some of its outgoing Directors, who recently successfully completed
their tenure on the Board in accordance with the Bank’s internal
governance policies.
Mrs. Aku Odinkemelu, Executive Director, South Directorate, who was
appointed to the Board on August 4, 2014, will be retiring by December
31, 2020. As Executive Director, Aku played a defining role as a member
of the transformation team in Fidelity Bank over the last 6 plus years.
Her responsibilities covered the Commercial, SME, Consumer and Public
Sector businesses of Fidelity Bank in the South East and South-South
Regions of Nigeria and she provided leadership for 90 business offices
within the 11 States under her purview, with her Directorate accounting
for 31% of deposits, and 21% of Loans. In addition, the South
Directorate under her supervision generated the highest PBT in the bank
over the last 5 years 2015 – 2019, contributing over 23% of the total
bank’s profit over the period.
Chief Charles Umolu, Non-Executive Director, completed his tenure and
retired from the Board on December 16, 2020. He served on the Board
Risk, Credit, Finance & General Purpose, Audit and Corporate Governance
Committees and chaired the Board Credit Committee until he retired. Mr.
Michael Okeke, also a Non-Executive Director, successfully completed his
tenure and retired on December 18, 2020. He was a member of various
Board Committees including the Board Corporate Governance Committee,
which he chaired from October 2018 to December 2019. Another Non-
Executive Director, Mr. Alex Ojukwu, will complete his tenure and retire
by December 31, 2020. He currently serves on the Board Credit, Risk,
Audit and Corporate Governance Committees and chairs the Board Risk
Committee.
The Board expresses its profound appreciation to the outgoing Executive
and Non-Executive Directors for their impressive contributions to the
growth and development of the Bank. “Fidelity Bank is privileged to have
benefited from the combined experience and expertise of these very
accomplished Lady and Gentlemen. We thank them for their service to the
Bank and wish them the very best in their future endeavors” said Mr.
Mustafa Chike-Obi, Chairman, Fidelity Bank Plc.
In place of the retired and outgoing Non-Executive Directors, the Board
is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Amaka Theodora Onwughalu,
Mr. Nelson Chidozie Nweke and Mr. Chinedu Eric Okeke as Non-Executive
Directors. The appointments of Mrs. Onwughalu and Mr. Nweke have been
approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) whilst that of Mr. Okeke
is awaiting CBN approval.
Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu has over 30 years’ banking experience including
over 10 years in Executive Management in various financial institutions,
with proven expertise across diverse segments including Commercial
Banking, Retail Banking, Treasury Management, Banking Operations and
Corporate Banking. She served in executive management positions in
different institutions and was the former Group Managing Director of
legacy Mainstreet Bank Limited where she led the successful execution of
a seamless integration of the bank with Skye Bank Plc where she served
as Deputy Managing Director until her retirement in July 2016.
She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Blueshield Financial
Services Limited and holds a BSc Degree in Economics from the University
of Buckingham, an MSc Degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds
Metropolitan University, United Kingdom and an MBA from the University
of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She gained further exposure and training at
the Executive Business School, INSEAD, France; IMD Business School,
Lausanne, Switzerland; Judge Business School, University of Cambridge;
and Columbia Business School, USA.
Mrs. Onwughalu is a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Internal Auditors
of Nigeria; a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA); a
Member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM); an Honorary Member
of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); and a Fellow of
the Institute of Directors (IoD). She is passionate about mentoring the
Girl Child and committed to supporting women entrepreneurs/professionals
to contribute their quota to stimulating economic development in
Nigeria. She is a Paul Harris Fellow and recipient of various
prestigious awards including the National Merit Award for Accountability
and Transparency (NMAT), the Award of Excellence and Distinction for
Financial Management (AEDFM) and the Vocational Service Award (VSA) from
the Rotary Club, Enugu.
Mr. Nelson Nweke, currently serves as the Managing Director of Neilville
Nigeria Limited and had an extensive career in the financial services
sector, rising to the position of Executive Director at legacy
Intercontinental Bank Plc. His banking industry experience covers
Operations, Public Sector, Corporate Services and Human Resources
Administration. He holds a Bsc. in Political Science and an Msc. in
Industrial and Labour Relations, both from the University of Ibadan and
has attended various executive development programmes at world class
business schools including INSEAD, France; IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland;
and Harvard Business School amongst others.
Mr. Nweke is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of
Stockbrokers (CIS), Member Chartered Institute of Personnel Management
(CIPM) and Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM). Prior to joining the
Board of Fidelity Bank, Mr. Nelson Nweke had previously served as a
Non-Executive Director of Premium Pension Limited and was a member of
the Governing Council of Anambra State Investment Promotion and
Protection Agency between 2014 and 2018. He is presently an Independent
Non-Executive Director at Berger Paints PLC.
Mr. Chinedu Eric Okeke is the Managing Director of Azura Power West
Africa Limited, an infrastructure development and operating company with
special focus on emerging markets in Africa, including Nigeria. Prior to
joining Azura in 2014, Mr. Okeke had a stellar career spanning over
nineteen years in a succession of blue-chip companies including Guinness
Nigeria Plc, Lafarge Plc, Schlumberger Oilfield Services, and General
Electric (GE). His areas of interest and specialization across
geographies (Nigeria, France, South Africa, Vietnam and Pakistan),
covers Technology, Power, Corporate Strategy, Finance, Market Analysis
and International Development.
Mr. Okeke has held executive and senior management positions in various
climes, with direct responsibility for teams of diverse and
multicultural professionals and demonstrated ability to develop and
maintain strategic client relationships and deliver quality results
under complex conditions. He holds a B.Eng. Degree in Electronic
Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and an MBA from
Imperial College, London. He has attended executive training programmes
at various premier institutions including Gordon Institute of Business
Science, South Africa; INSEAD, France; Graduate School of Business,
Stanford, USA, College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology,
USA and GE John F. Welch Leadership Development Centre, USA.
The Board is pleased with the appointments and confident that the new
Directors will bring their considerable experience to bear in the bank’s
growth trajectory. “We are very delighted to welcome the newly appointed
Directors to the Fidelity family. These appointments end the on-going
board realignment, occasioned by the retirements that had to happen, in
line with our governance policies. We look forward to leveraging on the
multi-disciplinary experiences of Amaka, Nelson and Chinedu in executing
the next growth phase of Fidelity Bank”, stated Chike-Obi.
