The virtual event is scheduled for Thursday, May 25 between 11am and 12:30pm.

The CFA Society Nigeria Quarterly Leadership Series serves as a platform for developing and inspiring leaders in Nigeria, particularly among finance and investment industry professionals.

The event is designed to showcase and highlights the journey and achievements of notable and exemplary leaders in society.

Announcing the 6th edition in Lagos, Ibukun Oyedeji, President of CFA Society Nigeria, said “the leadership series is a breeding ground to train leaders who are well-equipped to be decision makers, bold and fearless enough to manage uncertainties and demonstrate high ethical standards in an ever-evolving world. This is the reason why we select only the best to speak at our Leadership Series”

We are proud that our speaker in this edition is Mr. Ade Ayeyemi who will share his wide -range, rich and robust experiences and success stories in steering multi-national enterprises. He is an experienced banker of over 30 years and before joining Ecobank in 2015, had a long and successful career with Citigroup, where he was CEO of Citigroup Sub-Saharan Africa based in Johannesburg. He has significant diverse experience in Operations & Technology, Corporate & Investment Banking, Transaction Services, Senior Credit Analysis, Public Sector Advisory amongst others”

– She stated

Mr. Ade Ayeyemi is the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, the parent company of the Ecobank Group.

He is a Chartered Accountant whose many interests include business strategy, economics, process engineering and technology.

Ade led the Ecobank Group as GCEO since September 2015 when he commenced the Group’s roadmap to leadership and digital transformation journey, that has repositioned the banking group as a leader across Africa, leveraging innovation, strategic understanding of the marketplace and technology.

Ade is an accounting graduate of the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with First Class Honours.

He also studied at the University of London and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme.

The Award honours organisations that exhibit the highest standards of excellence in Human Resources (HR) practices and employees’ experience. Ecobank is the first Pan-African bank to have been awarded the certification.

Ade Ayeyemi, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: “At Ecobank, we recognise that our people are our greatest asset. As a pan-African bank, we are intentional in deploying resources to attract, develop and retain the right talent. We actively provide the tools and processes to achieve a performance-driven culture and enabling environment.  Receiving international recognition as being one of the Best Places to Work in Africa is a great honour. It is noteworthy that this Award would not have been possible without the support of my colleague Ecobankers.”

The certification programme involves rigorous assessment and rankings based on the results of robust and objective assessments carried out at various hierarchical levels and across HR operations and procedures. It includes HR Assessment and an Employee Assessment Survey. Areas covered include HR practices, compensation, benefits, leadership, teamwork, employee engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Yves Mayilamene, Group Executive, Human Resources at Ecobank, commented: “We support and empower our talent to excel in an enabling and conducive working environment while investing in their growth and wellbeing. At Ecobank, we always seek to provide our staff with opportunities to advance and achieve their full potential through our learning and development initiatives. This Best Place to Work Award is a tribute to our Ecobankers’ commitment to exhibiting and living our values, as well as creating the right corporate culture.”

The assessment process resulted in the Ecobank Group achieving a total certification score of 79% – any percentage above 75% is considered high. The certification of the Best Place to Work accreditation is for one year (November 2022-November 2023).

Best Places to Work certified organisations tend to outperform the market average in terms of driving consistent long-term business performance through high employee engagement, engaging leadership and talent focus. Becoming a certified organisation means employees are inspired, engaged and motivated to do their best, everyday and everywhere.

During the celebration event, Peter Burke, President of Best Companies Group, extended his heartful congratulations to Ecobank by emphasising on the uniqueness of this Award that strengthens the Ecobank Employer Brand. He added: “You are being recognised for creating workplaces where your employees love to come to work. You are the envy of all other employers. Keep up the good work.”

The Best Places to Work certification is a globally recognised flagship employer of choice programme and is delivered in partnership with Best Companies Group. The Best Company Group is a well-established US company focused on identifying and recognising best employers in over 60 countries around the world.  

