Fidelity Bank Plc, Nigeria’s tier-2 lender has announced the appointment of Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe as its managing director/chief executive officer-designate.
The bank announced on Monday in a notice on the NSE website, signed by Ezinwa Unuigboje, its company secretary that Onyeali-Ikpe will formally assume duties on January 1, 2021.
The notice said the appointment followed the impending retirement of Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, managing director/chief executive officer, from the Board of Directors of the bank, with effect from Dec. 31, 2020, upon completion of his contract tenure.
“In compliance with the succession policy of the Bank, the Board has approved the appointment of Mrs Nneka Onyeali -Ikpe, the current Executive Director, Lagos and South-West Directorate as the MD/CEO Designate of the Bank, to assume office with effect from January 1, 2021.
“The approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been obtained for the appointment,” the bank said in the notice.
The notice also stated that the bank also announced the appointment of Kevin Ugwuoke, the current Chief Risk Officer of the Bank, as Executive Director, Chief Risk Officer, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The current CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank in April 2012 as an Executive Director and was subsequently appointed the MD/CEO on January 01, 2014.
The notice said Okonkwo implemented a Digital-led Strategy which led to significant growth across key performance metrics and increased market share, with the bank currently ranked 6th amongst Nigerian Banks on most performance indices.
“The Board seizes this opportunity to express sincere appreciation to Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo for his significant contributions to the growth and development of the Bank during his tenure on the board,” the bank said in the statement.
The notice showed that the Managing Director-designate, Nneka Onyeali -Ikpe was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank in 2015 as an Executive Director and currently oversees the Lagos and Southwest Directorate.
She led the transformation of the Directorate to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth across key performance metrics.
According to the notice, “Nneka has been an integral part of the current management team responsible for the remarkable increase in the Bank’s performance in the last 5 years with the area under her direct responsibility contributing over 28% of the Bank’s PBT, Deposits and Loan.
“Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe has over 30 years of experience across various banks including Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank Limited, where she held several management positions in Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/Commercial Banking and Corporate Banking, in addition to serving as an Executive Director on the Board of Enterprise Bank Plc.
“Nneka has been involved in the structuring of complex transactions in various sectors including Oil & Gas; Manufacturing, Aviation, Real Estate and Export.
“As an Executive Director at Enterprise Bank Plc, she received a formal commendation from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) as a member of the management team that successfully turned around Enterprise Bank Plc.”
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Master of Laws (LLM) degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Kings College, London, respectively.
She has attended executive training programs at Harvard Business School, The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD School of Business, Chicago Booth School of Business, London Business School and IMD amongst others.
She is currently undergoing a Diploma programme in Organizational Leadership at Said Business School, Oxford University, UK.
She is an Honorary Senior Member (HCIB) of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and is married with children.
As part of the process of ensuring a smooth and successful transition, Nnamdi Okonkwo will continue in his role as the MD/CEO until December 31, 2020, while Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe will assume office as the substantive MD/CEO on January 01, 2021.
