Zenith Bank Plc has appointed Ebenezer Onyeagwu as its Group Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In a notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Monday, the bank said the appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The tenure of Peter Amangbo, who is currently the bank’s CEO, will expire on Friday, May 31 while Onyeagwu will take over from June 1, 2019.
Onyeagwu is a vastly experienced banker and financial expert, trained in reputable institutions of learning in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
He is an alumnus of the prestigious University of Oxford, England, where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Strategy, and a certificate in Macroeconomics. He also undertook extensive executive level business education in Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School of Columbia University, the Harvard Business School of Harvard University (all in the United States) and Lagos Business School of the Pan African University, Nigeria.
Onyeagwu is a Chartered Accountant and was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), in 2003.
With nearly 30 years experience in the banking industry in Nigeria, Onyeagwu, who is a graduate of accounting from Auchi Polytechnic, began his career at the defunct Financial Merchant Bank in 1991 and later held several management positions in the erstwhile Citizens International Bank Limited until 2002.
He joined Zenith Bank Plc in 2002 as a Senior Manager, in the Internal Control and Audit Group of the bank. His professionalism, competence, integrity and commitment to the set objectives of the bank saw him rise swiftly between 2003 and 2005, first, as Assistant General Manager, then Deputy General Manager, and eventually as General Manager of the bank.
In these capacities, he handled strategies for new business and branch development, management of risk assets portfolios, treasury functions, strategic top-level corporate, multinationals and public institutional relationships, among others.
He was named Executive Director of the bank in 2013 and put in charge of Lagos and South-South Zones as well as strategic groups/business units of the bank including Financial Control & Strategic Planning, Treasury and Correspondent Groups, Human Resources Group, Oil and Gas Group, and Credit Risk Management Group, etc. He was named Deputy Managing Director of the bank in 2016.
Onyeagwu is on the board of Zenith Bank Ghana, Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, Zenith Nominees Limited and African Finance Corporation. He brings to his job strategic thinking, inspirational leadership, energetic and entrepreneurial skills. He is married with children.
