Fidelity Bank is one of the best banks in Nigeria. It has also stood the test of times. It is one of the few banks that have Innovation and Technology as their driving force.
You might have been wondering who the brains behind this ever-evolving bank are. Look no further because here are the smart and hardworking men and women running it.
Mr. Ernest C. Ebi serves as Chairman of the Board. He started his banking career in 1978 at the Community Federal Savings and Loan Association, Washington D.C., U.S.A. where he held the position of Assistant Vice President/Controller. In November 1981, he returned to Nigeria and joined International Merchant Bank (IMB) Plc, where he served in various capacities including heading the Treasury Department and becoming the Chief Credit Officer of the bank from June 1989 to January 1992. From January 1992 to June 1993, he was the Head of the Audit and Risk Management Department.
In a very distinguished career within the financial services industry, he went on to serve in leadership positions across a number of banks, until June 1999, when he was appointed as a Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria where he covered the policy and corporate services portfolios over a 10-year period.
He attended Howard University, Washington D.C., U.S.A. where he graduated with a BBA in Marketing and an MBA. He has also attended many high profile leadership courses and programs at high profile institutions.
Nnamdi Okonkwo is the MD/CEO of the bank. He is a University of Benin graduate from where he obtained a first degree in Agricultural Economics. He holds an MBA in Banking and Finance from Enugu State University of Technology, Nigeria. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme of INSEAD Business School, Fontainebleau, France.
This handsome super banker has attended business, leadership and management training programs locally and overseas, in some of the world’s leading institutions including Harvard Business School, Wharton Business School and Stanford Graduate School.
His banking career started in 1990 at Merchant Bank of Africa, Nigeria. His early career was further nurtured in Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria where he rose to become a Manager and was appointed the pioneer Branch Manager of Onitsha Branch before moving on.
He later worked in other financial institutions, notably United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc where he held various managerial and leadership positions including Regional Bank Head in Lagos, Regional Director, Federal Capital, Nigeria, Project Director, and Head of Corporate Banking and Multinational Corporates Division. The high point of his career in UBA came when he was appointed Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana and later elevated to Regional CEO of the bank’s West Africa Monetary Zone covering Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In 2012, he took advantage of an existing opportunity and joined Fidelity Bank Plc., as Executive Director in charge of the Bank’s businesses in Southern Nigeria, a position he held until January 1, 2014 when he was appointed Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank.
Aku Odinkemelu is an ED. She is an alumna of the prestigious Harvard Business School, Cambridge Massachusetts. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons) degree from the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus and a Barrister at Law (BL) from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos as well as Dual MBA degrees from IMD Switzerland and CKGSB, China.
With over 30 years’ top-notch experience in first-class banking Institutions including Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, Equatorial Trust Bank Plc, and Continental Merchant Bank, formerly Chase Manhattan Inc., Aku is skilled in most key areas of banking including Legal, Documentation and Credit Control, Business Development, Credits and Loan Structuring, Strategy, Relationship Management and Marketing.
She served as a Non-Executive Director on the board of Mansard Assurance (formerly Guaranty Trust Assurance) and Guaranty Trust Bank, Sierra Leone, prior to her appointment as Executive Director in Fidelity Bank Plc in August, 2014. She currently oversees the South Directorate of the Bank.
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe is an ED. She was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc on July 2, 2015 and currently oversees the Lagos and South-West Directorate. Since joining the Bank, she has returned the Directorate to profitability and sustained impressive year on year growth.
She has over 28 years’ industry experience across various banks namely Enterprise Bank Plc, Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith International Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank Limited, where she worked in various departments including Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/Commercial Banking and Corporate Banking. Nneka has been involved in the structuring of complex transactions in various sectors including Oil & Gas Downstream, Manufacturing, Aviation, Real Estate and Export.
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.
Nneka holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Master of Laws (LLM) degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Kings College, London, respectively. 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 and IMD amongst others.
Gbolahan Joshua is also an ED. He joined the bank in April 2014 as a General Manager with responsibility for Strategy, Innovation & Business Transformation. He was elevated to the role of Chief Operations & Information Officer in January 2016 and was appointed to the Board in September 2019 as the Executive Director/Chief Operations and Information Officer with responsibility for the Operations, Technology, Digital Banking, Investor Relations, Strategy and Business Transformation Divisions of the Bank.
He has played a pivotal role in key transformation initiatives of the bank over the last 6 years including the digital banking strategy that led to a growth in the mobile banking penetration rate from 1% to 50%, deploying a performance management system that led to ROE improving from 4% to 13% and Foreign & Local Debt Capital Raising of over $600m. He has won various awards during his career including the best graduating student at his banking training school, best ideas competition, staff of the year and the deal of the year.
