The board of directors of Fidelity Bank Plc has appointed Mr. Henry Ikem Obih as an independent non-executive director with effect from September 21, 2020 and Dr. Kenneth Onyewuchi Opara as an executive director.
The bank said in a statement that appointments have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Opara, according to the statement will assume office as the executive director in charge of the Lagos and Southwest directorate on January 1, 2021.
He takes over the leadership of the directorate from Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe who was recently appointed managing director and chief executive officer-designate.
Onyeali-Ikpe succeeds the current managing director and chief executive officer, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo who retires on December 31, 2020 upon the completion of his tenure in line with the internal policies of the bank.
“Both appointments are in furtherance of our positioning for the next growth phase. We welcome Henry and Ken to the Board and believe they will make significant contributions that will sustain the performance trajectory of the bank in line with our strategic intent,” said the chairman, board of directors, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi.
Obih was the group executive director/chief operating officer, Downstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), until his retirement in 2019 and was subsequently appointed to the board of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), in July 2020.
He joins the board of Fidelity Bank Plc with significant cross-functional work experience and exposure spanning over three decades, across different climes, including Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
For his part, Opara, who currently serves as general manager/regional bank head, Ikeja Region, has over 29 years’ experience in banking and worked at various financial institutions, including legacy Omega Bank Plc, Equatorial Trust Bank Plc and Manny Bank Plc, before joining Fidelity Bank Plc in 2006, following its merger with Manny Bank Plc.
He has core banking experience in diverse areas of banking, including credit, treasury, retail, consumer and commercial banking, international operations and corporate banking and has held senior management positions in the industry including Divisional Head, Managed SMEs, Multilateral Agencies and Trade Missions; Division Head, SMEs, Electronic and Consumer Banking; Head, Private and Consumer Banking, Head, Affinity Banking and Corporate Consumer Banking; and Head Consumer and Commercial Banking.
