Nigeria: Ecobank Group appoints new Managing Director, as Patrick Akinwuntan retires

Ecobank Group has appointed Jubril Mobolaji Lawal as the new Regional Executive and Managing Director designate of Ecobank Nigeria. The appointment is made ahead of Patrick Akinwuntan’s upcoming retirement, expected to take place in January 2022, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In a statement by Adenike Laoye, Group Head, Corporate Communications and Chief of Staff to the Group Chief Executive, the Bank said Mobolaji was appointed following a keenly contested selection process, which included both internal and external candidates.

While commenting on the appointment, Ade Ayeyemi, CEO, Ecobank Group said “We welcome Mobolaji Lawal to the Ecobank Group and we stand to benefit from the extensive experience that he has acquired in various fields across banking, which will play a major role in continuing to rebuild our franchise in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a key market for us, in which we have seen significant improvement over the past three years as we reposition and leverage upon our pan-African strengths in digital products and services, payments and as the go-to-bank for businesses seeking to grasp the growth opportunities being created by the AfCFTA, across all our markets on the continent. I wish Mobolaji the best and assure him of both my support and that of the entire Ecobank Group.”

Similarly, Mrs. Bola Adesola, the Chairman of the Board of Ecobank Nigeria said “We look forward to working with Mobolaji and assure him of the full support of the Board, Management and all the staff of Ecobank Nigeria. The business in Nigeria is on the path of transformation and we are confident that Mobolaji will have significant impact in advancing our positive trajectory”

Mobolaji Lawal joins Ecobank having been a versatile senior banking executive and digital transformation specialist for over 28 years with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. He has deep involvement and experience in digital and retail banking, corporate and commercial banking, credit risk management and corporate finance.

His previous experience includes being Executive Director at GTBank Plc Nigeria, and Non-Executive Director roles at both GTBank Ghana Limited and Nigeria Interbank Settlement Systems Plc. Mobolaji led the team that envisioned and implemented GTBank Plc’s retail and digital banking strategy to achieve industry-wide leadership over a ten-year period and he introduced new products and solutions that have helped to deepen payments and access to digital financial services in Nigeria.

Mobolaji Lawal holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; B.L. from the Nigerian Law School and a Master of Business Administration from Oxford University, United Kingdom. He has also attended several executive management and banking specific developmental programmes at leading educational institutions including Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD).

Meanwhile, the Bank also announced the upcoming retirement of Patrick Akinwuntan, Regional Executive and Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria. Patrick Akinwuntan will retire in January 2022, upon reaching the retirement age.