The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has appointed the former Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Effiong Akwa as non-executive director in the board of Nigeria’s leading digital commercial retail bank, Polaris bank. The ten man board has Dr. Kassim Gidado as chairman.
Other non executive directors include: Mallam Ambursa Abubakar Umar, Mrs. Ayaba M. Ayo-Joseph, Mrs. Giwa-Amu Subulade Ibironke and Dr. Onosode Christopher.
Mr. Kayode Lawal, MD/ CEO of the bank, said the diverse expertise and experience of the new board members would further enrich ongoing strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening their position as a leading digital bank
“We are thrilled to welcome these seasoned professionals to the board of Polaris Bank. Their diverse expertise and leadership qualities will be invaluable as we drive our strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening the bank as a leading Nigeria digital bank.
“These appointments mark a significant step in Polaris Bank’s journey towards achieving sustained growth and delivering exceptional value to our stakeholders.”
A statement noted that Dr. Kassim Gidado, the new board chairman, is an academic with over 35 years of experience in the fields of Engineering, Project Management and Strategic Development.
The statement also indicates that Dr. Effiong Akwa holds a doctorate in Law, has experience as a Special Assistant on Finance and later MD at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port Harcourt and as a Non-Executive Director of FHA Mortgage Bank Limited in Abuja, where he represented the Federal Government’s interest.
A Chartered Accountant, Dr. Akwa is an accomplished professional with a rich educational background, including attending the Senior Executive Programme on Strategy, Leadership and Transformation at the London Business School.
Mallam Ambursa Abubakar Umar is an expert in Enterprise Transformation and Development Finance with over 30 years of experience in the banking in¬dustry, including a distinguished tenure at the CBN.
Mrs. Ayaba Ayo-Joseph has over three decades of experience in the banking industry. A member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), she brings to the board as a Non-Executive Director a wealth of experience in Corporate Management, Business Development, and Strategy Execution.
Mrs. Giwa-Amu Subulade Ibironke, a lawyer by training, holds an MBA degree from the University of Warwick, UK and brings over 27 years of experience in financial services, real estate investment & development and business process re-engineering across the West African region to the Polaris Bank board.
Dr. Onosode Christopher holds a doctorate in Economics and energy major from Kent University, UK. He joins the board with over 30 years of experience in business systems analysis and design, strategy and operations, project management and policy analysis.
The newly appointed non-executive directors will provide support for the executive management team led by Mr. Kayode Lawal and supported by the executive management team led by Mr. Kayode Lawal, Managing Director/CEO; Mr. Chris Ofikulu, Executive Director, Retail and Commercial; Mrs. Abimbola Ozomah, Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking and Sharafadeen Muhammed, Executive Director, Operations.
