Rene Awambeng, winner of the 2023 Global Executive Leader Award
By Andrew Nsoseka
Afreximbank’s Rene Awambeng has won the Global Executive Leader Award at the Powerful Media’s Powerlist Black Excellence Awards 2024. He received the award in London, United Kingdom on October 27, 2023.
The Powerlist is an awards event dedicated to celebrating Britain’s most influential people of African, African American and African Caribbean heritage.
The Global Executive Leader Award sponsored by the London Stock Exchange Group is given to an outstanding leader, based outside the United Kingdom, who has demonstrated exceptional vision, innovation, and influence and had a transformative impact on their organisation.
After attending the event at Buckingham Palace in London by Royal Invitation for the Powerlist Celebration of Black Excellence Awards 2024 Reception, which was hosted by King Charles III, Rene Awambeng said: “I am passionate about serving Africa at Afreximbank and this Award is a recognition of the transformational work and contribution we do to make positive change in Africa. At Afreximbank, we see the Diaspora as the 56th country of Africa. This Award is a privilege and should serve as an inspiration for younger men and women to work hard and aspire for change.”
Rene Awambeng in a warm handshake with King Charles III
Before moving to Afreximbank, Awambeng served as Group Head, Global Corporate, Corporate and Investment Bank at Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) in Paris London. He worked with the Ecobank Group for 14 years.
Inspite of his bravado and excellence at work, the seasoned Finance expert has also faced a number of health challenges. He was diagnosed with a renal disease in 2020 and underwent a transplant. It was during a Thanksgiving mass in 2021 that he decided to set up a foundation and run a clinic in the Southwest and Northwest Regions of Cameroon, to cater for people with renal disease.
The Government of Cameroon has recently recognized the foundation by granting an authorisation, which has enabled Nkwen and Mukundange-Limbe communities to make available land for the clinic in the two regions., In responding to the needs of the community, Awambeng has also provided three boreholes in his local community in Ngeme, Limbe, thereby, helping to provide potable water to the entire community.
He has also mentored and supported over 25 young Cameroonian students in the finance sector through their academic careers both in Cameroon and the diaspora.
Since 2015, he has supported the development of the Nkwen community water project in the Bamenda III District.
Born in Victoria, now Limbe, in 1970, Rene Awambeng attended primary school at PNEU Limbe. He attended Sacred Heart College, Mankon Bamenda, as well as Bilingual Grammar School, Molyko, Buea, where he was made Senior Prefeche obtained a Bachelor’s degree. He later got an MBA from Nottingham University in the United Kingdom. Rene Awambeng is married, with a daughter and many adopted kids.
