Pandemic be utterly damned: Nigerian women are damningly flying and unapologetically flourishing.
The KOKO name is synonymous with excellence and success. Each year KOKO ranks black women globally based on a variety of categories before naming the KOKO Woman Of The Year. With the Covid-19 pandemic, comes challenges and great opportunities. So women leading through a global health, political uncertainty and national economic crisis is no easy feat, but the events of this past year haven’t fazed the 30 trailblazing inspiring black strong women who make up KOKO’s 2021 Most Powerful Women list in Finance list.
These great and impressive financial pedigree from our dedicated Nigerian women are worthy of mention and praise by all Nigerians.
This list is arrived at by KOKO using expertise, experience, abilities and role importance and significance within Nigeria’s financial setup.
Of them, 13 lead (or hold senior leadership position) some of the Nigeria’s biggest banks and financial institutions, positions they’ve leveraged so effectively well to effect change in the delicately unpredictable Nigerian financial polity.
Below are this year’s Most Powerful Women in Finance in Nigeria:
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1. Miriam Olusanya – MD/CEO, Guaranty Trust Bank
Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya is the woman of the moment – the latest appointed MD/CEO of one of the top banks in Nigeria, and the first of her kind the bank will and has ever had in its 30 years history. Miriam holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) degree from the University of Ibadan (1995), Nigeria and a Master of Business Administration (Finance and Accounting) from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom in 2011. She obtained the professional ACI (Association Cambiste Internationale) Dealing certification – The Financial Markets Association, andShe has attended various courses and Executive management and banking specific developmental programs in leading educational institutions around the world, one of which is Cranfield School of Management.
Miriam Olusanya has over 23 years’ banking experience that cuts across Transaction Services, Asset and Liability Management, Financial Markets, Investment Banking and Investor Relations. She joined GTBank as an Executive Trainee in 1998, 8 years after the bank was founded, after working 2 years at Smithkline Beecham Nigeria (now GlaxoSmithkline – GSK). She had a short stint in Transactions Services and later moved to the Bank’s Treasury Group in 1999. She managed the local and foreign currency trading desks before becoming the Bank’s Chief Dealer in 2003 and subsequently, Treasurer in 2004. In 2006, she led the team that secured the appointment of the Bank as a Primary Dealer/ Market Maker in Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Bonds with the Debt Management Office (DMO). She also led the team that saw the appointment of the bank as a Money Market Dealer in Nigerian Treasury Bills by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
She rose through the ranks until her appointment as Executive Director in 2018, after a successful period as the General Manager/Head, Wholesale Banking. Sheserves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Guaranty Trust Bank (Gambia) Limited. She is also a member of the Financial Markets Sub-Committee of the Bankers’ Committee, the primary interactive policy platform made up of the Central Bank of Nigeria and banks. She is currently the Group Treasurer and Head, Wholesale Banking Division. With her new appointment, Miriam Olusanya is the first female MD the bank will ever have since it began operations in 1990. Miriam Olusanya is preceded by Segun Agbaje.
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2. Yemisi Edun – MD, FCMB
Yemisi Edun is the 2nd latest appointed female Managing Director of one of the top banks in Nigeria. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife and a Master’s degree in International Accounting and Finance from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a CFA Charter holder, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, an Associate Member of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, a Member of Information Systems Audit and Control, U.S.A, and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.
She had begun her career in the finance world with Akintola Williams Deloitte (member firm of Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu) in 1987, with main focus in Corporate Finance activities. She was also involved in audit of Banks and Other Financial Institutions. She joined FCMB in year 2000 as Divisional Head of Internal Audit and Control before assuming the role of Chief Financial Officer of the Bank. In 2007, she was appointed to the Credit Direct Limited board and in 2021, she was appointed the Managing Director of FCMB, replacing Adam Nuhu, who was embattled with a controversial paternity scandal.
3. Zainab Ahmed – Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning
Zainab was appointed by the president Mohammadu Buhari to oversee the ministry of finance following the resignation of her predecessor. She was born on June 16, 1960, and was the immediate past executive secretary and national coordinator of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). She was also a member of the last two NEITI boards, having worked in the NEITI and global EITI. Her MBA was obtained in August 2004 from the Ogun State University, Ago Iwoye; while her BSc Accounting (1981) was from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; IJMB ‘A’ Levels (1979) from SBS/ABU Zaria; and WASC ‘O’ Level in 1977 from Queen Amina College, Kaduna.
Zainab Ahmed is Nigeria’s Minister of State Budget and National Planning. She is expected to oversee the finance ministry until a substantive minister is appointed.
An accountant by profession with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from ABU Zaria and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), Zainab Ahmed possesses an extensive knowledge and diverse experience in public sector reform and management.
4. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe – MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank
Nneka with over 28 years experience in banking and financial services has worked across various functions and is well versed in the structuring of complex transactions across various sectors. A lawyer by profession, Nneka holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Law from the University of Nigeria and Kings College, London. She has attended executive training programs at Harvard Business School, The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD School of Business, Chicago Booth School of Business, London Business School and IMD amongst others. She is a Honorary Senior Member HCIB of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria CIBN.
Starting out her career as a Legal and Community Relations intern with Shell during her National Youth Corp scheme in 1986, before proceeded to Nwodo and Associates as a Junior Counsel, practicing for 3 years, Nneka delved into banking to become the Legal Officer for African Continental Bank from 1990 to 1992, and then went on to serve as the Senior Banking Officer, Treasury at First African Trust Bank from 1992 – 1993. She is a consummate professional of over 30 years’ experience across various banks including Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank Limited, where she held several management positions in Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking. She has been involved in the structuring of transactions in various sectors including oil & gas, manufacturing, aviation, real estate and exports.
