United Bank for Africa
PLC, the leading pan Africa banking group, with operations in 19 African
countries and presence in the London, Paris and New York, is pleased to
announce the appointment of five new executive directors, subject to the
approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria:
They all bring considerable experience to the Board and, as
a sign of the depth of internal talent and the Group's commitment to fostering
promotion of its own human capital , all have been promoted from within the
Bank.
The five new executive directors are;
Ayo Liadi
He has
over 20 years’ banking experience, having worked in Tier 1 banks in Nigeria and
in West Africa, before joining UBA in January 2014 as the Director for Lagos
and West Bank, overseeing over 200 branches of UBA. A Chartered Accountant and
graduate of Business Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ayo
received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Performance.
Oliver Alawuba
He is currently the CEO Africa, Anglophone, joined the UBA Group in 1997. A
member of the Association of Bank Directors in Nigeria and also a Catholic
Knight, Oliver had previously supervised the Bank’s Public Sector and Personal
Banking businesses. Oliver has over 25 years of banking experience.
Ibrahim Puri
He is currently Directorate Head of the North Bank is a graduate of Banking
and Finance. He joined the UBA Group in 2006 and has contributed immensely to
the growth of the Bank in both the private and public sectors.
Ibrahim has over 25 years of banking experience.
Uche Ike
He is the Group Chief Risk Officer, and a Chartered Accountant, with an
MBA from the University of Benin. He has been with the Group since 2006 and has
served in a number of prominent roles, first as Group Head of Operations in
South and South East Banks and then for a period of five years, as General
Manager at the Bank’s New York branch. Uche has over 27 years of banking
experience.
Chuks Nweke
He is currently the Head of Operations and Information Technology, is an
accounting graduate of the University of Nigeria at Nsukka (best graduating
student) and holds an MBA from the same university. Chuks is also a qualified
Chartered Accountant. He has over 25 years of banking experience .
Congratulating
the newly appointed Directors, the Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu said "
These appointments will greatly assist in the plans we have to transform the
UBA Group into a truly customer led bank and the foremost financial institution
in Africa".
"These are exciting times for UBA", he
continued. "And with this leadership, I have no doubt that the Bank will
continue on its strong growth trajectory ".
The newly appointed Executive Directors join Kennedy
Uzoka, who was appointed as the incoming Group CEO in March 2016. Kennedy will
assume his role on the 1st of August, on the retirement of Phillips Oduoza.
Mr Uzoka said today "I am extremely optimistic
about the future of the Bank, these appointments show the strength of the
talent available within UBA and demonstrate our commitment to
institutionalisation. We could not have put together a better executive
leadership team".
Board Chairman, Tony Elumelu, also commended outgoing
Directors saying "I take this opportunity to inform you that two of our
Executive Directors, Femi Olaloku and Obi Ibekwe will be retiring from the
Board effective June 30 and May 31, 2016 respectively. I would like to thank
them for the enormous contributions they have made during their time of
service".
In April this year, UBA held an intensive three day
strategy session which brought together the Group Board , subsidiary CEOs and
board chairs to set a path for the Pan Africa Bank's future.
At the Group strategy session, the Bank resolved to
deepen its commitment to its pan Africa strategy and accelerate its expansion
across the continent. The appointment of five Executive Directors today is a
visible manifestation of the Group's strategic intent.
UBA reported strong financial results in 2015, in what
all recognised was a challenging macro environment. Gross earnings were
N 315 billion whilst operating profits approximated to N 70 billion. First quarter
profits in the current financial year, at N 18 billion, illustrate the
resilience of the Bank’s business model.
United Bank for Africa is one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, with operations in 19 countries and 3 global financial centres: London, Paris and New York.
From a single country operation in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, UBA has evolved into a pan-African provider of banking and related financial services to more than 11 million customers, through diverse channels globally.