By Dipo Olowookere
The Head of Corporate Communications of Polaris Bank, Mr Rasheed Bolarinwa, has emerged as the new president of the Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks (ACAMB).
He was among the new executives of the group elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ACAMB held on Thursday, January 19, 2022, at the Bankers’ House, CIBN Building, Victoria Island, Lagos.
He and other excos will pilot affairs of the umbrella association of communications and marketing professionals working in Nigeria’s banking sector for the next two years.
Others elected were First Bank’s Mr Oze K. Oze as the First Vice President, Mrs Lola Egboh of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) as the Second Vice President, while the new Secretary-General is Mr Sipe Babajide of Ecobank.
The position of Assistant Secretary-General was won by Mr Omede Odekina of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), while Mr Patrick Osilaja of Fidelity Bank emerged as the Financial Secretary.
Wema Bank’s Mrs Funmilayo Falola was elected as the new Treasurer, Mr Abdul Imoyo of Access Bank will serve as the Publicity Secretary, while Mrs Ozena Utulu of Heritage Bank will assume the role of Social Secretary.
In addition, the immediate past president of the group, staff from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) will serve as ex-officios.
In his post-election acceptance speech, the new ACAMB president assured members that he would reposition the association as a foremost professional body they would all be proud of, adding that his vision also includes innovating a post-retirement strategy that ensures members have a sustainable livelihood long after exiting the industry.
“I will be committed to my vision, which is to reposition ACAMB as a foremost professional Association that encourages and ensures every marketing communications professional in the Banks aspires and attains the highest level of professional recognition and fulfilment on the job while at the same time being assured of a sustainable livelihood long after exiting the industry,” he stated.
Mr Bolarinwa, who served in the past executive as a two-term Secretary-General, restated his commitment to the upliftment of members in line with his electioneering promises anchored on the four-pillar themed PEAL: Partnership & Platform, Engagement, Advocacy, and Learning & Value-addition (PEAL).
The new President further assured that ACAMB under his leadership would seek partnerships and platforms among strategic institutions and stakeholders with a view to delivering value to members, as well as enhancing professionalism.
He also said his team would embark on advocacy aimed to deepen awareness and knowledge of the banking industry and its contributions to national socio-economic growth.
Earlier, the Chairman of the ACAMB Electoral Committee, Mr Segun Shonubi, said all aspirants for the advertised position had met minimum requirements as outlined in the association constitution and, therefore, qualified to stand for the election.
A 1996 graduate of Mass Communication, Mr Bolarinwa holds a Master’s degree from the University of Ibadan and an MSc degree from the UNESCO-certified Mass Communication department of the University of Lagos.
He is a member of numerous professional bodies, including Fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN); Registered Practitioner, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), and Member, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
He has also attended several high-impact function-specific and leadership training at top business schools in Nigeria and overseas.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale