NOVA Merchant Bank Confirms Duroha as MD/CEO

By Dipo Olowookere

Mr Anya Duroha has been confirmed as the substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NOVA Merchant Bank.

Mr Duroha has held the position in acting capacity since August 30, 2018, but his appointment was confirmed on Thursday, December 6, 2018 during the meeting of the board of the financial institution.

However, his appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Before now, Mr Duroha served as the Executive Director, Wholesale Banking, responsible for development and management of the bank’s corporate banking relationships. He has also held senior executive positions at various banks in the industry.

He holds an M.Sc. in Banking & Finance from the University of Benin and a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is an alumnus of Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania and Lagos Business School.

Commenting on the appointment, Chairman of NOVA Merchant Bank, Mr Phillips Oduoza, said, “The board believes that Anya has the necessary attributes to successfully lead the team of young professionals and execute on the Bank’s strategy.

“He is a well-rounded Banker with requisite experience and knowledge in key areas of banking having started his career in operations and systems. It is expected that he will bring his over 25 years relationship management experience and performance driven focus to achieve the vision of the bank.”

On his part, Mr Duroha said, “I am honoured to be appointed the CEO of an organization that is designed to deliver high quality services and innovative financial solutions to clients. I will do my best to develop our young talents into world class leaders and drive innovations in the industry.”

NOVA is a newly licensed merchant bank focused on providing wholesale and investment banking services. It commenced business in 2017 and recently implemented a state of the art digital core banking application platform. Its vision is to provide financial solutions to clients across different market segments.