As an Executive Director at Enterprise Bank Plc, she received formal commendation from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) as a member of the management team that successfully turned around Enterprise Bank Plc. Onyeali-Ikpe has been an integral part of the transformation team at Fidelity Bank in the last six years.
She was formerly Executive Director, Lagos and South West, overseeing the bank’s business in the six states that make up the South West region of the bank. She led the transformation of the Directorate to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth, across key performance metrics, including contributing over 28% of the Bank’s PBT, Deposits and Loans. Now, she sits as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank, since January, 2021.
5. Adaeze Udensi – MD/CEO, Titan Trust Bank
Mrs Adaezi Udensi has over twenty-three years cognate banking experience; sixteen of which were spent at Zenith Bank Plc where she rose to the level of General Manager/Group Zonal Head supervising the Commercial Banking and Oil & Gas businesses in Southern Nigeria, which she grew to the second largest portfolio in the bank. She describes herself as an experienced Executive Director with excellent award winning history in the banking industry specializing in Retail, Commercial, Corporate Banking and Compliance. Skilled in Sales, Strategy, Negotiation, Risk Management and Corporate Finance, a very strong business development and turnaround management professional.
Prior to joining TITAN, she was the Executive Director in charge of the South-South/South-EastDirectorate and Executive Compliance Officer for Heritage Bank. She also acted as the Managing Director in the absence of the CEO and was responsible for driving the retail business at Heritage Bank across the entire 160 branches in Nigeria. Her sector experience includes 16 years working in different capacities at Zenith Bank where she oversaw the growth of its Oil & Gas, Public Sector, Commercial and Retail Businesses taking it to the second-largest portfolio in the bank before leaving as a General Manager in 2014.
Dr Adaeze Udensi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology and MBAs from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and Bangor University, UK as well as a PhD in Credit Management from the University of Panama. She has also attended several Executive Management Programs in Wharton Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Harvard Business School, and INSEAD.
She is amember of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Scotland, a member of the Strategy and Advocacy Committee of the Governing Council of The Chartered Institute of Nigeria (CIBN), Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Titan Trust Bank says Dr Adaeze Udensi brings a deep knowledge of the market and business fundamentals relevant to the financial services industryto the table.
6. Abiola Adekoya – Lead Wealth Advisor, Artios Capital
Abiola Adekoya is an experienced Finance and Investment Expert with a demonstrated history in advising Retail, HNIs and Institutional Investors, both domestic and international, on wealth and portfolio management. Skilled in Securities, Equity Trading, Equities, Capital Markets, and Trading Systems. Strong business development skills in financial services with leading financial service firms. Career advisor and mentor.
With over 18 years experience working with leading financial service firms whose activities span across various continents, Abiola Adekoya is a Life Platinum Member of Under 40 CEOs, a community of young African business leaders in continent and diaspora tasked with empowering 50,000 young business leaders every 20 years. She is currently the Lead Wealth Advisor at Artios Capital, a position she took on following her service as the MD/CEO of RMB Nigeria Stockbrokers, a subsidiary of the First Rand Group.
She holds a B.Sc Economics from the University of Lagos, and a Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Lagos Business School. She is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers of Nigeria. She started out in her career with the then Chartered Bank Limited (now StanbicIBTC Plc) during her NYSC scheme. In 1999, she walked into a branch of Chartered Bank in Lagos Island filled with traders arranging their stacks of money waiting for it to be counted nut alas, she was disappointed – that was not glamourous banking job she hoped for. She was immediately thrown into the deep end as a Bulk Cashier and from there, she evolved to working in leading banks and serving in various capacities in retail, commercial and corporate banking till 2006.
She became then Banking Officer at Access Bank in October 2025 and almost a year later, she changed lines. This move, she describes as her best career decision. Switching to securities from banking in September 2006, Abiola Adekoya became the Head of Institutional Sales at CSL Stockbrokers where she worked till 2010. In October same year, she got into Renaissance Capital as a Sales Trader. Leveraging her knowledge and insight of the capital market and managerial skills, Abiola Adekoya drive product innovation and build a high performing team to position these two of the top 5 stockbroking firms favourably.
In 2013, she became the MD of FBNQuest Securities, a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc, successfully repositioning the business as a top five stockbroking firm, and later moved (in 2015) become the MD/CEO of RMB Nigeria Stockbrokers, a subsidiary of the FirstRand Group. There, she managed the establishment of RMBNS in Nigeria ensuring regulatory and global best practices were adopted, and was on track to position the business as a leading equities brokerage house in Nigeria. Apparently, Abiola Adekoya spent over 20 years in the corporate world, the first 7 years in banking, before vying into securities trading where she’s worked for the past 16 years in domestic and global leading firms. In June 2020, she then moved on to Artios Capital as Lead Wealth Advisor where she gives wealth advisory for private clients.
Abiola Adekoya has several passions and top on her list is mentoring young professionals and providing finance and investment advice via Instagram where she provides information on key themes that impact finance and investment underpinned by valuable insight on the Nigerian and global economy. She engages actively via her page and blog providing in depth analysis on thematic events with #Themarket, wealth creation and preservation information via #Rightvest while chronicling knowledge from life with Wednesday nuggets. Thursday is dedicated to #AskAbiola which provides relevant information on being an intrapreneur and handling challenging work- related situations.
7. Tomi Somefun – MD/CEO, Unity Bank Plc
Tomi Somefun is a career professional with over 35 years post qualification experience, 26 of which were in the Banking sector spanning key segments such as Treasury & Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Retail and Commercial Banking Operations. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Tomi graduated with a Second Class Upper degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) in 1981 with a Bachelor of Education in English Language. She was recently conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (D.BA) by the Redeemer’s University RUN
Tomi has a depth of experience in the Financial and Banking sector, and had a distinguished career with UBA group where she led 2 major subsidiaries of UBA as MD/CEO including a start-up company, UBA Pensions Custodian where she was pioneer Managing Director. Prior to this, she served as General Manager and led three critical business units of UBA Group. Her skills and experience span across Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Financial markets.
Prior to UBA, Tomi worked with two leading consulting firms: KPMG and Arthur Andersen (now KPMG). In August 2015, she was appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc. Prior to her appointment as Managing Director; she served as the Executive Director overseeing the Lagos and South-West Business Directorates, the Financial Institution Division and Treasury Department of the Bank. She is a also a Member of the Board Finance & General Purpose Committee, Board Risk Management Committee, Board Credit Committee, amongst others
Tomi has extensive Executive Education in leading change and organization renewal, strategy formulation & execution, business analytics and development, and financial management from various esteemed business schools. She is an alumnus of the Columbia Business School, United States of America, and INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, and hold a Certificate of Management Excellence from Harvard Business School (HBS).
She is a member of various professional bodies including the Institute of Directors (IOD), Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN) and Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). In addition, she has served on the board of several quoted and unquoted companies, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
8. Bukola Smith – MD, FSDH Merchant Bank
Bukola Smith holds a B.Sc in Economics from the University of Lagos and an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, U.K. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, and an Associate Member, Certified Institute of Pensions (Nigeria).
Bukola embodies 28 years of progressive experience in the industry with a track record of strategic execution and leadership. Having joined First City Monument Bank FCMB in 2006, Bukola held several positions such as the Group Head, Treasury and Financial Institutions; Divisional Head, Investment Banking and Financial Markets; Director, Project and Structured Finance; Divisional Head, Group Internal Audit; Head, Lagos Region.
In 2017, she was eventually appointed the bank’s Executive Director – Business Development, a role in which she was responsible for the bank’s 200 branches across the country, as well as the public sector, business banking, agriculture, and transaction banking divisions. She also established the FCMB Women in Business Desk (branded SheVentures) which supports female entrepreneurs.
She had begun her banking career in 1993 with FSB International Bank Plc where she worked in funds transfer, international trade, treasury and private banking. She joined Fidelity Bank in 2000, becoming Divisional Head of Treasury and Institutional Banking in 2004. In April 2021, she was appointed the MD/CEO, First Securities Discount House Limited FSDH Merchant Bank
9. Ireti Samuel-Ogbu – Citi Nigeria CEO, Citi Country Officer
Ireti Samuel-Ogbu is the first ever female Country Officer Citigroup, an American investment bank would ever have in its 37 years of operation in Nigeria. At the time of her appointment, she was the second female CEO of a bank named in two months following the appointment of Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe at Fidelity Bank Plc.
Citigroup describes her as having a vast wealth of experience and talent in Nigerian banking and would work with the Bank’s institutional partners in Africa’s largest economy, linking them with the bank’s global reach.
Prior to her appointment as the Citi Nigeria CEO and Citi Country Officer in 2020, Ireti Samuel-Ogbu had served in a couple of roles in the bank since she joined the bank in 2008, including stints as Cash Management Head, Africa in Citibank; CTS Public Sector EMA in Citigroup; Managing Director, EMEA Payments and Receivables Head, Treasury and Trade Solutions for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at the Citigroup’s London office.
10. Halima Buba – MD/CEO, SunTrust
Halima Buba is a seasoned Banker and financial expert with over 20 years cognate experience obtained both in the public and private sectors with recognizable and impressive strides.
The Adamwa State indigene holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Business Management from the University of Maiduguri and an MBA from the same University. Halima is an Alumnus of the Lagos Business school Senior management programme, and is a Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants.
She sits on the Board of several reputable Institutions, including those of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) as a Non-Executive Director and Anchoria Asset Management Company Limited.
She had previously served on the Board of Adamawa Homes and Savings Limited and is a Co-founder of TAJ consortium, a group of young dynamic technocrats.
Halima rose to the level of Deputy General Manager at Ecobank Nigeria Limited before resigning to take up appointment as a pioneer Executive Management staff at TAJ Consortium Nigeria Ltd. In 2020, Halima was appointed the MD/CEO, SunTrust Bank.
Halima is a committed humanitarian. She serves as Patron, Community Project Management Committee, Michika, and consistently makes philanthropic contributions towards the girl child Education as a Champion of youth and women empowerment.
11. Caroline Chidiebere Anyanwu sits on the board of FCMB Pensions as an Independent Director. She is a first class graduate of Statistics, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a price winner in the ICAN Professional qualifying examination. She has over 30 years experience in the Banking Industry covering: Strategic Planning, Financial Control, Retail and Commercial Banking, Banking Operations and Risk Management, and she is an Alumnus of the Harvard Business School.
Her journey into the financial sector in Nigeria commenced via obtaining top-rated core basic and intermediate management competencies as a trainee accountant in Price Waterhouse (Chartered Accountants) – Now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) between 1985 – 1988 and her exposure in the Nigerian Banking Industry commenced at African Continental Bank Ltd in 1988 in the Strategic Planning Unit from where she proceeded to join the pioneer team of the now defunct Oceanic Bank International Ltd in 1990 in the Financial Control function. 
As part of skill acquisition training, she was transferred to Credit and Marketing Group in January 1992 with responsibility for Retail Credit and Account Management, and in 1993, she moved to Banking Operations where she rose to the position of Assistant General Manager/Head of Banking Operations before leaving Oceanic Bank in September 1996. She joined the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in September 1996 with responsibility for International Funds Transfer and rose to lead the Head Office Operations Group.