In Africa, there were 29 Best Places to Work organisations recognised in 2022.  These include Alsa, eHealth Africa, Hilti, IHS, Ooredoo and Pharma 5. Some global companies with operations in Africa – such as AstraZeneca, Dell, Nestlé and Roche – were also among the winners.

The Best Place to Work in Africa Award followed another significant recognition for Ecobank as the Best Employer Brand in Africa, from the Africa Best Employer Brand Awards 2022. 

It honours the top organisations in Africa who are exemplary in HR. The judges for this Award considered business progress based on public available information and many aspects of People/HR strategies including Talent Management and Development; Diversity and Inclusion; Women Empowerment; Promoting and Managing Health in the workplace; and CSR Initiatives.

The company disclosed this in its audited financial report for the 9-month ended September 2022.

According to the company, this represents a 44% increase compared with the $40.4 billion it recorded in the same period last year.

A closer look at the various digital channels of the company shows that the Ecobank Omni Plus recorded the largest transaction value within the period at $37.8 billion.

Through its mobile app and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Ecobank recorded $4.2 billion within the period.

Its Omni Lite channel recorded transactions valued at $4.1 billion, while Ecobank Online and Xpress Points (Agency Network) recorded $755 million and $3.7 billion transactions respectively.

The company also posted transactions valued at $8.1 billion through other indirect digital channels.

The company’s result:

Ecobank in the 9-month financial result reported a 7% increase in revenue from $1.26 billion in the same period of 2021 to $1.35 billion in the period under review.

The bank’s operating profit expanded by 12% to $593 million, up from $528 million filed in the corresponding period of 2021, Profit before tax rose to $401 million, a 14% increase from $352 million achieved in 2021. Profit paid to shareholders grew by 7% from $182 million to $196 million.

Ade Ayeyemi, Ecobank Group’s CEO, while commenting on the result, said: “We continued to deliver on our strategic priorities and are on track to meet full-year targets despite the complex operating environment.

Group-wide return on tangible equity reached a record 21%, and profit before tax increased by 14%, or 48% at constant currency (i.e., excluding currency movements). These results reflect the resilience, strong brand and diversification of our pan-African franchise.

“We saw decent client activity in consumer and wholesale payments, trade finance and foreign currency markets. Additionally, despite inflationary pressures, we maintained a tight lid on costs, thereby improving our cost-to-income ratio to 56.3% from 58.3% in the previous year. The dampened economic outlook necessitated maintaining a sound balance sheet with adequate levels of liquidity and capital. As a result, our total capital adequacy ratio at 14.4% is well above our internal and minimum regulatory limits,” he said.

The Board of Directors selected Jeremy Awori to succeed Ade Ayeyemi as Group Chief Executive Officer. The relevant effective dates will be communicated in due course.

Alain Nkontchou, Ecobank Group Chairman, thanked Ade for his immense contribution during his seven years at the helm of the Ecobank Group as Group CEO. 

“Ade can be rightly proud of his success in leading the implementation of the Roadmap to Leadership strategy, navigating Ecobank through challenges, seizing opportunities, and positioning Ecobank for sustainable long-term growth. Ade’s deep knowledge, unrivaled vision, commitment and infinite passion made all the difference. It has been a real pleasure working with him. I count on his continuous support to ensure a smooth transition as we onboard Jeremy Awori as the new Group CEO,” the Chairman added.

“Jeremy Awori is a highly respected leader in the banking industry with significant achievements in his previous capacities. The Board of Directors strongly believes that his drive and strong focus on results will be vital in steering the Group in its next phase,” Alain Nkontchou stated.

Ade Ayeyemi expressed his deep gratitude for the opportunity to lead the Ecobank Group and stated: “It is a privilege to lead an amazing team of Ecobankers in bringing the Ecobank Group back to growth and continuing to realise our commendable pan-African mandate.” He also expressed his commitment to a smooth transition and onboarding of his successor.

