Leadership

Tony Elumelu is an economist, investor, and philanthropist. He chairs the privately held investment firm, Heirs Holdings and Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerate Transcorp. Mr. Elumelu invests across Africa and his investments are primarily informed by his philosophy of Africapitalism: the belief that the private sector can lead Africa’s economic renaissance and that investment should create both economic prosperity and social wealth.

Tony sits on several global public and social sector boards including the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4ALL) and USAID’s Private Capital Group Partners Forum (PCG).

He is the Chairman of leading African financial services group, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), with a presence in 20 African countries, and offices in Paris, London, and New York.

He is also the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which has seeded $100 million through the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, to champion entrepreneurship across Africa over the next 10 years.
Amongst his numerous roles, he serves as Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute Strategy Group on Global Food Security, sits on the Global Advisory Board of the Washington DC-based the Wilson Centre, and is a member of the Global Advisory Council of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Centre for Public Leadership. Tony is a member of the World Economic Forum Community

Appointed Non-Executive Director in 2010 and he is the Vice-Chairman of the Board

Ambassador Joe C. Keshi is currently the Vice Chairman of UBA Group. He is also the Chairman of Afrigrowth Foundation, Director General BRACED Commission, responsible for economic cooperation and integration among the core six south south states of Nigeria. Co-chairman, Board of Patrons, Educational Cooperation Society and a member, Board of Trustees Lifestyle Medical Practitioners Association of Nigeria.

Before joining the Bank, Ambassador Keshi had a distinguished career in the diplomatic service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ending up as the top career diplomat of the country, when he served as the head of the ministry in the capacity of the Permanent Secretary. He had also served as the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat responsible for the meetings of the Federal Executive Council, presided over by the President. During the course of his 35 years diplomatic career, Ambassador Keshi served in about eight countries and various capacities, including, Charge D ‘Affairs, Embassy of Nigeria, The Netherlands, Consul General, Nigerian Consulate, Atlanta, USA, and held a number of management positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was a member of various Nigerian delegation and participated in a number of bilateral, political and multinational economic negotiations including, being a member of an international team that negotiated the Peace Agreement that ended the ten years civil war in Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Keshi earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, Nigeria and his Master’s degree in Public Administration and Development (with policy analysis, as area of policy concentration) from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, the Netherlands, (Erasmus University). He is also a fellow of the Kennedy School of Public Administration and fellow of the Harvard Business School.

Appointed Executive Director in 2010 and GMD/CEO in 2016

Kennedy Uzoka holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and an MBA from the University of Lagos. Mr. Uzoka has over two decades of experience covering Core Banking, Corporate Marketing Communications, Strategy, and Business Advisory Services.

Kennedy is currently Group Managing Director/CEO and he is responsible for leading the development and execution of UBA Group’s long-term strategy. Prior to his current role, he was Group Deputy Managing Director and CEO, UBA Africa managing the Group’s country subsidiaries across 18 countries in Africa, as well as supervising three key strategic support areas in Digital Banking, Information Technology, and Personal Banking.

As Deputy Managing Director, he was the Executive in charge of the Group’s businesses in New York and London.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School (AMP) in Boston USA, the International Institute of Management Development (IMS) in Lausanne, Switzerland and the London Business School, United Kingdom.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

Mr. Oliver Alawuba has over twenty years of work experience in the banking industry and the academia. Oliver was at various times an Executive Director at Finbank Nigeria Plc (now FCMB Plc), MD/CEO of UBA Ghana Ltd, MD/CEO of UBA West Africa, Directorate Head, Public Sector and Personal Banking and Regional CEO, UBA Africa – Anglophone.

Oliver has B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in Food Science and Technology and MBA in Banking and Finance. He is an alumnus of the AMP and SEP programmes of the prestigious Insead Business School, France, and London Business School respectively. He is also a Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Management and Honorary Senior Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Appointed Executive Director in 2011

He holds a B.Sc degree in Geography and Planning from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an MBA (Finance) degree from the ESUT Business School Lagos. He is an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and has attended various local and international courses, including the Competition and Strategy programme at the Harvard Business School. He acquired varied work experience in the manufacturing industry before moving to the financial services sector. He has over 20 years of banking experience, garnering capabilities in Domestic and International Operations, Credit and Marketing. He is currently responsible for the Bank’s retail and commercial business in Abuja and North Central Bank, Nigeria.