She later participated in the Business Process redesign of UBA Operational policies and procedures to improve efficiency.n search of additional skills, she moved on to Risk Management in April 2002 where she was involved in the setting up of the Credit Risk Management framework including the implementation of Moody’s risk rating tool for Corporate obligors, the Fair Isaac scoring system for consumers and the standardization of credit products for retail customers. Caroline Anyanwu later became the Head, Credit Risk Management, a position she held until February 2006 when she left to join Diamond Bank Plc (Now Access Bank) as a General Manager and Head of Group Risk Management.
In September 2009, she was appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as Executive Director Risk Management in Finbank Plc, one of the Banks rescued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. During this period, she served on the Board of the Bank’s various subsidiaries as Chairman for both FinInsurance and FinBrokers and as Non-Executive Director on the Board of Finhomes Ltd, the Mortgage subsidiary of the Bank. She thereafter returned to Diamond Bank in May 2011 as Executive Director/Chief Risk Officer and in 2011, served as a representative of the Bank on the Board of CRC Credit Bureau Ltd and as Chairman of the Board from May 2013 to May 2015. She was later appointed to the position of Deputy Managing Director of the Diamond Bank Group with supervisory responsibility for Risk Management, a position she occupied till her retirement in March 2019.
Caroline Anyanwu boasts that her multi-disciplinary experience in banking to date has given her a well-rounded exposure in the dynamics and challenges of strategic business function in banking. This, she said, was further harnessed through various Leadership and Board trainings she received at the Harvard Business School, Columbia University Graduate School of Business and Institute of Management Development (IMD).
In 2021, United Bank for Africa (UBA), welcomed Caroline Anyanwu back into the institution, appointing her to its Board of Directors, effective May 19th. Speaking on the new appointment, UBA Group Chairman, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu said Caroline had helped develop the bank’s credit and risk management, and her track record leaves him in no doubt that she will be able to harness her considerable experience across the African continent to bring valuable contributions to the Group Board of the bank. According to him, Corporate governance and risk management are central to what the bank does and Caroline Anyanwu aligns perfectly with that vision.12. Titi Odunfa Adeoye – CIO, Sankore
Titi Odunfa Adeoye is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Sankore, an investment firm that offers investment strategy, products, advice and technology to individuals and institutions. Titi’s interest in financial markets began at the age of 13 and it grew into a passion when she began investing on her own for the first time at 17. Experiencing the tech bubble and losing significant amounts of money at that age made her passionate about understanding the rules and strategies that guide investments. Her skills in investment strategy were honed at firms like Goldman Sachs in New York where she was able to learn the intricacies of asset allocation and portfolio optimization.
Her area of expertise is strategies for the creation, growth and preservation of individual or family wealth with a focus on “alternative” asset classes like Venture Capital, Real Estate and Agriculture due to the higher potential for financial and social returns. She is an active venture and angel investor across various sectors particularly those that impact wealth building in Africa. Her company, Sankore was the first institutional investor in most of its investee companies and continues to play an active role as a provider of very early stage capital to companies which are of strategic interest to it.
Titi has spent the last few years investing in the future of wealth management, culminating in the creation of a technology company called WealthTech that is focused on enabling the Wealth Creation value chain in Nigeria using cutting-edge technology. Within the past two years, WealthTech has built a range of products for Sankore’s use and for the use of other institutions, including Automated Trading Algorithms, RoboAdvisors, Asset Allocators and AI-powered Banking Bots.
In an effort to democratize access to Wealth Management, WealthTech has recently launched Wealth.ng, Nigeria’s 1st Investment Marketplace, to provide curated investments and guidance to everyday Nigerians. Titi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BBA in Accounting (summa cum laude) from Howard University and is a Certified Public Accountant (Gold Award). She serves on the boards of Centurion Registrars, One Fi, Saunders Development Co and the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation.
13. Kafilat Araoye – MD/CEO, Lotus Bank
Kafilat Araoye is the Managing Director atLotus Non-Interest Bank from 2020 till date and has helped the bank grow tremendeously in several areas. She has over 30 years in banking serving as the General manager in GT Bank before proceeding to Lotus.Kafilat has expertise in virtually all areas of core banking, with emphasis on International and Domestic Operations, Payments, General Management, Business Development, Risk Management, Human Resources and Strategy.
She attended the Obafemi Awolowo university in 1981 where she earned a BA in history and then proceeded to the University of Lagos where she bagged a Masters degree in Industrial relations and personeel management. Kafilat joined the bankng industry in 1990 at Guarantee Trust Bank where she served for 17 years and rose to the position of General Manager & Group Head – Human Resources Group. Kafilat is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and also the Chartered Institute of Development.
14. Suzanne Iroche – MD/CEO Finbank Plc
Suzanne Olufunke Iroche has several years of broad based experience in Merchant and Commercial Banking spanning the areas of Corporate and Institutional Banking, Marketing, Correspondent and International Banking, Treasury and Regional expansion.She handled back and front office roles at International Merchant Bank after which she moved to Chartered Bank as a pioneer member of staff to set up the Treasury Division and subsequently moved to the Credit and Marketing Sector.
She later joined United Bank for Africa (UBA) where she rose to the position of Executive Director Wealth Management and was responsible for Treasury and Correspondent Banking/Multilateral Agency business and UBA subsidiaries (Asset Management, Trustees and Pension Custody). She was as Executive Director Global Banking where she was responsible for the Banks expansion and establishment of subsidiaries across the African Continent.
In 2009, she was appointed as turnaround CEO of FinBank Plc by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under its financial sector reform programme to ensure financial system stability and successfully completed the assignment. She graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Economics from the University of Lagos and a Master of Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University Illinois USA.
Mrs Iroche currently serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of Coronation Merchant Bank, FCMB Pension Managers, Union Bank UK and Travelex Representative Office Nigeria Ltd. She is also a member of The University of Lagos Advancement Board and WISCAR advisory board, an NGO dedicated to women’s empowerment.