He attended Kings College Lagos, holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Olabisi Onabanjo University and is a Chartered Accountant. He has over 20 years of comprehensive experience across various areas of financial services including Finance, Strategy, Performance Management, Investor Relations, Audit, Treasury, Digital Banking, Technology and Operations. He has held various leadership roles in the banking industry including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Information Officer and previously worked at premier financial institutions including United Bank for Africa (UBA) and First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
Hassan Imam is another great guy, who is an ED. He joined FSB International Bank in April 1998 before the merger with Fidelity Bank in 2005. He has worked in the bank for over 22 years rising to the position of General Manager in 2015 where he was responsible for the Abuja Business Area before he was appointed Executive Director, North Directorate of Fidelity Bank in January 2020 with responsibility for the Commercial, SME, Consumer and Public Sector businesses in the Northern Region of Nigeria comprising 19 states and Abuja.
Hassan has a record of exemplary performance in the bank and is a serial award winner having won the CEO Awards for The Deal Of Year, Most profitable business unit, Most profitable regional bank and one of the 3 staff inducted into the banks Hall of Fame for exceptional performance.
Hassan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto , Masters in Treasury Management from Bayero University in Kano and an MBA from Business School Netherlands.
Obaro Odeghe is one of the great guys in banking. He joined the bank in March 2015 as a General Manager in charge of the Apapa Business. He was elevated to head the Corporate Banking Directorate in January 2018 and was appointed to the Board in September 2019 as the Executive Director Corporate Banking with responsibility for the following sectors; Energy, Power, Manufacturing, Telecoms, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Construction and Real Estate.
He led the transformation of the Apapa business of Fidelity Bank and accounted for over 10% of the PBT of the bank for the 2017FY, winning the award for the Most Profitable Regional Bank in the 2017FY and culminating in his appointment as the Head of Corporate Banking Directorate which has witnessed a remarkable turnaround in the Performance over the last 2 years. He has a proven track record of delivering exceptional performance having previously won the CEO Awards at Zenith Bank and UBA for Profitability, Risk Assets and Transaction Banking.
He attended Edo College Benin, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Benin. Obaro is a Fellow Institute of Credit Administration and Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He has over 24 years of experience across various areas of Banking including; Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, SMEs, Consumer Banking, Institutional Banking, Trade Finance and Operations. Prior to joining Fidelity Bank Plc, he held senior management positions in Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA).
Alhaji Isa Mohammed Inuwa is an Independent director. He has multi-industry work experience spanning over 35 years in the Banking and Oil and Gas industries, with a significant portion of time spent in executive and strategic roles covering management, finance, strategy, corporate services, compliance, audit and Information Technology.
He statutorily retired in June 2019 as Chief Operating Officer/Group Executive Director, Corporate Services at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) where he worked for over a decade. He was recruited under a Business Transformation Programme at NNPC in 2005 and served in various roles as General Manager, Budget and Projects, General Manager, Finance, NAPIMS and Group General Manager, Corporate Audit.
While at NNPC he was seconded to Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) in 2016 as Deputy Managing Director. As the DMD of NLNG, he served on the board of NLNG and NLNG subsidiaries including Bonny Gas Transport Limited (BGTL) and NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML). He was at various times a Member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB), the Petroleum Training Institute, Chairman of Nigerian Pipelines and Products Storage Company Limited (NPSC) and Alternate Chairman of NNPC LNG Limited, amongst others.
He started out as a banker with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc where he did his mandatory youth service programme and worked at the defunct Bank for Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and International Merchant Bank (IMB). Inuwa rose to the pinnacle of the banking profession with his appointment as Managing Director, Intercity Bank Plc, in 1991.
Born in Kano, Inuwa was educated at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Stirling University, Scotland where he obtained B.Sc Accounting and M.Sc Accounting & Finance degrees respectively. Married with children and a grandchild, he has attended several courses and executive management programmes at Wharton, Oxford University, Euromoney, INSEAD, IMD and other high profile global institutions.
Many don’t know that Otunba Seni Adetu is on the board of Fidelity Bank. He is an Independent director brings to the Board, over 30 years of quality private sector experience garnered at the highest levels with John Holt Plc, Coca-Cola International and Diageo/Guinness Plc in different countries within and outside Africa. He holds a B.Sc in Chemical Engineering and Master’s in Business Administration (with specialization in Marketing), both from the University of Lagos.
