Appointed Managing Director of Ecobank DRC this Thursday, September 10, he has been tasked with leading the bank’s strategy, ensuring its overall performance, and preparing Ecobank DRC for the next transformations of the Congolese financial market.
As Managing Director, Etienne-Claude Mabunda is now responsible for the overall leadership and performance of Ecobank DRC. His mandate includes implementing the strategic agenda, driving sustainable revenue growth and long-term value creation, deepening customer relationships, improving the customer experience, strengthening governance and risk management, accelerating digital and commercial transformation, and fostering a high-performance culture.
The new Managing Director brings with him an in-depth knowledge of the Congolese banking market and experience spanning retail customers and major multinationals, SMEs and public institutions, as well as the mining and telecommunications sectors.
Throughout his career, he has contributed to several major financial transactions, including the DRC’s recent inaugural Eurobond issuance, worth US$1.25 billion.
Etienne-Claude Mabunda joins Ecobank from Rawbank, where he spent his entire banking career. Since 2018, he had served as Chief Commercial Officer and a member of the Executive Committee.
For eight years, he led the bank’s commercial strategy nationwide. In this role, he notably oversaw approximately US$5.2 billion in deposits and a loan portfolio of around US$2.2 billion. During this period, he also contributed to several transformative initiatives. Among them was the implementation of an automated liquidity allocation system for telecommunications operators, an initiative that helped attract approximately US$200 million in telecom-sector deposits.
He also participated in the syndication of US$250 million in financing for a major mining project in Katanga.
Etienne-Claude Mabunda also contributed to structuring a US$30 million financing facility designed to meet government obligations to oil companies.
A Career That Began in Air Transport
Etienne-Claude Mabunda’s professional career began outside the banking sector. Between 2001 and 2002, he worked as a Sales Representative for Sabena in Zaventem, Belgium. This first professional experience allowed him to work in an international commercial environment and develop an early understanding of customer relations and business development. A few years later, he entered the banking sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Fundamentals of Retail Banking
Between 2005 and 2006, Etienne-Claude Mabunda worked as a Relationship Manager in retail banking in Kinshasa. In this role, he was responsible for managing relationships with individual customers, professionals, and traders. Working closely with clients, he gained first-hand exposure to the fundamental mechanisms of commercial banking: customer relationship management, account development, supporting financial needs, and marketing banking products. This first immersion in retail banking laid the foundation for his career.
From Retail Banking to Private Banking
In January 2006, he was appointed Relationship Manager in private banking, a position he held until June 2006. He then began working with higher-net-worth clients whose financial service and banking relationship needs were more specific. This experience enabled him to broaden his understanding of different customer segments before making a decisive move into corporate banking a few months later.
First Steps in Corporate Banking
From June to August 2006, Etienne-Claude Mabunda served as a Corporate Relationship Manager in Kinshasa. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing and developing a portfolio covering several major sectors of the economy, including mining, telecommunications, brewing, energy, infrastructure, the public sector, oil and gas, fast-moving consumer goods, logistics, and cement.
It was at this stage that his career began to take a clear direction towards financing the real economy.
At the Heart of the Mining Boom in Katanga
Between September 2006 and June 2007, Etienne-Claude Mabunda was appointed Commercial Manager for the mining region, based in Lubumbashi. His mandate was to develop the bank’s business in a region experiencing significant economic growth.
At the time, the Congolese mining sector was expanding rapidly and attracting numerous investors. Etienne-Claude Mabunda contributed to the development of the bank’s mining portfolio by establishing new relationships with companies and implementing financial solutions tailored to a competitive environment. He therefore helped build the bank’s presence among players in a sector that would go on to become one of the main drivers of the Congolese economy.
This experience in Katanga was a formative stage in his career. It gave him direct insight into the workings of major extractive industries and the complex financial needs of companies operating in emerging markets.
The SME and Large Corporate Challenge
Following this first experience in the mining region, Etienne-Claude Mabunda continued his rise within Rawbank. From August 2009 to March 2014, he served as Head of SMEs and Large Corporates, with responsibility for leading the national strategy targeting small and medium-sized enterprises.
His mandate focused in particular on developing the SME segment, creating specialized financial products, and building a genuine banking ecosystem around businesses.
One of the key milestones during this period was the implementation of an SME strategy in partnership with the IFC, combining financing and technical assistance. Under his leadership, banking products specifically tailored to SMEs were developed. Programs aimed at women entrepreneurs were also introduced.
The strategy also relied on value-chain financing. The objective was to support not only large companies but also their subcontractors, suppliers, and distributors. This approach gradually helped create and develop a structured base of SME clients.
Leading Corporate and Institutional Banking
Between 2014 and 2017, Etienne-Claude Mabunda took charge of Corporate and Institutional Banking. In this role, he was responsible for developing and managing the portfolio of large corporates, multinational companies, and public-sector institutions.
His responsibilities included acquiring and managing relationships with major clients, developing financing solutions, and structuring a sector-based strategy around the key drivers of the economy.
He notably oversaw relationships with multinational companies, major local corporations, financial institutions, public entities, and development finance institutions. In April 2018, he was appointed Chief Commercial Officer and a member of Rawbank’s Executive Committee, a position he held until 2026.
International Education for an African Career
Etienne-Claude Mabunda holds an Executive MBA from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, a Master’s degree from the Université catholique de Louvain, and also completed an international exchange program at HEC Montréal.
He is a regular speaker and panelist at major local and international forums, including Mining Indaba, AFIS, IFC, and AFAWA.
