By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Eric Jones Odhiambo has been appointed as the Chief Risk Officer and Group Head, Risk Management of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI).
ETI, the parent company of the Ecobank Group, made this announcement yesterday in a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
According to the letter signed by the bank’s Senior Communications Officer, Mireille Bokpe, Mr Odhiambo will formally join the firm on September 22, 2017 and will be based in Lome, Togo, reporting to Mr Ade Adeyemi, Group Chief Executive Officer.
His appointment follows a reorganization and roll out of a new Corporate Strategy at Ecobank in 2016 which provides a framework to serve customers more efficiently, while improving cost and risk management, and optimizing the Group’s operations and processes.
He has an in-depth and extensive experience and knowledge of the African banking landscape, having worked for various financial institutions in similar roles across the continent and outside Africa for almost 30 years.
It was disclosed that the appointee will oversee and ensure the strategic management of the overall Risk Management platform across the group, and will have overall responsibility and accountability for the efficient operations of this function including, but not limited to Credit and Country Risk Management, Remedial Management, Market Risk, Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Analytics and the Group Internal Control Function.
Mr Odhiambo joins Ecobank from the Atlas Mara Group, where he was Chief Risk Officer for the Group; a position he occupied for the last 2 years — since 2015. Eric started his career in 1986 at Price Water House Kenya before joining ABN AMRO Bank in Kenya in 1993, and later on to Citibank in 2001.
He has worked within the Risk Management Function and has occupied various leadership positions in Kenya, East Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa (covering 21 countries) and then Europe (Turkey and the CIS).
His previous positions include Country Risk Officer, Head Risk Analyst and Remedial Management, Head of Risk, Country Risk Manager, Senior Credit Officer/Level 2, Managing Director arid Group Chief’ Risk Officer Eric brings a significant and deep technical knowledge of Enterprise Risk Management, Credit, Market, Operational, Regulatory Risks and Remedial Management, as well as a strong experience at best practice level in Africa and outside Africa His strong knowledge of our Core Businesses will be invaluable as we look to achieve our corporate strategy.
Aduragbemi Omiyale