Jobs/Appointments
Three New Directors Join UAC of Nigeria Board
By Dipo Olowookere
Three new directors have been appointed into the board of directors of UAC of Nigeria Plc. The new appointees are Mr Folasope Babasola Aiyesimoju and Mrs Olufunke Ighodaro, who are Non-Executive Directors; and Mr Peter Benedikt Mombaur, who will serve as alternate Director to the new Directors.
A statement issued by the firm disclosed that the three directors are expected to bring into the board their wealth of experience.
A brief profile of the appointees shows that Mr Aiyesimoju is a finance professional with experience spanning corporate finance, principal investing and private equity.
Over the course of his career, he has lived and worked in Sub-Saharan Africa’s most important economies gaining experience of the operating landscape in the region.
He holds a B.Sc (Hons) degree in Estate Management from the University of Lagos, where he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Real estate development and finance, and earned the right to use the CFA designation in 2006.
Mr Aiyesimoju is the founder of Themis Capital Management, an investment firm focused on concentrating capital and talent on high-potential opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to founding Themis, he worked with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a leading global investment firm with $168 billion in assets under management.
His experience also includes working with the Standard Bank Group, where he led mergers and acquisitions in Nigeria.
Mr Aiyesimoju spent the early part of his career with Ocean and Oil Holdings Limited, a principal investment firm in Nigeria and ARM Investment Managers, one of Nigeria’s leading investment advisory and wealth management firms. He co-founded Foodpro Limited, a nutritional snacks business focused on edible nuts, where he currently serves as a non-executive director.
On her part, Mrs Ighodaro is a commercially astute and experienced business leader with considerable experience in executive, as well as, non-executive leadership positions with some of Africa’s most successful companies.
She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Operational Research from Salford University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She is an independent non-executive director and audit committee member at Datatec Limited, an international information and communications technology business with a market capitalization of $500 million and independent non-executive director and audit committee chair at Transaction Capital Limited, a $900m business, which operates in highly specialised and under- served segments of the South African and Australian financial services markets.
She also serves as an independent non-executive director for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Members’ Advisory Board for Africa. She was recently appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission and a syndicate of 13 lenders to the Interim Board of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited where she serves as Executive Director & Chief financial officer focused on stabilizing the business ahead of a third-party sale. Her prior work experience includes serving as CFO at Tiger Brands Limited, Africa’s leading food producer with more than $2.5 billion in sales and operations across Africa and Latin America.
Prior to Tiger Brands, she was CFO at Primedia Limited and Executive Director at Kagiso Trust Investments. Funke spent the early part of her career working with the Standard Bank Group in Johannesburg and PricewaterhouseCoopers in London.
For Mr Mombaur, he is an investor and entrepreneur with professional experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe and North America. He has lived and worked in Nigeria for seven years and overseen investments for over a decade.
He holds University degrees in Mechanical Engineering (specialising in Energy and Automation), as well as Law and Economics. His work experience spans fast moving consumer goods, telecommunications, financial services and education. He is the co-founder of Themis Capital Management, an investment firm focused on concentrating capital and talent on high-potential opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He is also chief executive officer and cofounder of Terra Education, a leading travel company based in San Diego, USA.
Prior to assuming an executive role at Terra Education, Peter was co-managing director at Tana Africa, an investment company with an open-ended investment horizon backed by the Oppenheimer family and Temasek.
His experience includes close to a decade as a management consultant with Mckinsey & Company, as well as, an independent consultant. Peter started his career with RWE Group, one of Germany’s largest utility companies. He is co-founder of the African Leadership Academy, an institution based in Johannesburg, South-Africa and focused on developing Africa’s future leaders.
By Dipo Olowookere
Following the retirement of Mrs Oluwatomi Somefun from Unity Bank Plc after the completion of her tenure as the chief executive, the board of the financial institution has appointed Mr Ebenezer Kolawole, as her replacement in an acting capacity.
The appointment of Mr Kolawole was announced at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the lender in Lagos on Wednesday.
He will lead the company armed with more than 30 years of industry experience.
The bank has already obtained the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to have the appointee take over the position.
He has the primary responsibility to finalise the company’s ongoing corporate programmes and other strategic business initiatives of the institution.
Mr Kolawole joined Unity Bank in 2015 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and became the Executive Director for Finance, Operations and Information Technology in February 2018.
While on the board of Unity Bank, he helped in the company’s strategic transformation and cost optimization initiatives, which enhanced the firm’s performance and market feasibility.