15. Folake Latifat Sanu – Executive Director, Wema Bank Plc
Folake Sanu is a smart finance professional and Banker of repute with over 39 years working experience. She has spent 25 years in Executive and Senior Management roles in Commercial Banks in Nigeria. Also, she has over 10 years of professional accounting experience with KPMG and other accounting and management consulting firms in Nigeria.
Ever since she was appointed as an Executive Director of WEMA bank in 2015, she has been responsible for (re)defining the strategic direction and growth of the retail, commercial and public-sector business in Lagos State as well as improving strategic business processes, ensuring internal efficiencies, strategic alignment of the SBUs and optimizing customers’ experiences and value propositions. As a senior executive, one of her many achievements was to lead and motivate staff by personal example and effective management of individual team members.
Folake attended the Kwara State Polytechnic where she bagged HND Accountancy in 1977, proceeded to the London Business school where she took the Senior Executive program and then to Havard business school where she took the Advanced Business school.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Honorary Senior Member HCIB of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria CIBN, an alumnus of the London Business School (Senior Executive Programme) amongst others. She was the General Manager Magnum Trust Bank Plc for 13 years and is he Executive Director at Wema Bank Plc from Jan 2015 till date.
16. Oluwayemisi Disu – Director, Heritage Bank Plc
Oluwayemisi Disu has had a successful career with various banks which spanned 25 years, during which she worked in various departments such as Corporate Banking, Foreign Exchange Treasury, International Operations, Branch Banking, Energy Sector, Telecommunications, Oil and Gas (downstream), Public Sector, Credit & Marketing, Audit and Investigation.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree ( Cum Laude) in Business Administration from United States International University, Watford, England. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (FCIS), Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA) and an Honorary Senior Member, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Mrs Disu has attended several courses in Nigeria and abroad. She is a member of various professional associations. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Nissi Investment Limited.
17. Funke Osibodu – MD/CEO Union Bank Plc
Olufunke Iyabo Osiboduwas born in January 1959.[1] She attended the University of Ife and the Harvard Business School. She was CEO and later a director of the holding company of Ecobank Nigeria until she left in 2006 where she was choosen to lead Union Bank Nigeria.
She was placed at position 47 on a list of the world’s most powerful businesswomen by the Financial Times in 2011 and was the only African woman to make the list. She stood down from her position as CEO of the Union Bank at the end of 2012. After she left the bank she entered the power industry as the CEO of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company for Benin City in Nigeria where her husband, Victor, is the Chairman.
18. Ajoritsedere Awosika – Chairperson, Board of Directors, Access Bank Plc
Dr (Mrs) Ajoritsedere Josephine Awosika, born in Sapele, Delta State holds a BSc. Pharmacy from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, MSc in Clinical Pharmacy and a PhD in Pharmacy Technology from the Postgraduate School of Pharmacy, University of Bradford, United Kingdom in 1981 and 1985 respectively. Following the completion of her doctoral studies, Ajoritsedere Awosika was inducted as a Fellow of the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, before proceeding for a postdoctoral training in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Leeds Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom.
Ajoritsedere Awosika has a vast working experience, beginning as an intern at the General Hospital, Benin City. She also worked at the S.I.M. Hospital/Plateau Hospital, Jos, and the Military Hospital, Lagos. She was Senior Pharmacist-in-Charge at the Military Hospital, Benin City; and Research Pharmacist at St. Mary’s Hospital, Bradford, United Kingdom (while attending an in-service training). Going on to later work as a Clinical Pharmacist at Base Hospital (former Military Hospital), Yaba, where she disengaged at Directorate level.
She was the pioneer at the National Coordinator/Chief Executive of the National Programme on Immunisation; Director (Parastatals) in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Director (Department of Community Relations & Youth Development) in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior; Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science & Technology. To her credit, she has various publications and paper presentations in her professional field. She is a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the National Institute of Directors. Also a member of the Great Britain Clinical Pharmacists Forum and a recipient of several honours and awards.
In January 2013, Ajoritsedere retired from the Nigerian Civil service as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power and was appointed to the Board of Access Bank in April, serving as the Vice-Chairman of the board’s Audit Committee and Chairman of the board’s Credit and Finance Committee. Dr Awosika is also an Independent Director at Capital Assurance, and a Member of the Board for Ajaasin University, Ondo State, Nigeria. She also sits on the board of Josephine Consulting Limited. In 2020, she became the Chairman of the Board on January 8, 2020 following the retirement of Mrs. Mosun Belo-Olusoga.
19. Adaora Remi Umeoji – Deputy Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc
Adaora Remi Umeoji holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology, B.Sc (Hons) Sociology from the University of Jos, Plateau State and MBA in Business Administration from the University of Calabar. She has attended several offshore management programs including the Havard Business School (Executive Education Certificate (OPM) Key Executive Programme, University of Pennyslvania, Philadelphia, USA (Certificate in Strategic Thinking & Management for Competitive Advantage) as well as the Wharton Business School. Mrs Umeoji is a member of several professional bodies including Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria (ICPAN) and Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
Adaora Umeoji has over Twenty (20) years cognate banking industry and a very broad executive management experience. She joined Zenith bank in 1998 and was appointed to the Board on October 9, 2012.She has held several management positions in the Bank and has contributed significantly to the current profitability of the Bank. She currently heads the most profitable arm of the Bank and has competently acquitted herself in all areas of the bank she has worked.As Deputy Managing Director, she is in charge of Public Sector, Abuja, North, Middle Belt and Southeast Zones.
20. Adeola Azeez – Deputy Country Head at Deutsche Bank Nigeria
Adeola Azeez has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Lagos and an LLB. in Law from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. She is a board member of the Pauline’s Cancer Awareness Foundation and also of WIMBIZ. She is a seasoned banker with over 20 years of professional experience, more than half of which has been as Deputy Country Representative/Deputy Managing Director of Deutsche Bank Nigeria, the leading client-centric global universal bank with approximately 30 million customer accounts and activities in more than 70 countries and jurisdictions.
