Tinubu Appoints Akinde, Uz’Okpala to Board of Bank of Industry

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr. Rotimi Akinde and Mrs. Ifeoma Uz’Okpala as Executive Director, Corporate Finance & Risk Management as well as Executive Director, Large Enterprises Directorate respectively to the Bank of Industry (BOI) effective, Monday, August 26, 2024.

 Akinde is a finance professional with over 20 years investment and corporate banking experience and an extensive track record covering capital raising , including debt, equities and hybrids.

He is also a corporate finance (mergers & acquisitions, privatisation advisory and project finance) person, a statement by the Head, Public Relations Division, BOI, Theodora Amechi, said.

Prior to joining the bank, he was an Associate Partner, Project & Corporate Finance at the Infrastructure Delivery International (IDI), where he worked on the UKNIAF programme and promoted green finance as well as structured debt solutions for sub-nationals.

He worked previously as the Corporate Finance Advisor at the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF), providing financing initiatives, modelling and funding structures for the infrastructure team, the bank said.

He served within Corporate Banking as the Group Head & Assistant General Manager, Multinationals at UBA Plc, prior to which he was Vice President, Corporate Finance & Advisory at UBA Global Markets, now United Capital.

 Akinde, according to the statement, was a Privatisation Adviser & Head, Oil & Gas Team at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), where he closed on the divestiture and sale of the federal government’s equity interest in 11 oil services companies and achieved the sale of all the federal government’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) assets.

He was an Assistant Manager in Lead Bank Plc, within both the Investment and Corporate Banking Groups, it added.

Prior to this he had worked in the financial sector in the United Kingdom as an analyst with Barclays Funds, London.

He also holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; earned a Masters Degree in International Securities, Investment & Banking from the University of Reading, UK and holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD.

On the other hand, it stated that  Uz’Okpala joined BOI in September 2014 as Group Head, Large Enterprises Credit and later served as the Chief Risk Officer of the Bank before her appointment.

As Chief Risk Officer of the Bank, the statement stressed that she played a crucial role in managing and mitigating risks associated with the bank’s operations, while also providing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk support.

“ She offered invaluable ESG support within transactions and provided the roadmap for attracting impact investments. Uz’Okpala is a seasoned Credit and Risk Management Professional, with a career spanning over 30 years in the financial sector.

“She commenced her career at International Merchant Bank (IMB) and progressed through key roles at MBC International, First Bank, Stanbic Bank, and UBA. Her versatile expertise includes Internal Audit, Corporate Finance, Credit Evaluation and Origination, Foreign Operations, and Risk Management.

“She is an alumna of the University of Nigeria, where she attained a BSc. In Accountancy and a graduate of the prestigious Lagos Business School.

“Uz’Okpala is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), an Honourary Senior Member (HCIB) of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and Member of the Chartered Risk Management Institute,” the statement added.