Appointed Executive Director/GCOO

Chiugo holds a first-class honors degree in Engineering from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Lagos. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Chiugo’s career spans over 20 years in the Banking industry.

Prior to UBA, he was an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, a position he held until the merger of Diamond Bank and Access Bank in April 2019.

In the course of his career, Chiugo has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Banking Industry Resolution Trust fund, as well as a member of the Audit Committee of the Nigeria Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS).

He has been involved in several transformational projects and has in-depth knowledge and experience in Financial Control, Mergers and Acquisition, Investor Relations, Cost Management, and Business Transformation.

He has attended various international and local courses including the Advanced Management Program (AMP) of the Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania), Driving Strategic Impact Program of the Columbia Business School and the HSBC International Bankers’ course in London. He is also an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (Pan-African University) Senior Management Program (SMP).

Chiugo joined United Bank for Africa in May 2019.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

He holds a B.Sc degree in Accountancy and an MBA from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He has more than two decades of experience spanning Banking Operations, Finance, Technology, Audit, and Strategy.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

He holds a B.Sc degree in Accountancy and a Master of Business Administration. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He has over two decades of banking experience spanning Operations, Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk Management, Fraud Management, and Regulatory Compliance.

In his current role, he is responsible for coordinating the risk management activities of the Bank. Prior to this role, he was the General Manager of UBA New York Branch and had also previously supervised operations in the East and South Banks of UBA Nigeria.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

Mr. Puri possesses a Masters of Banking and Finance degree obtained from Bayero University, Kano and has over 29 years of continuous banking experience. He joined UBA in 2006 and has held the following roles in the Bank; Directorate Head North, Head, Wholesale Banking North, Regional Director, Abuja, and Regional Bank Head, North Central and North East.

Prior to joining UBA, he worked with Savannah Bank Plc and Universal Trust Bank holding management roles such as Regional Business Controller, North, and Head, Large Corporates North. In recognition of his excellent work ethic and leadership skills, he bagged the award for Customer Service Excellence, Turnaround Manager of the Year and Most Effective Team Lead.

He has attended several trainings in and outside the country Including Executive Leadership, Corporate Governance, Structured Finance, Advanced Credit Analysis, Corporate Finance and Derivatives, Marketing and Relationship Management, Negotiation Skills, etc.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016
He holds a B.Sc in Business Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Ayoku is also a Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Prior to joining UBA Plc in 2014, he had over two decades of banking experience in Business Transformation, Relationship Management, Banking Operations, Risk Management, and Financial Control.

He was the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank, Sierra Leone Limited where he led the bank to win the most profitable bank in Sierra Leone in 2013, as well as Financial Institution of the year in 2013, and The Most Customer-Focused Bank Award in 2012 by KPMG. He also had a stint at Zenith Bank and rose to the position of Deputy General Manager in 2006.

He has attended various local and offshore courses in Banking, Strategy, and Leadership, among others.

Mr. Isaac Olukayode Fasola is a consummate professional with over 30 years’ cognate experience obtained from Management and Board positions covering banking operations, risk management, credit analysis, insurance, asset management, business strategy/development, performance management and corporate governance. Mr. Fasola previously served as an Executive Director of a commercial Bank in Nigeria. Mr. Fasola holds 2 MBAs and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Administration.

Mrs. Onari Duke has led a distinguished career which has straddled the roles of lawyer, public servant, entrepreneur and philanthropist. The former First Lady of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria, Mrs. Duke used her position to raise awareness and currently serves as the Country Director of EMPRETEC Nigeria Foundation; a United Nations Centre for Trade & Development (UNCTAD) Private Sector Support Initiative that aims to assist Nigerians to achieve high levels of productivity and competitiveness among SMEs.

Mrs. Duke is also the Managing Partner of the law firm Duke and Bobmanuel. She is a certified Mediation/Dispute Resolution Consultant. In addition to this she serves as the Executive Chairman of Allied Merchants & Brokers Limited, a leading merchandising and brokerage firm.