The incoming Group CEO, Jeremy Awori, responding to the announcement of his appointment said: “It is a great honour to be appointed Ecobank Group’s Chief Executive Officer. I look forward to consolidating the transformation of Ecobank, a truly pan-African institution full of talented people, while innovating to create value for all Ecobank’s stakeholders. I am humbled by the opportunity to contribute to the continent’s economic development and financial integration with Ecobank Group.”

Jeremy Awori is joining Ecobank Group following a twenty-five-year long career in the banking industry, with almost a decade leading Absa Bank Kenya Plc as the CEO & Managing Director.

Before joining Absa, Jeremy held multiple leadership roles at Standard Chartered Bank across the Middle-East and Africa. He brings a wealth of experience, skills, and industry know-how to the Ecobank Group.

The goal is to contribute to the growth of these innovators, with scalable ideas and receptive to support and opportunities which would help their growth.

Designed in partnership with international advisory firm, Konfidants, Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2022 is supported by partners across Africa and globally. 

Benefits 

The winner of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2022 will receive a cash prize of $50,000, as well as an opportunity to partner and scale their solutions across Ecobank’s 33 African markets.

Ten finalists will be inducted into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship after the finals and awards ceremony which will take place in October 2022.

In addition, all Fellows will qualify to explore the following opportunities with the Bank and its partners:

• Multinational products roll out: an opportunity to pursue integration with Ecobank and potentially launch products in all or part of Ecobank’s pan-African 33-country ecosystem
• Service provider partnerships:  Ecobank may select some Fintechs as pan-African service partners within the Bank’s ecosystem
• Access to Ecobank’s Pan-African Banking Sandbox: Fellows will be given access to Ecobank’s APIs to test and improve their products for the pan-African market
• Priority Access to Ecobank’s Venture Capital partners for funding exploration

Eligibility

The challenge is designed for fintech companies and developers originating from any of Africa’s 54 countries, as well as global Africa-centered Fintechs.

Ade Ayeyemi, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: “Ecobank believes that the only way to transform financial services in Africa is for Pan-African banks like Ecobank to continually support and collaborate with innovative Fintechs and start-ups. We invite and welcome Africa’s best Fintechs to work with us through the 2022 Challenge.”

Dr. Tomisin Fashina, Operations and Technology Executive, Ecobank Groupalso commented: “The uniqueness of the Challenge is that it welcomes both early stage and mature start-up Fintechs alike and seeks to align them with different kinds of partnership opportunities within Ecobank that match their differing levels of maturity.”

How to apply

Apply to scale your innovative solution before the deadline on Friday, September 16, 2022.

Over the last few years, alongside key partners from global and Pan-African organisations, the Ecobank Foundation has made significant progress in Africa through its focus on three pillars, namely education, healthcare and financial empowerment. 

Desbordes-Cissé will be responsible for continuing that work. Her role will include overseeing the expansion and strengthening of activities and partnerships across Ecobank’s entire 33-country sub-Saharan Africa footprint. This will further cement Ecobank Foundation’s position as the preferred partner for creating positive impact in the lives of millions of people across the continent.   

Desbordes-Cissé has impressive experience and expertise in Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, in addition to her strong advocacy skills. Throughout her 15-year career, she has worked for many Pan-African and international development institutions, including the African Development Bank Group, UNITLIFE (a United Nations Development Programme initiative), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the African Media Initiative, and the ONE Campaign.

The new COO has a Master’s degree in Political Science and Intercultural Management from the Institut d’Études Politiques d’Aix-en-Provence, France. She is a native French speaker and is also fluent in English, as well as proficient in both Spanish and German.

Commenting on her appointment, Ade Ayeyemi, CEO, Ecobank Group said: “Elisa Desbordes-Cissé’s appointment has come at an opportune time to further strengthen the Foundation’s Africa-focused commitment and purpose. We are certain that we will benefit from Elisa’s experience as we continue to impact our communities through the Foundation’s initiatives and programmes on health, education and financial empowerment.”

Ade Ayeyemi formally thanked Carl Manlan, the former Chief Operating Officer of the Ecobank Foundation for his great work in propelling the Foundation during the 5 years he served in that capacity, before leaving the Ecobank Group.