Indeed, a person’s merit is not to be judged by their qualifications but by the use they make of them. Marc Holtzman is one of such people who have made spectacular use of abilities and experiences. Having enjoyed a most prolific career, Holtzman is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of Kigali, Rwanda’s largest financial institution. Besides, he is also the Chairman of CBZ Holdings, the largest financial institution in Zimbabwe.
Background and Public Service
Prior to his career succession, Holtzman bagged a BA in Economics from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania US. Notably, he possesses three decades of political and public service in the US. He began serving as Executive Director of Citizens for America, former US President Ronald Reagan’s national issues advocacy group. In the 1980 Presidential campaign, Reagan appointed Holtzman Executive Director of his Pennsylvania campaign. This made him the youngest person to ever run a statewide campaign in a US presidential election. After this, President Reagan appointed him to the Peace Corps National Advisory Council. Uniquely, Holtzman was President of the University of Denver. Likewise, he also served in the Cabinet of former Governor Bill Owens as Colorado’s first Secretary of Technology. Not to mention his service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United States Space Foundation.
Holtzman was once appointed by former Prime Minister Karim Massimov of Kazakhstan to the Board of Directors of Kazyna, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund. Holtzman was Chairman of the Board of Directors and later Chief Executive Officer of Kazkommertsbank, Kazakhstan’s largest bank. Importantly, Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski presented Holtzman with The Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit.
Corporate Career
His orbit in the corporate sphere started as the Vice Chairman of Barclays Capital and ABN Amro Bank. He was co-founder and President of MeesPierson Euramerica which was later acquired by ABN Amro Bank. Furthermore, he was a senior adviser to Salomon Brothers, the American Investment Banking firm (now Salomon Inc). Holtzman served as a member of the Board of Directors of FTI Consulting from 2012 – 2015. He is a member of the Board of Directors of FAT Brands, a global franchisor of restaurant brands.
In Africa, Holtzman has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of Kigali in Rwanda since 2004. He later became a member of the Board of Directors of TTEC, a global customer experience and services company, in 2014. From 2019, Holtzman sits as Chairman of CBZ Holdings, Zimbabwe’s largest financial institution.
Advocacy and Philanthropy
With an astonishing wealth of experience in such diverse areas, Holtzman has given lectures on economic and political developments in Eastern Europe and Russia. Likewise, he advocates for the process of continued market reforms and democratization.
In a bid to give back to society, Holtzman co-founded the Denver School for Science and Technology. Furthermore, The Holtzman family supports the Point Foundation, a non-profit organization creating opportunities for children and youth living in social poverty in South Africa and Rwanda. Holtzman is a National Trustee of National Jewish Health – a leading respiratory hospital in America.
The African corporate ecosystem stands to benefit from a leader with such exceptional merits as these. Without a doubt, this corporate giant is set to achieve great things here. We anticipate a reproduction of his leadership streak for the good of the African economy.
