Zenith Bank Plc has officially named Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1, 2024, pending approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Dr. Umeoji will succeed Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose successful five-year tenure ends on May 31, 2024.
This appointment marks a significant milestone as Dame Umeoji becomes the first female to hold the position of GMD/CEO since the bank’s establishment. Her selection aligns seamlessly with Zenith Bank’s tradition of executive transition, succession planning, and the strategic cultivation of leaders internally.
Who is Dr. Adaora Umeoji?
Before assuming this pivotal role, Dr. Umeoji served as the Deputy Managing Director of the bank since October 28, 2016, amassing nearly three decades of banking expertise, with twenty-six of those years dedicated to Zenith Bank.
She is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School where she attended the Advanced Management Program and an alumnus of Columbia Business School with a Certificate in the Global Banking Program.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Jos, a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and a First-Class honors in Law from Baze University, Abuja.
She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, a Master in Business Administration, an MBA from the University of Calabar, and also has a doctorate in business administration from Apollos University, USA.
She holds a Certificate in Economics for Business from the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management, USA, and has attended various management programmes in renowned Universities around the world including the strategic thinking and Management programme at Wharton Business School, USA.
She also attended the executive program in Strategic Management and has a Certificate in Leading Global Business all from Harvard Business School, USA.
She is a fellow of notable professional bodies including the Chartered Banker Institute, UK, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Management, Institute of Credit Administration, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria among others.
In 2022, the Federal Government of Nigeria honored Dr. Umeoji with Officer of the Order of the Niger, as a recognition of her contributions to nation-building. She is a Peace Advocate of the United Nations.
She has impacted many lives through her philanthropic and humanitarian activities through her NGOs; Pink Breathe Cancer Foundation and the Adorable Foundation which educates and caters to Cancer patients and indigent children education, especially the Girl-Child. Her contribution to humanity was recognized by the Sun Newspaper which recently bestowed on her the Humanitarian Service Icon Award for 2023.
As a result of her passion for promoting professionalism in the banking industry and improving the well-being of the less privileged, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON founded the Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria, a platform she uses to promote ethical banking and service to humanity.
She is a Lady of the Order of Knights of St. John International and was awarded a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester by His Holiness Pope Francis.
