Michaella is a member of the Global Future Council on Urban Mobility Transition at World Economic Forum. The network of Global Future Council provides thought leadership and advises leaders and governments on key global challenges, global shifts, and the impact of the 4th industrial revolution.
Prior to this, Mrs. Michaella Rugwizangoga was Chief Executive Officer and Director on the Board of Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda (VWMSR). She joined the group at 32 years old, becoming the youngest and first African CEO within the Volkswagen Group. VWMSR, is a pioneering start-up, the first mobility solution of Volkswagen Group (VW Group) in Africa.
Under her leadership, the company grew from 1 employee to 300, registered constant month-on-month growth, and launched the first electric vehicles in Rwanda in collaboration with the SIEMENS Group. The company also won multiple awards at national and international level: the Rwanda Development Board Excellence Award 2020, the PADEV Best Mobility Company in Africa 2019 Award, the Rwandan Private Sector Federation Award 2018 & 2019 – as well as special mentions at the G20 summit 2018 & 2019 in Berlin-Germany.
Before Volkswagen, Mrs. Rugwizangoga held various senior roles in both the private and public sector; she worked for Imbuto Foundation; the Foundation of the First Lady of Rwanda, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and Innovation Village Group.
Mrs. Rugwizangoga was recognized and awarded Top 60 World Economic Forum global shapers in 2019, the Choiseul Economic Leaders of Tomorrow 2018 & 2019, and the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa 2019 among other distinctions. She is a member of the “Davos 50” and spoke on matters related to youth, leadership, and development at the World Economic Forum 2017 in Davos, Switzerland.
A Pan-African and global citizen, her professional ambition is to:
- Enable large scale investment in manufacturing and high-tech services in Africa
- Actively promote inter-African trade and support the successful implementation of the Africa Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)
- Mentor and coach high-potential young professionals
An award-winning poet, she is fluent in English, French, German with a good level of Kinyarwanda and Spanish.