With effect from June 1, 2o24, Adaora Umeoji will assume office as the group managing director/chief executive officer of Zenith Bank Plc, replacing Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose five-year term expires on May 31, 2024. This follows the announcement made by the bank today.
The appointment marks a historic moment as Adaora Umeoji becomes the first female GMD/CEO since the inception of the bank in May 1990. According to the bank’s statement “her appointment is consistent with the bank’s executive transition tradition, succession plan, and strategy of grooming leaders from within.”
Adaora Umeoji has nearly thirty years of experience in banking, having previously served as the deputy managing director of the bank, a role she assumed in October 2016. She has also been with the bank for close to twenty-six years.
Here are more facts you should know about Adaora Umeoji:
Education
- Alumnus of Harvard Business School, completing the Advanced Management Program (AMP)
- Alumnus of Columbia Business School, holding a Certificate in the Global Banking Program
- Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Jos
- Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and a First-Class Honors in Law from Baze University, Abuja
- Holds a Master of Laws from the University of Salford, United Kingdom
- Holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar
- Holds a doctorate in Business administration from Apollos University, USA
- Holds a Certificate in Economics for Business from MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
- Completed executive programs in Strategic Management and Leading Global Business at Harvard Business School, USA
Fellowships and Professional Memberships:
- Fellow of the Chartered Banker Institute, UK
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria
- Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management
- Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration
- Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria
Honours and Awards:
- Honoured with Officer of the Order of the Niger by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2022
- Peace Advocate of the United Nations (UN-POLAC)
- Recognised for philanthropic efforts with the Humanitarian Service Icon Award by the Sun Newspaper in 2023
Philanthropic Activities:
- Founder of Pink Breathe Cancer Foundation and the Adorable Foundation
