Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday appointed Yetunde Oni as the new managing director/chief executive officer of Union Bank.
The appointment comes after the apex bank dissolved the boards and management of the bank alongside two others banks, Polaris and Keystone.
Mrs Oni is an experienced banker in emerging markets with over 29 years of expertise in client solutions, relationship management, team leadership, and talent development.
Until her appointment with Union bank, she was the first female Managing Director and CEO at Standard Chartered Bank in Sierra Leone.
Starting her career in 1991 at Prime Merchant Limited Nigeria, she handled responsibilities in the Treasury Department, including mobilizing client deposits, trading money market instruments, and coordinating with the Central Bank on operational matters.
In 1994, she joined Ecobank Nigeria, where she originated credit facilities for multinationals and top local corporations in various sectors. Recruited by Standard Chartered in 2005 as a Senior Relationship Manager/Area Manager, Mrs Oni played a pivotal role in building a new client portfolio, strengthening the franchise’s position in its early days in Nigeria.
By 2010, she was promoted to lead the Local Corporates and Commodity Traders Team, achieving significant growth in client revenues, offshore revenues, asset book, and improving the Liability to Asset Ratio.
In 2014, she assumed the role of Managing Director and Head of the new Commercial Banking Division in Nigeria, a position she currently holds.
Under her leadership, the team has consistently grown revenue in a risk-controlled environment, resulting in a positive shift from a loss position of USD27.5m in 2016 to current profit levels.
Furthermore, she successfully moved over 30 per cent of previously non performing accounts to the good books.
A determined leader focused on disciplined execution, she holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Ibadan Nigeria, an MBA from Bangor University, and has completed various local and international leadership courses, including those led by INSEAD and Oxford Business Schools.
She is an active Associate member of WIMBIZ (Women in Management, Business, and Public Sector) and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria.
