Dr. Corneille KAREKEZI is the Group MD / CEO of the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re), the largest pan-African reinsurance company in the African and the Middle East markets with US$ 1.106 billion of premium income in 2023 and the strongest financially with international ratings at A by AM Best (since 2016) and A- by Standard & Poor’s (since 2009), all ratings with Stable Outlook.
Africa Re operates 10 offices across major cities of African continent and an office in the DIFC (Dubai). Its premium income comes from Africa, Middle East, India, China and Brazil.
Before joining Africa Re in 2009, Dr. KAREKEZI has a career in the insurance industry, which started in 1991, and where he served practically in all the accounting, reinsurance, technical and marketing departments with the leading insurance company in Burundi and Rwanda until he reached in 2008 the position of CEO in SONARWA s.a. (Rwanda).
He has contributed significantly to the development of the African (re)insurance industry and is a sought-after speaker on matters of insurance, risk management and leadership around the world. In addition, he has served as Chairman and member of governing bodies of various financial institutions and foundations in Africa.
He is currently the Chairman of Africa Re (South Africa) Limited, Chairman of Africa Retakaful Company (Egypt), Member of the Executive Council of the International Insurance Society (IIS), and a Member of the Executive Committee of the African Insurance Organization (AIO).
Dr. KAREKEZI holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Management (Burundi), Postgraduate Diplomas in Business Administration (UK), Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (UK) and a Doctorate in Business Administration (France & Israel).
He speaks fluently English, French, Swahili and other African languages.