He was at various times MD of Coca-Cola English West Africa based in Ghana and became the first African MD/CEO and Executive Vice Chairman of Guinness Ghana Plc; He was Group MD/CEO Diageo East Africa based in Kenya and until December 2014, was the MD/CEO of Guinness Nigeria Plc and Executive Chairman Diageo Brands Nigeria.
Adetu is the Founder/Group CEO of First Primus W.A. Limited, an upscale integrated marketing communications company, in partnership with WPP – one of the world’s largest communications networks; having as its subsidiaries – Ogilvy Nigeria Limited and Algorithm Media Limited. He is a leadership coach and facilitates on the Chief Executive Program of the Lagos Business School. He joined the Board of Fidelity Bank on April 28, 2016.
Alex C. Ojukwu is a non-Executive Director. He has over 26 years’ experience in diverse fields including Banking Services, Risk Management, Control, Audit, Marketing, Power, Mining, Steel and Manufacturing. He was the Assistant Vice President in charge of Remedial Assets Management in Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank Limited) until 2010.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Ogun State University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Federal University of Technology, Akure. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB), an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and Member of the Institute of Risk Management.
He was the Executive Director, Risk Management, Western Goldfields Group Limited and also the founder and Managing Partner of Damos Practice – Risk Management Consultants.
For 5 years until 2016, he was on secondment from Chicason Group to Afro Asia Automobile and Manufacturing Company Limited (a member of the Group) as Managing Director. He is currently the Executive Director in charge of Mining and Special Projects in Chicason Group. He joined Fidelity Bank Plc as a Non-Executive Director on October 23, 2014.
Michael Ezechukwu Okeke is a non-Executive Director. He holds a B.Sc degree in Estate Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Political Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He also holds an MBA in Business Administration from the Metropolitan School of Business & Management, United Kingdom.
He is currently the Managing Partner of Okeke, Oriala & Co, Chartered Estate Surveyors &Valuers and sits on the Board of Tahila Shelters Limited, a real estate company. He joined the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc on October 23, 2014.
Pastor Kings C. Akuma is a non-executive director. He currently heads the Non-Oil & Gas business of ALCON Nigeria Limited, a major player in the oil, gas and power sector. Prior to joining ALCON, he was the Managing Director of Hammakopp Consortium Limited, an affiliate of Nestoil Group Plc, where he served as the Executive Director in charge of Operations and Quality. He holds a B.Sc in Accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Lagos.
He joined the Board of Fidelity Bank on November 25, 2016.
Charles Umolu is a non-executive director. He is the Managing Consultant and Chief Executive of Corimol Consulting Limited, a firm engaged in banking and financial consulting. He has over 18 years’ cognate experience in banking. He trained as a banker with Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York, United States of America. He obtained a B.Sc degree in Economics from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife and a Master’s in Business Administration from the same institution.
Umolu has served on the board of various organizations as Executive and Non-Executive Director, including a five-year stint with Keystone Bank Limited as a Non-Executive Director. He was the Managing Director/CEO of Comet Merchant Bank Limited (1995-1997) a position he held until he retired in 1997 to set up Corimol Consulting Limited. He joined the Board of Fidelity Bank on November 25, 2016.
Chidozie Agbapu is a Non-Executive Director of Fidelity Bank. He holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Master’s in Banking and Finance from the University of Lagos. He is an alumni of the Lagos Business School (Advanced Management Program, AMP 14, 2000).
He has served as Chief Dealer/Analyst in various capital market firms including Equator Finance & Securities Limited and Prominent Securities Limited. He is currently Co-CEO/Managing Director of Planet Capital Limited, a product of a merger between Strategy & Arbitrage Limited and Emerging Capital Limited, both being members of The Nigerian Stock Exchange. Mr. Agbapu was a Founding Partner/Managing Director of Emerging Capital Limited from 2004 to 2010.
Mr. Agbapu currently serves on the board of various companies including Coral Properties Limited (a subsidiary of the Nigerian Stock Exchange), MTI Nigeria Plc and MTI Limited, Accra, Ghana. He served as a Director of Bendel Feed and Flour Mills Limited and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Limited for seven (7) years and is currently a Member of the National Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, where he also serves on the Disciplinary, Audit & Risk and Rules & Adjudication Committees.
Until his appointment as a Non-Executive Director of the Bank, Mr. Chidi Agbapu was the Chairman of the Statutory Audit Committee of Fidelity Bank Plc. His appointment to the Board was approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on September 3, 2018.
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