Appointed Non-Executive Director in 2015

High Chief Samuel Oni is a Chartered Accountant with a distinguished career that spanned well over 35years. Having qualified as a Graduate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1980, he held the position of Senior Accountant/Company Secretary in various establishments, including New Foods & Drinks Company Ltd. Abiola & Sons Bottling Company, and Kwara Breweries Ltd. He joined Kwara State Government and was deployed to Kwara State Agricultural Development Project as the Financial Controller.

In October 1993, High Chief Oni transferred his Services to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and assumed the position of an Assistant Director. He became a Commissioned Examiner and rose through the ranks in CBN and was appointed the Director of Bank Examination Department in 2003. He also served as the Director of Other Financial Institutions and Internal Audit Departments between 2005 and 2008. In 2009, he became the Director of Banking Supervision Department where he played a prominent role during the intervention process of the CBN that restored stability in the banking system, following the Financial Crisis of 2008/2009.

He voluntarily retired from the CBN in June 2011, having completed the eight years as a Director in line with the Tenure Policy for all Directors in Government Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals. He attended both local and overseas training, workshops and seminars during his career. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin and a Fellow of both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and an honorary member of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Mr. Abdulqadir J. Bello, a Chartered Accountant, has over 30 years’ corporate experience in the banking sector, during which period he held several senior Management positions in various Banks. He also previously served as the Group Chief Credit Officer of UBA and thereafter as the Executive Director in charge of Risk Management for UBA Group.

Ms. Angela Aneke is a board advisor, banker and a strategic thinker with over 30 years’ experience in financial services, in the areas of financial control, strategy, transaction banking, corporate banking, retail banking, and governance. Ms. Aneke has held executive management and board positions in several international and regional institutions, including Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Citigroup and the United Bank for Africa.

Appointed Executive Director in 2010 and GMD/CEO in 2016

Kennedy Uzoka holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and an MBA from the University of Lagos. Mr. Uzoka has over two decades of experience covering Core Banking, Corporate Marketing Communications, Strategy, and Business Advisory Services.

Kennedy is currently Group Managing Director/CEO and he is responsible for leading the development and execution of UBA Group’s long-term strategy. Prior to his current role, he was Group Deputy Managing Director and CEO, UBA Africa managing the Group’s country subsidiaries across 18 countries in Africa, as well as supervising three key strategic support areas in Digital Banking, Information Technology, and Personal Banking.

As Deputy Managing Director, he was the Executive in charge of the Group’s businesses in New York and London.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School (AMP) in Boston USA, the International Institute of Management Development (IMS) in Lausanne, Switzerland and the London Business School, United Kingdom.

Bili holds an LLB (Hons) degree from Edo State University, Ekpoma, Nigeria and was enrolled as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1990. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom), the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (Chief Executive Programme 18) and the New York Institute of Finance.

He has held high-level strategic positions in top financial service institutions in Nigeria, with responsibilities that encompass Asset Management, Structured Finance, Legal Advisory, Corporate Governance, Human Resources Management, Administration, Knowledge Management and Business Communication.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

Mr. Oliver Alawuba has over twenty years of work experience in the banking industry and the academia. Oliver was at various times an Executive Director at Finbank Nigeria Plc (now FCMB Plc), MD/CEO of UBA Ghana Ltd, MD/CEO of UBA West Africa, Directorate Head, Public Sector and Personal Banking and Regional CEO, UBA Africa – Anglophone.

Oliver has B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in Food Science and Technology and MBA in Banking and Finance. He is an alumnus of the AMP and SEP programmes of the prestigious Insead Business School, France, and London Business School respectively. He is also a Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Management and Honorary Senior Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Amie has over two decades of banking experience, spanning business development, risk management, and broader executive management functions. As the Regional CEO, West Africa 2, Amie oversees the Group’s subsidiaries in Senegal, Guinea, and Mali. Prior to her current role, she was the Managing Director/CEO, UBA Senegal, one of the Group’s flagship subsidiaries that won “Bank of the Year” Award of the Banker’s Magazine (Financial Times) for six consecutive years.

