uba positions for pan african banking leadership ... - UBA Plc
uba positions for pan african banking leadership ... - UBA Plc
uba positions for pan african banking leadership ... - UBA Plc
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>UBA</strong> POSITIONS FOR PAN AFRICAN BANKING LEADERSHIP: ANNOUNCES PROJECT<br />
ALPHA AND FURTHER SENIOR EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS<br />
United Bank <strong>for</strong> Africa <strong>Plc</strong> (<strong>UBA</strong>), the Pan-African bank with operations in 19 African<br />
countries and New York, London and Paris, announces the launch of Project Alpha –<br />
the Group’s next stage focus of strategic trans<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
<strong>UBA</strong> has <strong>for</strong> [8] years executed a dedicated strategy of local, regional and global<br />
ex<strong>pan</strong>sion, whose implementation has seen the Group trans<strong>for</strong>m from a national player<br />
to an institution of international prominence. Project Alpha is a 3 year route map of key<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mation initiatives, designed to consolidate the Group’s strategic positioning and<br />
fully capture the opportunities from Africa’s economic renaissance and the Group’s<br />
unique plat<strong>for</strong>m.<br />
Project Alpha is focused on leveraging all aspects of the Group’s footprint, product<br />
offerings and operational capability, allowing a commitment to customer service<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mation, market share growth, the implementation of key e-<strong>banking</strong> initiatives<br />
across all segments, the growth of corporate and trade finance capabilities and<br />
significant investment in the human capital represented by the over twenty five<br />
thousand <strong>UBA</strong> work <strong>for</strong>ce.<br />
A series of senior executive hires underlines the Group’s commitment to Project Alpha.<br />
Mr. Apollos Ikpobe has been appointed as Deputy Managing Director, Domestic Bank<br />
and Ms. Obi Ibekwe as Executive Director Human Resources and Customer Service.<br />
Both appointments have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).<br />
Mr. Ikpobe, who was until recently an Executive Director at Zenith Bank, a position he<br />
held <strong>for</strong> 7 years, brings over 21 years of experience of the Nigerian <strong>banking</strong> sector. Mr.<br />
Ikpobe will be responsible <strong>for</strong> driving <strong>UBA</strong>'s domestic business in Nigeria. His<br />
appointment complements existing Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka,<br />
responsible <strong>for</strong> Resources and Treasury.<br />
The new Executive Director Human Resources and Customer Service, Ms. Ibekwe had a<br />
distinguished career with Zenith Bank <strong>Plc</strong>, where she was responsible <strong>for</strong> Human<br />
Resource Management, Customer Services, as well as Credit Risk Management. She<br />
has a background in consulting, <strong>banking</strong> and customer service, critical <strong>for</strong> leading the<br />
renewed service excellence culture at <strong>UBA</strong>. Her appointment to the board brings to<br />
five, the number of female Directors at the Group board of <strong>UBA</strong>.<br />
Other key appointments also announced include Mr. Rasheed Adegoke, General<br />
Manager in charge of Group In<strong>for</strong>mation Technology. Mr Adegoke joins <strong>UBA</strong> from First<br />
Bank of Nigeria, where he was CIO, a role he has held over 13 years at different<br />
institutions in the Nigerian financial services sector. He is a technology and process
strategist and with hands-on expertise in the design and delivery of high-per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation technology and business process improvement solutions to address<br />
complex business problems.<br />
A critical aspect of the Project Alpha initiative is the focus on <strong>UBA</strong> Africa, whose<br />
contribution currently at 20% of group per<strong>for</strong>mance and is planned to be 50% in by<br />
2016. To drive this, the Group is rein<strong>for</strong>cing its senior African <strong>leadership</strong>.<br />
Emmanuel Nnorom, Formerly Executive Director, Finance & Risk Management at <strong>UBA</strong>,<br />
has been appointed as the CEO <strong>for</strong> <strong>UBA</strong> Africa.<br />
Other senior level appointments in <strong>UBA</strong> Africa include Mrs. Amie Sow, Managing<br />
Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Senegal; Mr. Demola Ogunfeyimi, Managing Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Tanzania; Mr.<br />
Mamadou Sanon, Managing Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Gabon; Mr. Martin Che, Managing Director,<br />
<strong>UBA</strong> Congo Brazzaville; Mr. Marcel Bitang, Managing Director, <strong>UBA</strong> DRC; Mr. Stanley<br />
Ugwueze, Managing Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Zambia; Mrs. Abiola Bawuah, Deputy Managing<br />
Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Ghana; Mr. Benedict Nklama, Executive Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Kenya; Mr. Wilbrod<br />
Owor, Executive Director, <strong>UBA</strong> Uganda and Mr. Chinedu Obeta, Executive Director,<br />
<strong>UBA</strong> Sierra Leone.<br />
“<strong>UBA</strong> is able to recruit the cream of African <strong>banking</strong> talent and we are proud to be<br />
able to provide a dynamic plat<strong>for</strong>m <strong>for</strong> these Africans to contribute to our continent’s<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mation” said the GMD/CEO, <strong>UBA</strong> Mr. Phillips Oduoza.<br />
Speaking further, he said: “Our people remain our greatest asset and we will continue<br />
to strategically retool and resource to achieve and surpass the goals of Project Alpha”.<br />
More broadly, Project Alpha allows us both to build on the existing strengths of our<br />
franchise, but more importantly demonstrates that going <strong>for</strong>ward we continue to<br />
reinvent ourselves, ensuring we capture and deliver the maximum of value <strong>for</strong> clients,<br />
shareholders and staff” he explained.<br />
United Bank <strong>for</strong> Africa <strong>Plc</strong> is one of Africa's leading financial institutions, offering <strong>banking</strong><br />
services to more than 7 million customers across over 700 branches in 19 African<br />
countries. With presence in New York, London and Paris, <strong>UBA</strong> is connecting people and<br />
businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate <strong>banking</strong>, innovative<br />
cross border payments and trade finance.