President Bola Tinubu has appointed Rotimi Akinde and Ifeoma Uz’Okpala as Executive Directors of the Bank of Industry.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday by the Head of Public Relations Division of BOI, According to TheCables.
BOI said Olayinka Akinde has been appointed as the Executive Director of Corporate Finance and Risk Management, while Chika Uz’Okpala will serve as the Executive Director of the Large Enterprises Directorate.
Akinde brings extensive experience to his new role, having previously served as Corporate Finance Advisor at the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF), where he managed financing initiatives and developed funding structures for infrastructure projects.
His career also includes senior positions at UBA Plc, where he was Group Head and Assistant General Manager for Multinationals, and Vice-President of Corporate Finance and Advisory at UBA Global Markets (now United Capital).
“He was a privatisation adviser and head of oil and gas team at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), where he closed on the divestiture and sale of the government’s equity interest in 11 oil services companies and achieved the sale of all the government’s LPG assets.
“Akinde was an assistant manager in Leadbank Plc, within both the investment and corporate banking groups,” BOI said.
Akinde brings a wealth of international financial experience, having worked as an Investment Analyst with Barclays Funds and as an Analyst with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in London.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, a master’s in international securities, investment, and banking from the University of Reading, UK, and an executive MBA from INSEAD.
BOI said Uz’Okpala, a seasoned credit and risk management professional, has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector.
She joined BOI in 2014 as Group Head of Large Enterprises Credit and later served as Chief Risk Officer.
In this role, she played a pivotal part in managing and mitigating risks related to the bank’s operations, while also providing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk support and crafting strategies to attract impact investments.
“She commenced her career at International Merchant Bank and progressed through key roles at MBC International, First Bank, Stanbic Bank, and UBA. Her versatile expertise includes Internal Audit, Corporate Finance, Credit Evaluation and Origination, Foreign Operations, and Risk Management.
“She is an alumna of the University of Nigeria, where she attained a BSc. In Accountancy and a graduate of the prestigious Lagos Business School,” the bank said.
Uz’Okpala is also a distinguished professional in her field, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA).
She is an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and a member of the Chartered Risk Management Institute.