Amie is renowned for her wealth of experience in corporate banking, structured finance, and SMEs lending and relationship management across the CEMAC sub-region. She has strong relationships in West, Central, and East Africa and has deep knowledge of the banking sector and the broader economy of these countries. Amie has three Masters degrees in Economics, Banking & Insurance, and Public Finance from leading universities in Senegal.

Martin holds a BSc degree from the University of Yaoundé, Cameroon and an MBA in Banking and Finance from the School of Business of the University of Wales, Bangor.

Martin is a seasoned banker with 20 years’ work experience. He is a business development professional with skills set in credit risk, financial risk, relationship management, banking operations, and business management.

Prior to his current role, he was at different times Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Director of Institutional Banking & Project Finance; Regional Director of Institutional and Retail Banking, Head of Multinational and Regional Corporates, Business Office Manager and Credit Analyst. Before joining UBA Cameroon in 2008, he had one decade experience with Ecobank Cameroon and Union Bank of Cameroon Ltd.

Abiola Bawuah is the Regional CEO, West Africa 1, overseeing the Group’s subsidiaries in Ghana, Benin Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Previously, she was the Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana, with enormous experience in retail banking and marketing. In 2013, she left Zenith Bank Ghana; where she was the Executive Director; having previously held the positions of the General Manager, Marketing and Group Head, Retail Banking; and joined UBA Ghana as Deputy Managing Director the same year. Mrs. Bawuah also worked with Standard Chartered Bank as the Head of Sales; with CAL Bank as Relationship Manager; Strategic African Securities as an authorized dealing broker and with the then Bentsi-Enchi and Letsa; now Bentsi-Enchil, Letsa and Ankomah law firm as an investment officer.

Bawuah holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, an LLB from the University of London, a diploma in Marketing from GIMPA and EMBA (Finance) from the University of Ghana. She also has numerous leadership qualifications from Harvard Business School, Columbia, University of New York, INSEAD and Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland.

Adesola has a first degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and an MBA from the Aberdeen Business School. Sola is a highly experienced banker with over 22 years of banking experience cutting across Business Development (managing Corporate and Institutional relationships), Structured Lending, Transaction Banking, Commercial Banking, Correspondent Banking, and Banking Operations.

Adesola has the responsibility for managing UBA’s relationships with Banks, Development Financial Organisations and Export Credit Agencies. In addition, she is responsible for originating and negotiating foreign currency debt funding for the Group, as well as forging and managing UBA’s strategic alliances across the globe.

She has benefited from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge’s executive education program while also attending several industry-specific training in banking and management. Sola is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, UK.

Patrick joined UBA UK in January 2019 and he is an experienced executive with a diverse background in managing cross-cultural teams across a variety of businesses and functions. He has extensive experience in Corporate, Retail and Transaction banking in and across multiple regions and countries.

Prior to joining UBA UK, Patrick was the Managing Director responsible for all front-office business activities within BACB, a London-based pan-African bank.  In this role, he was responsible for Treasury, six product areas, and four regional coverage areas with five representative offices. Before working with BACB, Patrick spent nearly five years with Ecobank as the Managing Director and Group Head of the Transaction Banking business, which included Trade Finance, Cash Management & Payments, Supply-Chain Financing, and Corporate Electronic Channels & Platforms. In this role, he managed a multi-regional team of 200 people across 34 countries. Prior to Ecobank, Patrick was with Commercial International Bank (CIB) in Egypt, the largest and most profitable private sector bank in the Egyptian market. At CIB he held the position of Group Head of Global Transaction Services (GTS) and the Head of Strategy for the Institutional Banking business.  In this role, Patrick had executive oversight and responsibility for the bank’s Trade Finance, Cash Management & Payments, and Custody businesses, as well as the underlying technology solutions and platform used to deliver these products and services to the clients of the bank.

Before his time at CIB, Patrick spent over 10 years in a variety of positions with ABN AMRO in the US, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Positions included Regional Head of Strategy, Marketing & Business Management for ABN AMRO’s Commercial and Retail Banking business across Asia; Ad Interim Regional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for ABN AMRO’s Commercial & Retail Banking business across Asia; Regional Head of Strategic Decision Support (SDS) for ABN AMRO Asia; Americas Business Head of Cash & Payments Products for ABN AMRO’s Global Transaction Banking; and Head of Global Transaction Banking Strategy for ABN AMRO Americas.

