Zenith Bank has appointed Adaora Umeoji as its new group managing director and CEO.
The bank disclosed this on Tuesday in a corporate filing with the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) signed by its secretary, Michael Osilima.
This makes Umeoji the first female CEO of the bank.
According to the financial institution, Umeoji’s appointment will take effect on June 1, 2024.
Zenith Bank announced that she will succeed Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose five-year tenure as GMD/CEO ends on May 31 this year.
According to the bank’s corporate filing, Umeoji was Zenith‘s deputy managing director beginning October 28, 2016, before being named CEO.
The bank said Umeoji has over 30 years of experience in banking of which 26 years had been with Zenith Bank.
Zenith said:
“She is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School where she attended the Advanced Management Program (AMP) and an alumnus of Columbia Business School with a Certificate in the Global Banking Program.”
“She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Jos, a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a First-Class honours in Law from Baze University, Abuja.
“She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar, and also has a doctorate in business administration from Apollos University, USA.
“She holds a Certificate in Economics for Business from the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management, USA, and has attended various management programmes in renowned Universities around the world including the strategic thinking and Management programme at Wharton Business School, USA.
“She also attended the executive program in Strategic Management and has a Certificate in Leading Global Business all from Harvard Business School, USA.”
Umeoji is also a member of several prestigious professional organisations. This includes the Chartered Banker Institute in the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria, and the Nigerian Institute of Management.
According to the statement, Umeoji was awarded the title of officer of the Order of Nigeria (OON) by the Nigerian federal government in 2022 in recognition of her contributions to nation-building.
The banker is said to be a UN peace advocate (UN-POLAC).
Zenith Bank also stated that the new CEO founded the Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria (CBAN), a platform that promotes ethical banking and humanitarian service.
The bank stated that Umeoji has over 30 years of banking experience, 26 of which have been with Zenith Bank.