By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A moment ago, Business Post reported the appointment of Ms Adaora Umeoji as the new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc.
She will succeed the current occupier of the seat, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, who will exit the position on May 31, 2024, after five years, for his successor to take over from June 1, 2024.
Ms Umeoji, with her appointment, will become the first female GMD of Zenith Bank since its inception, and it is consistent with the bank’s executive transition tradition, succession plan, and strategy of grooming leaders from within.
Before this appointment, she had been the Deputy Managing Director of the lender since October 28, 2016, though she resigned in March 2023 after a policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and returned about five months later. She has close to 30 years of cognate banking experience of which 26 years have been with Zenith Bank.
The financial institution, in a statement made available to Business Post on Tuesday, confirmed the appointment of the banker.
Her Profile
Ms Umeoji 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 in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar, and also has a doctorate in business administration from Apollos University, USA.
The GMD-designate 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.
Ms Umeoji is a fellow of notable professional bodies including the Chartered Banker Institute, UK, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Management, Institute of Credit Administration, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria among others.
In 2022, the Federal Government of Nigeria honoured her with Officer of the Order of the Niger, as a recognition of her contributions to nation-building. She is a Peace Advocate of the United Nations (UN-POLAC).
She has impacted many lives through her philanthropic and humanitarian activities through her NGOs; Pink Breathe Cancer Foundation and the Adorable Foundation which educates and caters for Cancer patients and indigent children education, especially the Girl-Child.
Her contribution to humanity was recognized by the Sun Newspaper which recently bestowed on her the Humanitarian Service Icon Award for 2023.
As a result of her passion for promoting professionalism in the banking industry and improving the well-being of the less privileged, Ms Umeoji founded the Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria (CBAN), a platform she uses to promote ethical banking and service to humanity.
She is a Lady of the Order of Knights of St. John International (KSJI), and was awarded a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester by His Holiness Pope Francis.
