United Bank for Africa (UBA) has announced the appointment of Mr. Oliver Alawuba as its new group managing director (GMD).
Alawuba’s appointment followed the retirement of the erstwhile GMD, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka.
The bank said in a statement that the new GMD’s appointment took effect August 1, 2022, subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Alawuba who joined UBA in 1997 has held many senior positions, including the chief executive officer of UBA, Ghana; chief executive officer of UBA, Africa, and most recently as group deputy managing director.
Commenting on the new appointment, the bank’s group chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu said: “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.”
For his part, Alawuba expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve and pledged to be committed to his new portfolio.
“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,” he said.
The bank also announced the appointment of Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi as the deputy managing director.
Akinyemi joined UBA in 1998, as a senior banking officer in UBA’s Energy Bank and has served the group in Nigeria and our broader Africa network for twenty-four years.
Ms. Sola Yomi-Ajayi was also appointed 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.
Similarly, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwagodoh who joined the bank from PwC in October 2004 was appointed as the executive director, finance and risk management. According to the statement, Nwagodoh has since held a series of significant roles in the areas of performance management, compliance, financial control and reporting.
Mr. Alex Alozie was also appointed as executive director and group chief operating officer and Emem Usoro, executive director, North Bank.
He joined the Group in 2019 and has driven the Group’s digital transformation and operational efficiencies.
Usoro joined the Group in 2011 and has served in a series of senior regional appointments across Nigeria, covering the retail, corporate and public sectors,” it added.
The board also announced the retirement of executive directors who had completed their tenor, many of whom the statement disclosed would continue to serve the broader group upon regulatory approval of a holding company structure.
They included Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, Mr. Uche Ike, Mr. Chukwuma Nweke, Mr. Ibrahim Puri, and Mr. Chiugo Ndubisi.
It also announced the retirement of a non-executive director, Mr. Joe Keshi effective August 1, 2022.
He served as vice chairman of the board for 12 years.
Elumelu congratulated the retiring directors on the completion of their tenors and their exemplary records.
United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent.
It has 25,000 employees group wide and serves over 35 million customers globally.
Alawuba will oversee all the group’s banking operations across its 20 African country network and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates.
