UBA Strengthens Leadership With New Executive Board Appointments as Retirements and Succession Take Effect January 1, 2026

BY ABU-SATAR HAMED 

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has announced significant changes to its Executive Board following the completion of tenure by four long-serving Executive Directors.

Those set to retire by January 1, 2026 include the Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi, alongside three other Executive Directors — Mrs. Abiola Bawuah, Mr. Alex Alozie and Mrs. Sola Yomi-Ajayi.

In line with the bank’s robust succession and leadership development strategy, the Board has approved the appointment of three new Executive Directors: Mr. Emmanuel Lamptey, Mr. Tosin Adewuyi and Mr. Chidi Okpala. The appointments, which are subject to regulatory approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will take effect from January 1, 2026.

Under the new structure, Lamptey will oversee Digital Banking, while Adewuyi and Okpala will lead Corporate Banking and UBA Nigeria respectively.

Group Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, expressed confidence that the new Executive Directors would successfully steer the Group through its next phase of growth.

“I congratulate the incoming Executive Directors on their appointments. The board is confident that they will bring the experience, depth and execution capability needed to build on the solid foundation laid by their predecessors and to propel UBA into its next phase of growth,” Elumelu said.

He also extended sincere appreciation to the retiring Executive Directors for their years of dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the institution.

“Each has played a significant role in UBA’s growth and success. On behalf of the board, I thank them for their contributions and commend the impact they have made. They remain cherished members of the UBA family and enduring ambassadors of our values,” he added.

Mr. Emmanuel Lamptey, Executive Director, Digital Banking, brings 25 years of multinational and cross-functional experience spanning retail and corporate banking, asset management, securities brokerage, pensions, insurance and microfinance, with operations across more than 30 African countries.

He is widely regarded as a proven leader in digital transformation, customer experience enhancement and operational excellence, having held several executive and non-executive board roles within and outside the financial services industry. Lamptey is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK), and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Mr. Tosin Adewuyi, Executive Director, Corporate Banking, brings over 25 years of experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, including more than 15 years in senior management roles approved by the FCA and CBN in London and Lagos. He has led senior client engagement across a wide corporate and sovereign client base and has built high-performing teams, executed business turnarounds and held strategic roles across Structured Trade Finance, Corporate and Investment Banking, Debt Capital Markets, Financial Institutions Coverage and Correspondent Banking.

Adewuyi is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and Accounting from the University of Manchester, is an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, and is an alumnus of The Wharton School.

Mr. Chidi Okpala, Executive Director, UBA Nigeria, was previously Executive Director for Payments, Group Integration and Strategy at Heirs Holdings, where he provided leadership across the group’s payments businesses and oversaw strategic investments in technology and healthcare.

With more than 20 years of banking experience, Okpala possesses extensive expertise in payments, financial innovation, corporate strategy and ecosystem development, and has driven scalable platform development and cross-business value creation across Africa. He holds a BSc in Finance, an MBA in Banking and Finance, and an MSc in Leadership and Strategy from London Business School, where he is a Sloan Fellow.

The bank also announced additional Group Executive Management appointments.

Mr. Vikrant Bhansali has been appointed Group Executive, International Banking. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa Plc in Dubai, where he led the bank’s Middle East operations and strategic expansion across the region. With over 25 years of international banking experience spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, North Africa and India, Bhansali brings deep expertise in cross-border financial services and emerging markets.

Mr. Joel Owoade has been appointed Group Chief Risk Officer. He brings more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry, with strong expertise in credit risk management, strategic planning and regulatory compliance. Owoade holds an MSc in Banking and Finance from the University of Ibadan and qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 1991. He also serves as Vice President of the Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria.

Mr. Samuel Ocheho was named Group Executive, Treasury and Financial Institutions. A seasoned financial markets executive, Ocheho has over 27 years of experience spanning banking, trading and investment management. His expertise covers liquidity management, fixed income, derivatives and foreign exchange, and he has led large teams and financial portfolios across Nigeria and West Africa with a strong track record of revenue growth and operational excellence.

United Bank for Africa operates in 20 African countries as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the United Arab Emirates. The bank provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services and is a leader in financial inclusion and technology-driven banking solutions. UBA is one of the largest employers in Africa’s financial sector, with about 30,000 employees and more than 50 million customers worldwide.