Innocent Mutimura.
The pan-African telco, Paratus Group, opened its doors in Rwanda recently and is now pleased to announce the appointment of Innocent Mutimura as its Country Manager.
Mutimura comes to the position with a wealth of relevant experience gained across the entire East African region, having held senior leadership positions with ISPs and telecommunications companies over the past two decades. As a satellite engineer by training, Mutimura has garnered his sales, technical and managerial abilities having pioneered many businesses from start-up to going concerns, and Paratus quickly pounced on securing a man of this calibre for the top position in its new operations company in Rwanda.
Having been Country Manager for Augere Rwanda and East Africa Regional Manager for Core2Africa in recent years, Mutimura has also handled a series of projects for various VSAT solutions companies and directed technical operations for New Artel, all of which has culminated in making him the right man for the job at Paratus.
“I love the opportunity that Paratus has given me here in Rwanda,” says Mutimura. Within a week of starting with Paratus, and with his feet barely under his new desk, Mutimura is already bristling with excitement about the potential of rolling out Starlink and network solutions to a wide range of industry sectors, including healthcare and education. “We have so many clients eager for our service and, of course, Paratus Group with its cross-border links and strong regional presence means that we can offer solutions way beyond mere connectivity.”
Mutimura brings not only expertise, know-how and market experience, but also a raft of top-flight connections. His industry contacts are already knocking on the door, and while Mutimura adopts a subtle pushiness in his sales approach, he is driven by the start-up hunger that has served him so well in the past to achieve great things for Paratus in Rwanda. “While banking and insurance are sure-fire industries that we know well and will, of course, target, I believe that now tourism is such a huge revenue generator for government, we have a golden opportunity here for providing Starlink services – particularly in the more remote areas.”
His parents fled Rwanda in the 1959 and Mutimura was born in Nairobi, Kenya, before attending school in Uganda. Now that Rwanda is enjoying greater stability, the whole family returned to the country in recent years and Mutimura could not be happier to be on home soil. “I love this region and to develop the Paratus business here in Rwanda is really a dream position. I will be working hard to establish this business and make it as stable as the country now is – a place where connectivity and opportunity flourish to an even greater level. We’re on the upward trajectory and it’s great to have the backing of a major group like Paratus in making better, stronger connections and in developing a business that is needed here.”
Paratus Group CEO, Schalk Erasmus, welcomes Mutimura to the Paratus Group, saying: “It’s people like Innocent Mutimura who make Paratus great, because with the right people on the ground, the sky’s the limit. We wish Innocent great success with building our business in Rwanda and we will support him every step of the way in that endeavour.”
