Corporate Governance Society Inducts Polaris Bank Chairman

By Dipo Olowookere

Chairman of Board of Directors of Polaris Bank Limited, Mr Muhammad Ahmad, has been inducted as an honorary fell of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN).

Mr Ahmad was honoured in recognition of his unblemished professional records in the public and private sectors as well as positive contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria, the body said.

During the 2018 President’s Dinner/Induction Ceremony of SCGN held in Lagos recently, the Polaris Bank chairman was described as an astute professional with impressive footprints across various public-sector organisations and financial services institutions where he played strategic roles and acted as the catalyst for the entrenchment of good corporate governance.

Speaking at the ceremony, President of SCGN, Mr Pascal Dozie, said the conferment of the honorary fellowship on Mr Ahmad and three other recipients was in line with the key objective of the body.

“The Society is a registered, not for profit organisation and is committed to the development of corporate governance and best practices. Leadership, accountability, collaboration, diversity and quality, integrity of character remain the pillar of this organisation. Since its inception 13 years ago, the Society has contributed to the development of good corporate governance in this country. The society prides itself in research work some of which have been published in the journal of corporate governance”, he said.

Responding on behalf of the other fellows, Chairman of Polaris Bank expressed delight at the recognition and said they would continue to remain the ambassadors of professional excellence.

“For every society, there are professional standards. And professional standards worldwide are more onerous. Therefore, for us, we are taking additional responsibility. Having been made fellows, what it means is that we should be consistent; we should ensure that whatever the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria stands for, we should stand for as well”, he affirmed.

Commenting, Group Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank, Mr Tokunbo Abiru, said the award was a celebration of the exemplary leadership capabilities of the Polaris Bank’s Chairman.

“On behalf of the management and staff of Polaris Bank, I congratulate our amiable chairman on this well-deserved honour and recognition by the highly respected Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria. Under Ahmad’s leadership, we see a rewarding, bright future for our bank”, he said.

A man of many great accomplishments, Ahmad boasts about 35 years distinguished professional experience leading and working in various public-sector organisations and financial services institutions in Nigeria.

Amongst others, he was the pioneer Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Pension Commission, and also a pioneer staff of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), where he rose through the ranks to become the Managing Director.

He has served on the boards of various corporate and not-for-profit organisations including a Non-Executive Director of FBN Holdings Plc until 2017. He has also served on various presidential committees including a member of the Presidential Committee for the North East Intervention (PCNI).

Mr Ahmad holds a Masters Diploma in Innovation and Strategy from the University of Oxford and has also attended courses and programmes in various first-rate business and management schools, including Harvard Business School, IMD and INSEAD. Ahmad is a recipient of the Nigeria national honour – Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).