Adaora Umeoji becomes the first woman to lead Nigeria’s Zenith Bank as new CEO & GMD
Nigeria’s Zenith Bank Plc has appointed Adaora Umeoji as its new Group Managing Director and CEO. She is the first woman to hold this high-profile position since the Bank was established 34 years ago.
A skilled and respected banker with almost 30 years of banking and executive management experience, Umeoji has spent 26 of those years working at Zenith Bank, in various capacities, including as Deputy Managing Director, a position she has hitherto held, since October 2016.
Subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Umeoji is expected to assume office on 1st June, taking over from Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu whose five-year term concludes in May.
An official statement released on Wednesday 20th March, stated that Umeoji’s appointment is “consistent with the bank’s executive transition tradition, succession plan, and strategy of grooming leaders from within.”
And her résumé reveals impressive credentials.
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.
But that’s not all! She is also 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 also 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 is a fellow of notable professional bodies including the Chartered Banker Institute, UK, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Management, Institute of Credit Administration, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria among others.
In 2022, the Nigerian government conferred her with the Officer of the Order of the Niger, (OON) for her contribution to nation-building. She runs two philanthropic and humanitarian NGOs – Pink Breathe Cancer Foundation and the Adorable Foundation, which help to cater for Cancer patients and educate disadvantaged children, especially girls.
She is also a Peace Advocate of the Abuja-based United Nations Positive Livelihood and Awards Centre (UN-POLAC), whose mandate is to augment the effectiveness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UNESCO’s Culture of Peace Programme particularly the maintenance of peace and security and the restoration of human dignity.
Umeoji is also an ardent advocate of ethical banking.
