Zenith Bank Plc has announced the appointment of its first female Group Managing Director, Adaora Umeoji. The announcement was made by the company secretary, Michael Otu, in a statement filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited on Tuesday. Umeoji will take over from the current GMD, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose tenure in office will end on May 31.
Umeoji’s tenure as the Group Managing Director is expected to commence on June 1, 2024. Prior to her appointment, she served as the bank’s Deputy Managing Director since October 28, 2016. Her appointment is consistent with the bank’s executive transition tradition, succession plan, and strategy of grooming leaders from within.
Umeoji has an impressive educational background. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School, where she attended the Advanced Management Program (AMP), and Columbia Business School, where she earned a Certificate in the Global Banking Program. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Jos, a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and a First-Class Honours in Law from Baze University, Abuja.
Furthermore, 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 a doctorate in Business Administration from Apollos University, USA. She has also attended various management programmes in renowned universities around the world, including the strategic thinking and Management programme at Wharton Business School, USA, and the executive program in Strategic Management at Harvard Business School, USA.
Umeoji 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 recognition of her contributions to nation-building, the Federal Government of Nigeria honored Dr. Umeoji with Officer of the Order of the Niger in 2022. She is also a Peace Advocate of the United Nations (UN-POLAC). Prior to her appointment as the Group Managing Director, Umeoji had close to thirty (30) years cognate banking experience, of which 26 years were spent with Zenith Bank. She is the first female CEO of Zenith Bank.