Adeola is the pioneer of the current system of Correspondent Banking in Nigeria, which she has been developing since she joined Deutsche and its predecessor companies, Bankers Trust Company, New York, in 1989. Her passion for socio-economic development in Nigeria, became focused on women in particular, when in 2002, she became one of the founding members of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a non-governmental organization that aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship and advancement across all sectors.
In 2011 Adeola was elected as the Chairperson of WIMBIZ. Even in this non-Executive capacity, her personal mantra “keep moving, keep pushing; you only get out of life what you put into it” was clearly evident. Notable among her many achievements as WIMBIZ Chair are the raised profile and membership of the organization, especially among young ladies and other previously under-represented women in the Northern States of Nigeria.
Adeola is also engaged with Vital Voices, a US based NGO established by Hilary Clinton, as a funding agency to assist WIMBIZ women in particular and Nigerian women in general to position their businesses for international trade. She gave the privilege for WIMBIZ to partner with the Federal Ministry of Finance on the YouWiN! Women 2012/13 Programme, and embarked on an internal redesign of the organisation to enable greater efficiency, sustainability and visibility of the brand to become a household name.
21. Aishah Ahmad – Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
Aishah Ahmad, 40, has been actively involved in banking at the top level for most part of the last 20 years, either as a banking executive or investment adviser on retail banking, wealth management, consulting and financial advisory.
Born October 26, 1977, Mrs. Ahmad, an indigene of Niger State, was, prior to her appointment, the Executive Director (Retail Banking) at Diamond Bank Plc. Aishah Ahmad was appointed Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the 23rd March, 2018. As Deputy Governor in charge of Financial System Stability, she is responsible for leading the effort to promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; one of the principal objects of the Bank as specified within the CBN Act.
She is the chairperson of the Executive Council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service, WIMBIZ, a Nigerian non-profit organisation, established in 2001, focused on addressing issues affecting the interest of women professionals in business, with particular attention on promoting leadership development and building capacities to engender growth.
Mrs. Ahmad’s appointment is expected to fill the void created by the exit of the former deputy governor in charge of Economic Policy, Sarah Alade, who retired from the Central Bank in March 2017 as the only woman in the top hierarchy of the apex bank.
Mrs. Ahmad’s professional banking experience traverses the NAL Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc. A member of the Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, CAIA Associations, Aishah Ahmad was until her appointment in charge of the Consumer Banking Division at Diamond Bank Plc, covering the consumer banking, privilege banking, retail assets chains.
22. Funke Feyisetan-Ladimeji – Executive Director, Coronation Merchant Bank
Funke Feyisetan-Ladimeji is a Chartered Accountant with over 23 years experience across financial control, product control and business operations management in major global investment banks. A graduate of Economics from Brunel University, London, Funke is a Securities and Financial Services Approved Person, FCA – Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.
Prior to joining the FBN Holdings Group in September 2012 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for FBN Capital, Funke was the Executive Director/ COO in JP Morgan, London, with responsibility for several investment banking businesses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Having spent 14 years with global responsibilities in managing businesses at JP Morgan Chase and 8 years leading the development of an African investment bank, Funke prides in her detailed knowledge of global markets and investment banking products, which according to her, is the foundation that informs her expertise in driving transformation, tailored operating models, sustainable growth, profitability and impact.
She had worked as an Auditor in BDO Binder Hamlyn for four years from 1993, then as Reporting Accountant at Crédit Lyonnais in 1994. She worked in GSG Warburg from 1994 to 1995 as Associate, Global Derivatives Trading and moved on to Bankers Trust as AVP, Global Markets. She joined JP Morgan as the VP, Trading & Sales, Product Control in 1997 and rose through to become the Executive Director in 2007. She left JP Morgan and took up the position of Director and COO at FBNQuest Merchant Bank Group, with a mandate to build and expand an investment banking business for the Group, FBN Holdings, and served until 2020.
In 2020, she joined Coronation Merchant Bank as an Executive Director with Organization-wide oversight for the bank, as well as specific responsibilities as the Executive Compliance Officer and the Chief Operating Officer. Her focus is enhancing and transforming the bank to a ‘new economy’ business model, with diversification and enhancement of revenue streams, for sustainability and impact.
Funke has overseen a period of radical evolution that has grown the balance sheet and massively increased revenues with two key acquisitions and a root and branch evolution in technology and business culture. She has conceive and implement business strategy across organic and inorganic growth, oversee investment in people and technology and drive coherence and collaboration across teams and functions.
Describing herself as an accountant by training, Funke says she is an able communicator and engages well with people from different backgrounds and cultures, building strong working relationships at all levels. She prides in having a strong understanding of risk management and control frameworks across the more complex and esoteric investment banking products. She has consistently added value through improvements to systems and processes, leveraging technology to build clarity and efficiency in extremely competitive, client-facing businesses, and is a proactive champion of the end to end digitalisation of the Group for interactions with customers, employees and other stakeholders.
23. Bola Adesola – Senior Vice Chairman, Africa, Standard Chartered Bank
Prior to her appointment as Senior Vice-Chairman for African, Bola Adesola was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria and West Africa, a role she was appointed for in 2011.
She has over 26 years banking experience, having held various leadership positions, including as an Executive Director at First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Managing Director at Kakawa Discount House, Nigeria. She held senior leadership roles in Citibank for 9 years both in Nigeria and Tanzania. She previously served on the UN Global Compact Board, and brought significant expertise to the role from her wealth of experience in the private sector, the corporate sustainability space and specifically with the UN Global Compact itself.
