_ Outgone Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka(left); Group Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu ; and New Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Oliver Alawuba, at the corporate event to announce the new GMD and Executive Directors for United Bank for Africa(UBA) Group,, held at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre, UBA House, Lagos ….yesterday_
By David Akinmola
United bank for Africa (UBA), one of Nigeria’s and Africa’s largest financial institutions, has appointed Oliver Alawuba as its new Group Managing Director.
The new chief executive took over the reins yesterday from Kennedy Uzoka whose two-term tenure ends this month.
A statement by the bank said Alawuba would oversee the group’s banking operations across its twenty African country networks as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates.
Alawuba joined UBA in 1997 holding several senior positions, including as the CEO of UBA Ghana, the CEO of UBA (Africa) and most recently Group Deputy Managing Director.
On the appointment, the Chairman, Tony Elumelu, stated: “Oliver has extensive experience in Nigeria and our African network and is well equipped to advance our pan-African and global strategy. I have no doubt that Oliver will build on the legacy of Kennedy Uzoka, who has exemplified transformational leadership by championing a customer-first philosophy; launching our twentieth operation in Africa, UBA Mali; acquiring a wholesale banking licence for UBA UK in the United Kingdom; and opening our fourth global operation, UBA Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates”.
Alawuba said he was grateful “for the opportunity to lead this great institution and would like to thank the UBA Group Chairman and the members of the Board of Directors for the confidence they have put in me to deliver the mandate.”
The bank also appointed Muyiwa Akinyemi, the former general manager in charge of corporate banking, as Group Deputy Managing Director. Akinyemi has served the same organisation for 24 during which he held a series of senior positions.
Other appointments made are Ms. Sola Yomi-Ajayi as executive director (treasury and international banking), Ugochukwu Nwagodoh as executive director (finance and risk management), Alex Alozie as executive director and group chief operating officer and Emem Usoro as executive director in charge of northern operations.
The board also announced the retirement of the following executive directors, who have completed their tenure. Many of them, it said, will continue to serve the group upon regulatory approval of its holding structure. The retired directors are Kennedy Uzoka, Uche Ike, Chukwuma Nweke, Ibrahim Puri and Chiugo Ndubisi
