Meet 7 Amazons Running The Show As CEOs Of Nigeria's Big Banks

Out of Nigeria’s 20 commercial banks, 7 are now headed by women as CEOs. A revolution seems to be sweeping through the Nigerian banking industry with the recent appointment of women to run the affairs of leading banks in the financial services sector. This month alone, two banks, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) named women as their Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers. Their appointments made it three, the number of female CEOs appointed this year alone, and bringing the total number of female Bank MDs currently in the country in the country to 7; the highest at any particular time.

On Tuesday, July 13, the Board of Directors of FCMB Group Plc announced the appointment of Yemisi Edun as the first female Managing Director of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited.

Edun, FCMB MD/CEO.

Her appointment followed the controversial exit of the bank’s former Managing Director, Adam Nuru. Before her new appointment, the new Managing Director was the Executive Director/ Chief Financial Officer of the bank and had previously served as acting Managing Director. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a Certified Financial Analyst.

Olusanya, GTB M/CEO.

Just around the same time, GTB announced the appointment of Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya as Managing Director and CEO. Olusanya, the first female Managing Director in the bank’s history. She succeeded Segun Agbaje. Until her appointment, she was the Executive Director/Head of Wholesale Banking in the bank and has over 20 years banking experience across various units, including Transaction Services, Asset and Liability Management, Financial Markets, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations. She joined GT Bank as an Executive Trainee and rose to the position of a General Manager until she was appointed Executive Director. She had served on the Board of Guaranty Trust Bank (Gambia) Limited as a non-executive Director.

Onyeali-Ikpe, Fidelity Bank MD/CEO.

In January this year, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe became the first female Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc. She took over from Nnamdi Okonkwo who stepped down from the Board of Directors with effect from 31st of December 2020. She had previously served as Fidelity Bank’s Executive Director, Lagos and South-West Directorate.

Yemisi Edun of FCMB, Miriam Olusanya of GT Bank and Onyeali-Ikpe of Fidelity Bank have now joined the exclusive clique of Nigerian women MD/CEOs of commercial banks.

Somefun, Unity Bank MD/CEO.

The list include amazons like Oluwatomi Somefun, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of of Unity Bank. She 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. Prior to her appointment as MD; she served as the executive director overseeing the Lagos and south-west business directorates, the financial institution division and treasury department of the bank.

Samuel-Ogbu, CitiBank MD/CEO

Mrs. Ireti Samuel-Ogbu became the new MD/CEO for Citibank Nigeria Limited in September 2020. She is the first female CEO of the Bank. Prior to being appointed the MD/CEO, she was the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Head, Payments and Receivables, Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) under Citi’s Institutional Clients Group (ICG) based in London, UK. She has also been on the Board of Citibank Nigeria Limited for the last 5 years as a non-Executive Director.

Buba, SunTrust Bank MD/CEO.

Halima Buba was appointed as SunTrust Bank MD/CEO in January 2020. Her appointment was premised on her years of experience as a financial expert and a seasoned banker with over 20 years’ experience in both the private and public sector with recognizable and impressive strides. Buba, who hails from Adamawa is a co-founder of TAJ consortium, a group of young and dynamic technocrats, cum financial advisory experts, who specialise in trade finance, project and export development finance, syndication and specialised finance.

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Araoye, Lotus Bank MD.

Kafilat Araoye is the Managing Director Lotus Bank, a new financial institution granted a non-interest banking licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in June 2021. The bank describes itself as a non-interest Nigerian bank deeply rooted in ethical banking and committed to deepening financial inclusion and broadening the array of non-interest products available to the banked, unbanked, and under-banked population. With over 25 years commercial banking experience, Araoye 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.