Bola Adesola is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Lagos Business School, holds a Law degree from the University of Buckingham and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria and sits on the boards of the Financial Markets Dealers Quotations Plc and Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement Systems Plc. Bola also chairs the Central Bank of Nigeria Bankers’ Sub-Committee on Economic Development, Sustainability and Gender and was appointed the first female President of Lagos Business School Alumni Association LBSAA.
Bola Adesola has been a long-standing supporter of the UN Global Compact and in 2017, she featured at UN Global Compact events held during the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly. In 2015, she was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board by the UN Secretary General and in 2018, she was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as new UN Global Compact Board Vice-Chair.
In 2020, following her appointment as Standard Chartered Bank Vice Chair, Bola was also appointed Chairman of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund LSETF Board. She is a Member of the boards of Imperial Logistics, FinTech Association of Nigeria, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria and Women in Management, Business and Public Service. She is a Member of the Institute of Directors, Women Corporate Directors Foundation and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK.
Bola is passionate about the development and economic empowerment of women and in 2001 cofounded Women in Management, Business and Public Sector (WIMBIZ), and actively mentors and coaches young people.
24. Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju – Executive Director, Operations, Stanbic IBTC Bank
Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju a skilled strategist with proven success in transforming strategic plans into workable solutions. With about 20 years post qualification experience, in Banking/Finance; Asset Management; Pension Fund Management and Administration. She is currently the Executive Director, Operations for the Bank. Bunmi has expertise in building/optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems, and infrastructure to maximize business results in financial services.
She also has extensive scope of responsibility, proven success, and track record of delivering optimal results in high-growth environments through initiatives that exceed operational performance targets and yield measurable outcomes.
Bunmi holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Starting out her career as an Intern at Guaranty Trust Bank GTB in 1999, Bunmi moved to Investment Baning and Trust Company Limited in 2000 where she served as Finance Analyst till 2003 and then Financial Controller till 2005. She then joined IBTC Chartered Bank in 2006 as Head, Budgets and Tax Management and rose through to become the Executive Director of the bank.
Bunmi served as the Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Ltd. Prior to this, she worked as Executive Director, Operations, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Ltd., Head, Benefit Management and Client Services, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd., Head, Business Operations Division, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd., Head, Fund Administration, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd. She also worked as Chief Operating Officer, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Ltd., and Group Head, Budgets, Budgetary Controls & Planning, IBTC Chartered Bank Plc.
25. Oluwatoyin Sanni – Founder and CEO, Emerging Africa, Leading Capital Markets
Oluwatoyin Sanni is a lawyer, chartered secretary, stockbroker and author with over 30 years’ experience in senior management positions in investor services, law and finance.
She has served for over four years as Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital Plc (formerly UBA Capital Plc), a leading African Investment Banking group listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange comprising market leading business divisions in Investment Banking, Trust, Asset Management and Securities Divisions.
Toyin chairs the Financial Literacy Technical Committee (FLTC) of the Nigerian Capital Market. She is also the President of the Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers (IAPM); and Founder/Chairperson of Women in Finance Nigeria (WIFng) – an advocacy and development platform for women in the Nigerian financial sector.
She was named the All African Business Woman of the Year 2017 by CNBC Africa; and Nigeria’s CEO of the Year by Pearl Awards becoming the first female CEO to win the Award in its 22-year history. She also led her company to win the Best Corporate Governance, Highest Dividend Yield and Sectoral Award categories, clinching the Best Overall Company Award. Toyin also won the BusinessDay Top 25 CEO on the NSE Award in 2014, 2015 and 2016, amongst many other awards.
Prior to her appointment as Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital, Toyin was Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Trustees & Global Investor Services for 8 years during which she grew the Trust business from startup to a clear market leader. She also established and grew UBA’s domestic custody business to top 3 industry position.
She had served as the Managing Director of Cornerstone Trustees Limited where she established and supervised the Cornerstone group’s trusts, asset management equipment leasing businesses. She also served as Assistant General Manager – Trust Services at First Trustees, a part of the FBN Holdings Group, between 1999 and 2003. Her other past roles include Chairperson, Annual Capital Market Retreat and Conference (2012-2014), President, Association of Trustees, Chairman, Committee on Custody of Securities and Member, National Bond Steering Committee amongst others.
Toyin obtained her first degree in Law from the University of Ife, Nigeria in 1984, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985 and obtained a Masters degree in Law from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 1998. She has participated in various executive education programs such as the Chief Executive Program, Lagos Business School (2017); Global AMP-CEP, IESE Business School (2017); Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise through Disruptive Innovation Strategy, Harvard Business School (2016); and Global Strategic Leadership Program, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (2015).
Toyin currently sits on several Boards and has served on several industry and regional committees. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Fellow, IAPM, Associate, Institute of Directors and of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (ICSA) UK.
26. Arunma Oteh – Chair, The Royal African Society
Nigerian-British Arunma Oteh holds a first class honors degree in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. She obtained a Masters degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School where.
Oteh has a rich working experience from various institutions having started at Centre Point Investments Limited in 1995. Her area of focus are capital markets, economic development, financial technology in corporate finance, consulting, teaching and research. She joined the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1992 where she was a Senior Investment Officer/Senior Capital Markets Officer from 1993 to 1997, then Division Manager Investments and Trading Room from 1997 to 2001 when she was appointed the Bank’s Group Treasurer responsible for fund raising and investments in major international capital markets.
In 2006, Arunma Oteh was appointed vice-president for Corporate Management at the ADB, with the responsibility for Language Services, General Services and Procurement, Human Resources, and Information Management and Methods. In 2009, she was nominated as the Director-General of the Securities & Exchange Commission by President Umaru Yar’Adua and in 2010, she became Director General of the SEC in January 2010, after being confirmed by the Senate.