Patrick holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota

With more than 20 years of professional experience in local and international banks with Africa footprint, in DRC notably in Kinshasa and in the Provinces of the former Katanga, Patrick KABISI is a reliable witness of the economic and monetary evolution in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Administrator of the Franco-Congolese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFC) for 15 years, he is well acquainted with the business relations between economic operators resident in the DRC and in France. He is an experienced banker in the Africa region ; Retail Banking, Institutional Banking, Treasury, Operations and Digital Banking have no secrets for him.

Patrick KABISI is a graduate of the prestigious French University PARIS IX DAUPHINE where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in Business Management. He also holds other diplomas from the French University PARIS XII VAL-DE-MARNE, including a Master’s degree in Economics with a major in Money and Finance. He defines himself as a World Citizen; he has resided in several continents, with excellent connections, both in Europe and Africa including Nigeria.

Managing Director of UBA Côte d’Ivoire since 2016, Sarata KONE-THIAM previously held the position of Deputy Managing Director between September 2015 and May 2016.

She has got more than 22 years of experience in commercial and investment banking and occupied senior positions in major international financial groups such as HSBC and City Bank.

With her skills and know-how, Sarata has established her reputation in the Ivorian banking sector for having gradually led UBA Côte d’Ivoire to excellent results, bringing the Bank in the top 10 banks in Côte d’Ivoire. UBA Côte d’Ivoire was awarded the Bank of Year 2019 in Africa prize by the Banker magazine for its performance.

An influential woman in the Ivorian financial ecosystem through her position as bank CEO, Sarata is highly appreciated for her brilliant career and natural leadership. Mrs THIAM holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Montreal.

An experienced professional banker with over 18 years’ experience in the banking industry and varied experiences in financial services – lending, credit, financial analysis and control, assets trading (interest rates, fixed income and currencies), treasury and balance sheet management, combined with exposure to enterprise risk management.

Adeleke is an Accounting graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and holds an MBA (Finance) from the University of Lagos. He is an Associate of ICAN; a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA); Honorary Senior Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); a holder of the ACI (Financial Markets) certification and has passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) USA exams.

He has held many senior management roles within UBA Group and was the Executive Director, Business Development of UBA (UK) Limited before his appointment as the MD/CEO of UBA Kenya.

Nkechi has over two decades of banking experience , spanning from operations to investigations/ audit and to retail business. Nkechi was nominated on the 15th of January as MD/CEO of Liberia. Prior to this time, Nkechi was the Regional Head of Lagos 7 and also the COO of Lagos and West Bank.

Nkechi has a vast experience in customer service and banking operations. She hopes to combine this with her knowledge of retail Banking to make UBAL, the MOST preferred Bank in Liberia.

Rotimi is an experienced finance specialist who has built a rich career in the financial services industry over a span of about 24 years. His experience cuts across various areas of banking including Business Origination and Client Coverage, Corporate and Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate Finance, Business Development, Financial Advisory, Portfolio Management, Business Strategy formulation, Banking Operations etc. His career has seen him through financial institutions such as Ecobank Group, Standard Chartered Bank, GT Bank Nigeria and MBC International Bank (now First Bank of Nigeria).

Over the years he has developed experience and knowledge of various industries and sectors across local and international markets and has also built an extensive network of client relationships across Africa.

In terms of market focus his inclination has been largely across large Corporate clients as well as Small and Medium Enterprises across various industry segments supporting their cash management, Transaction Banking, working capital, project as well as Trade Finance requirements. He has a passion for supply chain financing.

Rotimi holds two Masters in Business Administration degrees, one from the Warwick Business School, Coventry England and the other from the University of Ilorin Nigeria. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria.

He is married with 3 children. He is an avid reader, a pianist and loves to network. His leadership journey has earned him a wide network of professional mentees.

Usman Isiaka is a Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a consummate banker with over two decades banking experience at senior management level cutting across Internal Control, Audit, Compliance, Risk Management, Operations and Business Development functions.

