Jobs/Appointments
Sabi Hires Four Advisers to Bolster Growth
By Adedapo Adesanya
Sabi, Africa’s leading provider of commerce infrastructure for the distribution of goods and services, has appointed four new advisory group members whose experience and networks will support its mission to resource and grow small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the informal sector.
Those hired by the organisation are Mr Vidit Aatrey, founder/CEO of Meesho; Mr Ian Black, Managing Director of Shopify; Mrs Sapna Goyal, Corporate Development Director of Udaan; and Mr Bame Pule, founder of Africa Lighthouse Capital.
Mr Aatrey, one of the leading Indian entrepreneurs of his generation, is an alumnus of IIT-Delhi and embarked on the journey of creating Meesho back in 2015 together with his college batchmate and friend, Mr Sanjeev Barnwal, with an aim to build an e-commerce start-up for small businesses at a time when everyone told them that e-commerce was saturated.
Seven years later, they have today built India’s largest social commerce platform at Meesho, which has already empowered 2 million+ entrepreneurs, mostly women, and is on its way to creating more.
Through its platform, it enables entrepreneurs to start an online business with zero investment and provides them with the resources, tools, logistics and payment capabilities to run their business. Prior to Meesho, Mr Aatrey worked with ITC and Inmobi.
Mr Black, who heads Shopify Canada, has managed the business and go-to-market strategy for Shopify Retail in Toronto by overseeing sales, solutions, partnerships, and operations, working alongside marketing and R&D leadership.
Prior to joining Shopify, he was head of UberEATS’ American and Canadian divisions. He was also a management consultant with Bain & Company in Toronto and New York where he advised companies and private equity funds on strategy and growth.
Mrs Goyal, on her part, has an investing experience in early and growth-stage internet start-ups in India. Prior to Udaan, she worked with Goldman Sachs Investment Partners VC & Growth Equity Fund and was responsible for investments in the Indian internet space.
Mrs Goyal also has investing experience in Indian Public Markets as part of a hedge fund at Goldman Sachs. She is passionate about the power of digital transformation on the Indian economy and how it is a great leveller. She is an active angel investor.
Mr Pule founded Africa Lighthouse Capital, an independent private equity firm in 2012 to invest in and nurture businesses into African champions.
The firm has a particular focus on helping investee companies adopt global best practices regardless of sector, attain benchmarks equivalent to those of global peers, and expand into multiple key African markets. Prior to founding Africa Lighthouse Capital, Mr Pule worked at Actis Capital, ShoreView Capital, Goldman Sachs & Credit Suisse in New York and Salomon Brothers/Citigroup in Los Angeles.
Commenting on the appointments, Mrs Anu Adasolum, co-founder/CEO of Sabi: said “Our goal has always been to build and establish a robust team of experts – from our leadership team right down to our agent network – that lives and breathes our core values and mission to transform the B2B commerce industry in Africa.
“We’re extremely pleased to announce that the four members are talented and strategic business leaders whose broad experience will further strengthen our commitment to enable financial inclusion within the B2B community in Africa’s growing informal economy while providing world-class solutions for our merchants. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive forward the next phase of growth.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi as the Acting Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by presidential spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
“His appointment is effective immediately following the pre-retirement leave of the incumbent AGF, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein,” a part of the statement read.
“In announcing Madein’s successor, President Tinubu ensures a seamless transition in the administration of Nigeria’s treasury and consolidates the implementation of the present administration’s treasury policy reforms,” the statement added.
Mr Onanuga said Mr Ogunjimi brings over 30 years of extensive experience in financial management across the public and private sectors.
He described the appointee as a career civil servant and the most senior director in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF),
“He has held significant positions, including Director of Funds at the OAGF and Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“A chartered accountant, certified fraud examiner, chartered stockbroker, and chartered security and investment specialist, Mr Ogunjimi’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Accountancy and a Master’s in Finance and Accounting,” the statement added.
According to Mr Onanuga, President Tinubu expressed his confidence in his appointment, saying, “The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is pivotal to our nation’s treasury management operations. Mr Ogunjimi’s wealth of experience and notable competence will ensure the continued effectiveness of this vital institution as we advance our economic reform agenda.”
President Tinubu also commended the outgoing Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Madein, for her dedication and selfless service to the nation.
After reaching the civil service’s statutory retirement age, Mrs Madein is retiring effective March 7, 2025.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dismissed claims of forced mass retirement as part of efforts by Governor Yemi Cardoso to restructure the workforce of the organisation.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, clarified that its Early Exit Package (EEP) is entirely voluntary and without any negative repercussions for eligible staff.
According to the statement, the decision to implement the exercise was the outcome of extensive consultations with the bank’s Joint Consultative Council (JCC), a body representing staff interests.
Mrs Sidi Ali explained that the EEP, a longstanding policy previously accorded to the executive cadre, has now been made available to eligible staff at all levels.
“For some time, staff representatives through the JCC had called on management to approve the early exit package for all cadres. Following these discussions, management decided to meet this popular demand,” she said in the statement.
Addressing concerns about potential repercussions for staff who decline the package, Mrs Sidi Ali reaffirmed management’s commitment to supporting employees’ professional growth and well-being, describing the concerns as unfounded.
She further emphasized that the initiative is an internal corporate matter designed to promote career development for staff.
According to wide spread reports, there have been plans to retire approximately 1,000 employees by the end of the year with a payoff estimated to cost over N50 billion.
The mass retirement, which was announced in a circular issued three weeks ago, mandates affected employees to apply for the Early Exit Package (EEP).
The statement allegedly warned employees with less than one year of service or unconfirmed appointments to refrain from applying for the program, noting that the application would remain open until December 7, with an effective exit date of December 31, 2024.
It was reported that the entire EEP was valued at N50 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the appointment of Mr Benson Ogundeji as the chief executive of Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited.
The board of the financial institution for businesses had picked Mr Ogundeji as its substantive CEO but awaited the authorisation of the banking sector regulator.
He brings over three decades of extensive banking experience to this role as a seasoned financial services professional, who previously served as Executive Director at Greenwich Merchant Bank from July 2020, where he played a pivotal role in the bank’s successful transition from the legacy Greenwich Trust Limited to a merchant bank.
In this capacity, he provided oversight for Corporate Banking, Treasury and Global Markets.
Throughout his career, Mr Ogundeji has demonstrated exceptional expertise in business development and operational excellence.
Before joining the firm, he held various senior leadership roles at prominent financial institutions, including Ecobank Nigeria, GTBank, and other notable banks, where he consistently displayed exceptional leadership skills.
His appointment comes at a crucial time as Greenwich Merchant Bank commences the next phase of its growth plans. Having related closely with the new CEO, as an Executive Director and acting CEO in the last four years, the board has expressed confidence about his ability to lead the bank in delivering our strategic goals.
“The board is pleased to announce the appointment of Benson Ogundeji as our Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,” the chairman of Greenwich Merchant Bank, Mr Kayode Falowo, stated.
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