The acting CEO began his financial services career at Caribbean Finance Limited (an affiliate of CFL in Cayman Island) in Kaduna in 1992, and later joined Ecobank, rising to the position of Deputy Financial Controller after working in various departments of the bank, both operations and finance suites.
He later moved to Standard Trust Bank (STB) and worked at various strategic areas, including operations, regulatory risk management and finance suites and played a pivotal role in the STB/UBA merger and served as the CFO of the new entity, UBA.
Mr Kolawole, thereafter, worked at Mainstreet Bank as CFO and then moved to Globacom, a telecommunication company owned by Mr Mike Adenuga.
He is a member of several professional bodies, including: Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA); Fellow, Institute of Credit Administration, (FICA), Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB), Associate Member of The Nigeria Institute of Management (AMNIM); Member of the Institute of Directors etc.
Mr Kolawole graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife with a holds a First-Class (Hons) degree in Accounting.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Executive Director for Finance and Business Development at Academy Press Plc, Mrs Oluwakemi Ogunnubi, has been elevated to the position of Deputy Managing Director.
Her appointment, according to a statement signed by the chairman of the company’s board, W.B. Dabiri, becomes effective Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
She will understudy the Managing Director of Academy Press, Mr Gbenga Ladipo, for one year, when he retires from the organisation on March 31, 2026, after 20 years.
It was disclosed that the selection of Mrs Ogunnubi followed a comprehensive and rigorous selection process carried out by external management consultants to ensure the emergence of a forward-looking and result-oriented leader who aligns with the organisation’s values, vision, and strategic goals.
The new DMD is said to bring to her new role a distinguished track record of managerial experience backed with sound academic and professional certification in Accounting and Master’s in Business Administration (MBA).
She has worked in top management positions in reputable organisations such as UAC of Nigeria Plc, culminating in her appointment as Managing Director of CAP Plc.
Mrs Ogunnubi joined Academy Press as Executive Director for Finance and Business Development in 2023. Her competence spans a broad spectrum of fields, including finance, audit, risk management, sales, marketing, and general management practice.
The statement said she would continue to enjoy the cooperation of the company’s highly professional technical and management team led by the Executive Director for Sales and Operations, Mr Paul Aderibigbe.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A working capital lender, Zvilo, has appointed a former employee of British International Investment (BII), Mr Admir Imami, as its new full-time chief executive.
Mr Imami was the former Investment Director and Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance at British International Investment, the United Kingdom’s Development Finance Institution.
He is expected to bring his extensive global trade finance experience and leadership to Zvilo, which is committed to bridging the $2.5 trillion global trade finance gap.
His appointment is to leverage his expertise in order to enhance and expand Zvilo’s global trade finance operations. His strategic vision and deep understanding of financial markets are expected to propel Zvilo’s mission of addressing the working capital needs of businesses across multiple regions.
With a focus on innovation and growth, Mr Imami will lead Zvilo through its next phase of development, ensuring the company remains at the forefront of delivering tailored financial solutions within an evolving geopolitical market landscape.
With over three decades of experience in lending and transformation, the new CEO has successfully built scalable direct lending businesses across various asset-based products serving the full range of entities and institutions in both developed and emerging markets.
His background includes product development, bank transformations, asset management, technology adoption, financial regulations, risk management and credit underwriting.
“We are delighted that Admir Imami is joining as our full-time CEO. His experience in developing sustainable, long-term solutions that align compliance, regulatory frameworks, and business objectives will be critical as the business scales.
“Following three years of growth, this appointment will bring a renewed and dedicated perspective and the operational excellence essential for our next phase.
“Admir’s background and expertise will help us achieve the perfect balance between innovation and operational efficiency,” a member of Zvilo’s board, Ron Boddy, stated.
“Zvilo is constructed on exceptional foundations, developed using groundbreaking technology, with a robust loan book and a strong focus on delivery and market expansion.
“My immediate objectives as CEO will include ensuring effective scaling, executing with operational excellence, and continuing to create value for our customers, employees, and investors.
“I am eager to lead a distinguished team of finance, operations, technology, and regional experts and partners as we embark on the next chapter of Zvilo’s growth,” Mr Imami, enthused.
While at BII, Mr Imami successfully built a trade finance business from scratch with commitments of over $2 billion and limits to over 380 issuing banks all supporting trade transactions in the amount of $30bn in Africa and South Asia.
He was also instrumental in establishing BII’s first Supply Chain Facility with global banking partner Standard Chartered Bank and in broadening BII’s mandate to encompass a wide range of trade finance asset classes.
Prior to that, he was co-founder and CEO of Advance Global Capital (AGC), a global impact trade finance investment manager among other professional posts he has held during his long international career.
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