He joined UBA Group in 2000 and has since served in various roles starting with Internal Control and Audit functions as Group Head, Internal Control; Director, Audit & Control UBA Africa and Deputy Group Chief Inspector at different points in time – a responsibility that provided him field work experience across 21 out of the 23 presence countries of UBA before he moved into sales and marketing function in January 2014.

Since the switch, Usman has served as the Deputy Managing Director of UBA Ghana between January 2014 and May 2016 and as Regional Bank Head in Lagos (Nigeria) overseeing sales and business development functions in a total of 56 branches between June 2016 and February 2018 before his posting to UBA Tanzania.

Usman became the MD/CEO of UBA Tanzania in February 2018 to drive the transformation of the subsidiary into a profit making and systemically important bank as per the group corporate agenda. Under his leadership, UBA Tanzania has recorded significant mileage in the industry ranking in terms of profitability, deposits & assets growth customer service standard, brand awareness and corporate social responsibility.

Usman holds a Bachelor Degree in Accounting, Master Degree in Business Administration and Fellowship of Accounting Profession. He has attended various local and foreign courses, workshop and seminars.

René-Laurent Alciator heads UBA’s Representative Office in France, covering relationships with cglobal corporates, financial institutions, multilateral and development organisations in continental Europe. He has 16 years of international experience in the corporate and trade finance space. René-Laurent holds a Master’s in Political Sciences from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Strasburg, France, a Master’s in European Management from business school ESCP Europe, Paris, France, doubled by a German Diplom-Kaufmann from the school’s campus in Berlin, Germany. He speaks fluent French, Italian, English and German.

Appointed Executive Director/GCOO

Chiugo holds a first-class honors degree in Engineering from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Lagos. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Chiugo’s career spans over 20 years in the Banking industry.

Prior to UBA, he was an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, a position he held until the merger of Diamond Bank and Access Bank in April 2019.

In the course of his career, Chiugo has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Banking Industry Resolution Trust fund, as well as a member of the Audit Committee of the Nigeria Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS).

He has been involved in several transformational projects and has in-depth knowledge and experience in Financial Control, Mergers and Acquisition, Investor Relations, Cost Management, and Business Transformation.

He has attended various international and local courses including the Advanced Management Program (AMP) of the Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania), Driving Strategic Impact Program of the Columbia Business School and the HSBC International Bankers’ course in London. He is also an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (Pan-African University) Senior Management Program (SMP).

Chiugo joined United Bank for Africa in May 2019.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

He holds a B.Sc degree in Accountancy and an MBA from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He has more than two decades of experience spanning Banking Operations, Finance, Technology, Audit, and Strategy.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

He holds a B.Sc degree in Accountancy and a Master of Business Administration. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He has over two decades of banking experience spanning Operations, Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk Management, Fraud Management, and Regulatory Compliance.

In his current role, he is responsible for coordinating the risk management activities of the Bank. Prior to this role, he was the General Manager of UBA New York Branch and had also previously supervised operations in the East and South Banks of UBA Nigeria.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016

Mr. Puri possesses a Masters of Banking and Finance degree obtained from Bayero University, Kano and has over 29 years of continuous banking experience. He joined UBA in 2006 and has held the following roles in the Bank; Directorate Head North, Head, Wholesale Banking North, Regional Director, Abuja, and Regional Bank Head, North Central and North East.

Prior to joining UBA, he worked with Savannah Bank Plc and Universal Trust Bank holding management roles such as Regional Business Controller, North, and Head, Large Corporates North. In recognition of his excellent work ethic and leadership skills, he bagged the award for Customer Service Excellence, Turnaround Manager of the Year and Most Effective Team Lead.

He has attended several trainings in and outside the country Including Executive Leadership, Corporate Governance, Structured Finance, Advanced Credit Analysis, Corporate Finance and Derivatives, Marketing and Relationship Management, Negotiation Skills, etc.

Appointed Executive Director in 2016
He holds a B.Sc in Business Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Ayoku is also a Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Prior to joining UBA Plc in 2014, he had over two decades of banking experience in Business Transformation, Relationship Management, Banking Operations, Risk Management, and Financial Control.