Arunma Oteh faced resistance from the powerful Nigerian rent-seeking elite, and in 2012, she was asked to proceed on compulsory leave by the SEC board, following a series of inquiries into the near collapse of the Nigerian capital exchange in 2008. She was eventually exonerated of any financial impropriety and in July, she was was called back to resume work after an independent investigation by the board-appointed firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Following the completion of her tenure as SEC DG in 2015, Arunma was appointed by Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank as the Vice President and Treasurer of the institution. In 2018, Oteh left the World Bank to join St Antony’s College, Oxford University, as an academic scholar and an executive-in-residence at Saïd Business School.
Arunma Oteh’s years of hard work did not go unnoticed as in 2011 she was made an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in recognition of her contribution to economic development and to transforming the Nigerian capital markets. Same year, she received the Distinction In Public Service award from the Commonwealth Business Council/African Business, and won the CNBC Africa All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) Business Woman of the Year category for West Africa in 2014. In 2020, Forbes listed her among “Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women, and was recognised in the 2020 Powerlist, of the most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean heritage.
She is a member of the London Stock Exchange Africa Advisory Group, co-edited the book, African Voices African Visions and since 2019, has been a Non-Execuitve Member of Ecobank Board of Directors. Just this July 2021, Arunma Oteh has been elected the new chair of The Royal African Society.
27. Sola David-Borha – CEO, Standard Bank Group
Sola David- Borha, born in Accra, Ghana to a diplomat father, has an extensive career in the financial services industry which has spanned over 30 years. Having obtained a BSc in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Sola proceeded to pursue an MBA from the Manchester Business School in 1991.
Her executive educational experience includes the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School and the Global CEO Program of CEIBS, Wharton and IESE. She is an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and winner of the CNBC African Woman of the Year Award for 2016.
Prior to her appointment as the Chief Executive, Standard Bank Africa Regions, Sola David-Borha has held various executive positions in Corporate Banking; Corporate & Investment Banking; and Investment Banking Coverage.
She had started out her career at NAL Merchant Bank (now Sterling Bank), then affiliated with American Express from 1984 to 1989, before joining a boutique investment banking firm, IBTC, which was merged with two commercial banks to become IBTC Chartered in 2005.
In 2007 when Standard Bank Group acquired IBTC and became known as Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Sola became the Deputy Chief Executive of the bank (Stanbic IBTC Bank) and Head, International Banking Coverage in Africa (excluding South Africa). She eventually became the Chief Executive of the bank in 2011 and Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings in 2012.
In January 2017, she took up the position as the Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of CR Services Credit Bureau PLC and the University of Ibadan Business School. She joined the board of IBTC in July 1994 and has been a non-Executive Director of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company AG since June 2015. She is a director of Fate Foundation, Redeemer’s International Secondary School, a member of the governing council of the Redeemer’s University,
In September 2020, Stanbic IBTC Holdings appointed Sola David-Borha as a Non-Executive Director and on 15 April 2021, she retired after 31 years at Stanbic IBTC, and was replaced as CEO Standard Bank (Standard Bank Group operates as Stanbic Bank in some countries in Africa) Africa Regions, by Yinka Sanni.
28. Bode Abifarin – Chief Operating Officer, Flutterwave
Bode is the Chief Operating Officer at Flutterwave and she is responsible for managing operations and performance across the organization.
Prior to joining Flutterwave, Bode worked as an Associate Director in KPMG Professional services with a career spanning over 15 years. Her experience covers customer advisory, development of strategy plans and models for financial institutions and organizations as well as proposing various ways to scale, improve efficiency and profits.
29. Chinyere Don Okhuofu – DCEO, Interswitch Networks
Chinyere Don-Okhuofu develops and executes strategies to deepen and broaden our Industry Vertical Markets business. Chinyere is unwavering in her desire to get every organised business in markets where we operate to adopt solutions and services that digitise cash.
A Chartered Accountant with a first degree in Accounting, Chinyere is an alumnus ofLondon Business School.
Prior to joining Interswitch, she was responsible for Branch and Electronic Banking at one of the foremost banks in Nigeria where she led and executed the channel transformation strategy of the bank. Chinyere is tenacious and result-oriented. She leads a highly motivated team that has consistently opened up new vistas for the company.
30. The Mothers Of Nigerian Banking – Osaretin Demuren And Ibikun Awosika
Osaretin Demuren is a the hugely respected banker and the first female Chairman of Guaranty Trust Bank.
Demuren attended high school at St. Maria Goretti Girls Grammar School, Benin. She holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics and a Diploma in Russian Language and Preliminary Studies from the Kiev State University, Kiev.
She joined central bank in 1976 where she served in several capacity including Trade and Exchange Department and was later deployed to Human Resource Department where she served as director. She retired from banking in 29 December 2009 after 33 years in the industry. She’s a member of several professional associations including the Society for Human Resource Management of America, Nigerian Statistical Association, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. She sits on the board of Trust Fund Pensions Plc and of LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited. Demuren joined the Board of Guaranty Trust Bank plc in April 2013 and was announced chairman in 2015.
In the same vein, Ibukun Awosika was the former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Born as the third child of seven children in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Ibukun completed her primary and secondary school education at St. Paul’s African Church Primary School, Lagos and Methodist Girls’ High School, Yaba. She proceeded to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where she graduated with a B.Sc in Chemistry although she had initially wanted to study Architecture and also ended up taking elective courses in Accounting. She holds post graduate and MBA certificates upon the completion of several business programmes at the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School – University of Navarra.
While on her compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps service (NYSC) in Kano state, Ibukun Awosika worked as an audit trainee at Akintola Williams & Co. which later became Deloitte, but returned home after the service and joined Alibert Nigeria Ltd., a furniture company, as showroom manager.
On September 7, 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Photo Credit: Getty
