Zenith Bank Nigeria Appoints Adaora Umeoji as First Female CEO
The Board of Directors of Zenith Bank Plc has officially appointed Dr. Adaora Umeoji as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank.
This announcement was conveyed in the bank’s notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investment public.
According to the statement, the appointment is with effect from June 1, 2024, and is subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
With the appointment, Adora becomes the first female to lead the bank, where she currently serves as the deputy GMD. She will take over from Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose five-year tenure ends on May 31, 2024.
Check Out The Profile of Adaora Umeoji
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Umeoji has been the Deputy Managing Director of the bank since October 28, 2016, and has close to thirty (30) years of cognate banking experience of which twenty-six (26) years has been with Zenith Bank.
- She 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 honors 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.
- She 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.
Recognised as a peace advocate by the United Nations (UN-POLAC), she received the Officer of the Order of Nigeria (OON) national honour from the Nigerian government in 2022 for her nation-building efforts.