He was the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank, Sierra Leone Limited where he led the bank to win the most profitable bank in Sierra Leone in 2013, as well as Financial Institution of the year in 2013, and The Most Customer-Focused Bank Award in 2012 by KPMG. He also had a stint at Zenith Bank and rose to the position of Deputy General Manager in 2006.

He has attended various local and offshore courses in Banking, Strategy, and Leadership, among others.

Muyiwa holds a B.Sc degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and he is an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, as well as a member of various professional institutes.

He is a Seasoned Financial Analyst, Corporate and Investment Banker with over two decades experience spanning Business Advisory, Financial Control, Investment Banking, Capital Market Services, Wholesale Banking, Energy, Government, and Corporate Banking, in Nigeria and across Africa. Prior to his current role, he was Director, Wholesale Banking, Rest of Africa, CEO, UBA Kenya, Head, Investment Banking, Head, Global Corporates, Regional Director, Retail Banking in UBA and erstwhile Standard Trust Bank Plc. Before joining Standard Trust Bank/UBA in 1998, he had worked with Diamond Bank after having a stint in audit and financial services firms.

Muyiwa was trained in leading institutions, including Harvard Business School, Wits Business School, South Africa, amongst others.

Ebele holds a B.Sc (Honours) degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos and an MBA (IT and Management) from CASS Business School, London.

His professional career started at Price Waterhouse in 1991, before his foray into banking, where he has spent the last two decades working at international banks such as Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank, before joining UBA in 2004. His banking experience spans various areas of banking from Asset Based Finance to Core Corporate Banking and Trade Finance.

Prior to his current role, he was MD/CEO, UBA Capital Europe Limited and the pioneer MD/CEO, UBA Liberia.

Michelle Nwoga is the Group Head Marketing and Customer Experience, responsible for the development and implementation of Marketing and Customer Experience strategies across Private, Business, Corporate and Financial Inclusion sectors for our 20 countries in Africa.

With almost two decades of banking and consulting experience that spans Business Development, Project Management, Brand Marketing & Communication, Customer Experience and Engagement, Michelle is renowned for her wealth of experience in Customer insights, engagement, value management, and organisation development

Prior to joining UBA, She worked in several capacities in the UK as well as Access Bank and Diamond Bank, managing a host of successful projects and initiatives; some of which include Retail banking transformation, deploying the first retail banking sales force amongst others.

Michelle holds a Masters degree in Management, Marketing and Organisation Management; a degree in International Relations, Environmental Science and Business management from leading universities in the UK. She is also a certified Project Manager, Digital Marketer and User Experience Designer.

She is a thought leader, an advocate for women empowerment, and has managed several mentoring programs for mother and the girl child; fully committed to transformation, customer centricity, inclusiveness and engagement.

Bola Atta was voted one of the top 40 Nigerians under 40 in 2008. She was also celebrated as one of the 100 most influential women in Nigeria in March 2015. A graduate of Economics with MBA in Marketing, she has over 25 years of experience in diverse fields ranging from Banking, Business, Communications, Publishing, Entertainment, and the Media. Approximately 17 out of these 25+ years have been in high-level management and entrepreneurship, enabling her to gain expertise in each of these varied fields of work. She has worked in private enterprise and with government agencies both in Nigeria and South Africa using her expertise in public relations and increasing her wide network within Africa. In 2003, she was invited by the African Leadership Institute in partnership with the UNDP to work on a panel for the development of scenarios for South Africa in 2020. This week-long seminar brought together young leaders from all parts of Africa to map out scenarios for the future not only of South Africa but of the entire continent. It has since evolved into the Bishop Tutu Fellows for young African Leaders.

Former Editor-in-chief of Africa’s leading publication, True Love magazine, Atta who is the Executive Producer of acclaimed Africa’s Next Top Model series, now works as the Group Head of Communications for the United Bank for Africa. Her role involves, but is not limited to, directing the development and execution of global marketing and communications initiatives for the Bank as well as managing brand delivery and consistency across all markets and for all products line. In furtherance of her duties, she recently attended the High Potential Leadership Programme at the Harvard Business School.

