The Board of Unity Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Ebenezer Kolawole (FCA) as the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO).
This follows the retirement of Mrs. Oluwatomi Somefun, who has completed her tenure as MD/CEO.
The announcement was made during the Bank’s 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to the bank, the appointment has received the necessary approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the bank’s primary regulator.
Kolawole’s decades of experience
A statement from the bank reveals that Mr. Kolawole brings over 30 years of banking and financial services expertise to his new role.
He began his career in 1992 at Caribbean Finance Limited (an affiliate of CFL in Cayman Island) in Kaduna.
- He later joined Ecobank, where he held various roles across Operations and Finance, rising to the position of Deputy Financial Controller.
- His career trajectory also includes a stint at Standard Trust Bank (STB), where he played a pivotal role in the STB/UBA merger. Post-merger, he served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
- He further honed his expertise as the Group Chief Finance Officer (GCFO) at Mainstreet Bank, where he led turnaround and transformation initiatives.
- Mr. Kolawole also had a brief tenure at Globacom, Nigeria’s leading indigenous telecommunications company, where he contributed to corporate business development.
Educational and professional credentials
Mr. Kolawole holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
He has also participated in executive education programs at Columbia Business School, New York, USA, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
He is a member of several professional bodies, including a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA); a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration (FICA); an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB); Associate Member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (AMNIM), and Member of the Institute of Directors
Contributions to Unity Bank’s growth
Mr. Kolawole joined Unity Bank Plc as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2015. In February 2018, he was appointed Executive Director, overseeing Finance, Operations, and Information Technology.
- During his tenure, he played a key role in driving the Bank’s strategic transformation, cost optimization initiatives, and overall market feasibility.
- In his new role as Acting MD/CEO, Mr. Kolawole is tasked with finalizing the Bank’s ongoing corporate programs and advancing its strategic business initiatives, ensuring continuity and sustained growth.