Kubwimana Sonia

Sonia is a Rwandan business executive with a career in Finance, Human Resources and General Management spanning over 25 years. Throughout her career, she has served in Senior Management Finance and Executive Human Resources roles for Bralirwa Plc, the Heineken operating Company in Rwanda.

During her tenure as Human Resources Director of Bralirwa ( 2009-2017), Sonia successfully led the People and Organizational agenda which was required to support the Company evolvement from an earlier dominant position in the market to a competitive and consumer facing Company. Changes made involved restructuring the Organization across all departments, developing functional, managerial and leadership capabilities within the Organization as well as equipping employees with needed behaviors required to win as a Business. Furthermore, during the same period, despite an increasing scarcity for talents in Rwanda and outside, Bralirwa was able to sustain its position of “Employer of choice” and attract and hire talented professionals at junior, middle and senior levels while also keeping good engagement levels within the Organization. Alsoas a member of Bralirwa Executive committee, she played an important and valued advisory role.

Sonia is currently a business leader in the coffee and tourism sectors in Rwanda, a mentor and a certified professional independent coach providing Executive coaching and facilitation services through Breakfast Club Africa, a Panafrican CEO membership organization which was created with a singular purpose of helping heads of organizations to become better leaders, thus benefitting their organizations and employees. BCA has presence in multiple African countries including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and a vision for further expansion to the entire African continent

Furthermore, Sonia belongs to various professional membership organizations including the International Women Coffee Alliance(Rwanda Chapter), the Rwanda Tourism and Travel Association(RTTA), the Rwanda Hospitality Association(RHA), the African Women Entrepreneurship Program(AWEP) and the Rotary International(RI). She also serves on the General Assembly of SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda and is a former board member of the Rwanda National Labor Council.

Sonia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Administration from the University of Burundi and Executive Education from INSEAD , IMD, London Business School and Harvard Business School.

She is fluent in Kinyarwanda, French and English.