Congo (BCDC) which has since merged with Equity Bank Congo (EBC) to form Equity BCDC, the second largest bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The appointment signals the Group’s strategy to expand its presence outside of Eastern Africa by creating a dedicated sub-continent office for Central and Southern Africa.
As the new Regional Director, Yves will focus on establishing the financial services organization firmly in the region and will support the new Managing Director of Equity BCDC in the DRC, Celestin Mukeba, to achieve a smooth transition for the new Equity BCDC subsidiary.
Announcing the new appointment from Kinshasa, Equity Group Holdings, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. James Mwangi said, “We are excited to have Yves become our first Regional Director for the Central and Southern Africa Region. Yves brings to the Group extensive knowledge and experience of the banking industry from his work with European banks, and his tenure as the Managing Director of BCDC for the last 17 years. As we seek to expand our footprint and impact, Yves will play a strong role in our consolidation and delivery of financial services to new markets across Central and Southern Africa.”
Yves Cuypers brings more than 30 years of experience in the banking and financial industry, across two continents. He has dedicated his career to the development and sustainability of client success with deep knowledge of credit facilities, financial analysis, risk and compliance, tax optimization, derivatives and cash management. A seasoned executive he has led the strategic and organizational planning for large multinational financial institutions, most recently serving as the Director General for the former Banque Commerciale du Congo (BCDC) – now Equity BCDC – in the DRC for the past 17 years. He brings deep experience in governance and regulatory management, while also being a strong advocate in protecting the interests of customers agents and shareholders. Yves was instrumental in the acquisition of BCDC by Equity Group Holdings which was successfully completed in 2020.
Dr. Mwangi added, “The Group celebrates Yves and welcomes him to the Equity family. We are confident that his experience in leading BCDC for the last 17 years successfully and through challenging and sometimes uncertain environments speaks of his leadership skills, his strategic mindset and strong capabilities that led BCDC to become one of the largest banks in DRC.” Dr Mwangi said he was optimistic that Yves will help to establish the Equity brand firmly in the Central and Southern Africa region.
