Zenith Bank appoints Ebenezer Onyeagwu as new GMD/CEO

Zenith Bank Plc. has announced the appointment of Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, as its new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2019, subject to approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).The bank in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is consistent with its tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within. Onyeagwu replaces Mr. Peter Amangbo, whose tenure expires on May 31, after a very successful career spanning over 27 years, with the last five years as GMD/CEO.

According to Zenith Bank, Onyeagwu is a very experienced banker and financial expert, trained in reputable institutions of learning in Nigeria, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.He is a graduate of Accounting from the Auchi Polytechnic, where he obtained the Ordinary National Diploma in 1984, and Higher National Diploma in 1987. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989, while still undergoing the compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), and was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) in 2003.

He is also an alumnus of the prestigious University of Oxford, England, where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Strategy, and certificate in Macroeconomics. He also undertook extensive executive level business courses at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania; Columbia Business School, Columbia University; and the Harvard Business School, Harvard University (all in the United States), and at the Lagos Business School, Pan African University, Nigeria.

Onyeagwu has almost 30 years’ experience in Nigeria’s banking industry. He joined Zenith Bank Plc in 2002, as a Senior Manager, in the Internal Control and Audit Group. His professionalism, competence, integrity and commitment to the bank’s set objectives 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, multinational and public institutional relationships, among others.
As Deputy Managing Director, Onyeagwu has oversight on the bank’s Financial Control and Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Retail Banking, Institutional and Corporate Banking, IT Group, Credit Administration, Treasury and Foreign Exchange Trading, as well as general administration among others.

He was named Executive Director in 2013, 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, Human Resources, Oil and Gas, and Credit Risk Management, and a host of others. He was named Deputy Managing Director of the bank in 2016.

In the last six years, Onyeagwu has been on the boards of other subsidiaries in the Group, including, Zenith Bank Ghana, Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, Zenith Nominees Limited, and African Finance Corporation (AFC). In AFC, he serves on the Board Risk & Investment Committee (BRIC), and Board Audit & Compliance Committee (BAAC). At Zenith Bank Ghana, he chairs the Board Credit and Governance Committees. He brings to his job strategic thinking, inspirational leadership, energetic and entrepreneurial skills. He is married with children.