Sanusi holds a B.Sc in Accounting from Ahmadu Bellow University, Zaria. He is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. He has over 28 years of banking experience spanning Banking Operations, Financial Control, Customer Service and Marketing. Sanusi has played various roles across the UBA Group and was the pioneer COO of UBA Ghana and CEO UBA Zambia.

He is currently the Group Head, Internal Control, where he has overall responsibility for ensuring compliance with management policies/procedure, strategic thinking and providing top management support.

Patricia is responsible for UBA Group’s Human Resource function across its 20 African countries and its other international subsidiaries. With the Bank’s transformation agenda, which continues to place the customer at the heart of all that we do, ensuring our people are fully engaged and highly productive remains the top priority for the human resources department. This has necessitated repositioning HR for the digital age, and a focus on exceptional employee experience.

A dynamic and passionate people leader, Patricia’s background is firmly rooted in Human Resources, Organisation and Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, as well as Business Operations, spanning over two decades, gained from working in 18 countries in Europe.

She holds two Masters Degrees – in English Literature and Employment Relations and Law from the University of Ibadan and Kingston University UK respectively. Her first degree is in English and Literature from the University of Benin.

Patricia is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a life member of the Institute of Directors, UK and served as a member of the UK employment tribunals for about 15 years.

Franklyn holds a B.Sc degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and MBA from the University of Lagos. He is an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; Member, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist; and Associate Member, Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered).

He is an experienced Compliance, Regulatory, and AML/CFT Risks professional of over two decades in the banking profession. Other areas of specialty include Banking Operations, Local and International Bank Branch Startup, Internal Control and Corporate Governance. Prior to his current role, he had worked with Citibank in various capacities including Chief Compliance Officer for Citi Nigeria; Compliance Head for Citi in West Africa and acting Compliance Head for Sub-Saharan Africa. He had a brief stint with Union Bank Plc as Regulatory and Franchise Risk Strategy Consultant leading the AML/CFT Compliance Transformation. He has attended several local and international trainings/seminars in banking operations, AML/CFT; managing and leading people.

Gboyega holds a first class (Honours) degree in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He also holds post-graduate degrees in Economics and Public Administration.

Gboyega has had a distinguished banking career spanning over 25 years in Operations and Control and more recently Audit. Before joining UBA, he had worked at Citibank Nigeria Ltd. and Access Bank Plc where he occupied senior roles.

Emem is currently a Group General Manager. She holds a B.Sc degree in Biochemistry and MBA degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She is also an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and Harvard Business School.

Emem is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and has over 20 years of banking experience. She has strong capabilities in Relationship Management, Effective Communication and Business Development with a track record of winning and executing high-powered transactions. She has won several high-performance awards over the years of her career and has strong competencies in Corporate, Commercial and Public Sector Banking. Prior to joining UBA in 2011, she was a Regional Executive in Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank), where she was responsible for developing the commercial businesses in the Bank’s Victoria Island region. Upon joining UBA, Emem was the Regional Bank Head, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River Bank, from where she became the Directorate Head for Abuja Bank, where she was saddled with the strategic responsibility of sustainably growing revenues, customer base and profitability of the region. She is now the Regional Director, Lagos Island 2 Region.

Emmanuel holds a B.Sc (Honours) degree in Accounting from the University of Benin, Nigeria and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Boston, and the Lagos Business School. His experience spans various areas of banking including Financial Markets, Operations, International Trade, Business Strategy, and Structured Finance.

Emmanuel has had a distinguished career serving at different times as Group Treasurer at Diamond bank and FinBank (now part of FCMB) after having a stint in Consulting, Auditing and Taxation Practice.

Ugo holds a B.Sc degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and an M.Sc degree in Finance and Management from Cranfield University, England. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), a member of the Cranfield Management Association and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

He is a Seasoned Financial Analyst and Accountant with over two decades experience spanning Assurance, Advisory, Financial Control, Strategy, and Business Transformation, Investor Relations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Business Integration and Project Management. Prior to his current role, he was at different times, Group Financial Controller, Group Chief Compliance Officer, and Head – Performance Management in UBA. Before joining UBA in 2004, he had a decade experience with renowned firms of Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Nigeria and Kenya.