United Bank for Africa Plc on Monday announced the appointment of Oliver Alawuba as Group Managing Director.
A statement from the bank said he will be overseeing the group’s banking operations across its 20 African country branches and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates.
Alawuba joined the bank in 1997 and has held a series of senior positions, including as the CEO of UBA Ghana, the CEO of UBA, Africa and most recently as Group Deputy Managing Director.
Chairman of the UBA Group, Mr. Tony Elumelu, stated, “I am very pleased to announce Oliver Alawuba as the new Group Managing Director of the UBA Group. Oliver has extensive experience in Nigeria and our African network and is well equipped to advance our pan-African and global strategy.
“I have no doubt that Oliver will build on the legacy of Kennedy Uzoka, who has exemplified transformational leadership by championing a customer-first philosophy, launching our twentieth operation in Africa, UBA Mali, acquiring a wholesale banking licence for UBA UK in the United Kingdom, and opening our fourth global operation, UBA Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.”
Alawuba expressed his commitment to his new role, saying, “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this great institution and would like to thank the UBA Group chairman and the members of the Board of Directors for the confidence they have put in me to deliver the mandate.”
Alawuba takes on his new position from August 1, 2022, subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The statement also revealed that Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi has been appointed as Deputy Managing Director.
Akinyemi joined the bank in 1998 as a Senior Banking Officer in UBA’s Energy Bank, and has served the group in Nigeria and the broader Africa network for 24 years.
Other executive appointments are the following:
i. Sola Yomi-Ajayi as Executive Director, Treasury and International Banking. She has been with the group since 2004 and has considerable international experience, culminating in her appointment as CEO of UBA America.
ii. Ugochukwu Nwagodoh as Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management. He joined the group from PwC in October 2004 and has since held a series of significant roles in the areas of performance management, compliance, financial control and reporting.
iii. Alex Alozie as Executive Director and Group Chief Operating Officer. He joined the group in 2019 and has driven the group’s digital transformation and operational efficiencies.
iv. Emem Usoro as Executive Director, North Bank. Emem joined the group in 2011 and has served in a series of senior regional appointments across Nigeria, covering the retail, corporate and public sectors.
The board also announced the retirement of the following Executive Directors, who have completed their tenure. The bank says many of them will continue to serve the broader Group upon regulatory approval of a holding company structure:
Kennedy Uzoka; Uche Ike; Chukwuma Nweke; Ibrahim Puri and Chiugo Ndubisi.
A further announcement was made on the retirement of a Non-Executive Director, Ambassador Joe C. Keshi, OON, who served as Vice Chairman of the board. This takes effect from August 1, 2022 after a completion of his tenure of 12 years.
The group chairman congratulated the retiring directors on the completion of their tenures and their exemplary records.
The statement said: “United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees and serving over 35 million customers globally.
“Operating in twenty African countries and in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.”
