Wema Bank MD/CEO, Oseni, Receives CIBN Fellowship Award

In recognition of his exceptional performance, profound impact and remarkable footprint in championing innovation and growth in the Nigerian financial services industry, Moruf Oseni, the Managing Director and CEO of Wema Bank, Nigeria’s foremost innovative bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has been awarded the Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). The fellowship investiture took place on Saturday, October 26, 2024, in Lagos.

The CIBN Fellowship, which is the highest cadre of membership the Institute grants, is a hallmark of professional integrity, excellence and achievement.

This prestigious award is a symbol of lifetime achievement and success, conferred on deserving individuals who have made a positive mark.

The award stands as the epitome of professionalism, ethics and transformative success; an attestation to the remarkable impact, admirable repute and extraordinary results that have identified Moruf Oseni as a force to be reckoned with in the banking and financial services industry.

Reputed as a catalyst of innovation and positive transformation, Moruf Oseni, spearheaded the launch of ALAT, Africa’s first fully digital bank and a gamechanger in the financial services industry.

Further reinforcing his reputation as a pioneer of innovation, Moruf Oseni rejigged the financial services industry earlier in 2024 with the launch of yet another “first-of-its-kind” in the Nigerian banking industry, CoopHub, a digital solution tailored to the needs of cooperative societies and designed to empower cooperatives for optimal productivity.

Moruf Oseni, an MBA holder from Institut European d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in France, a Master’s holder in Finance (MiF) from the London Business School and a B.Sc. holder in Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, is also an alumnus of both the King’s College in Lagos and the Advanced Management Program (AMP) of Harvard Business School.

His frontline role in raising the standards in the financial services industry is unequivocal, and it beyond doubt that the industry icon and CEO of Nigeria’s leading innovative bank, Wema Bank, is indeed deserving of the CIBN Fellowship Investiture.

Accepting the honours, Moruf Oseni expressed gratitude to the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria for acknowledging his impact, industry footprints and achievements with the awarding of the CIBN Fellowship Investiture.

“I am honoured by this recognition and I don’t take for granted the journey that has brought me this far. As an individual, my drive for excellence in every action, result and achievement has fuelled me to consistently exceed expectations and this passion for excellence continues to fuel my journey as a CEO of a Bank that is dearer to me than anyone can imagine.

“Long before becoming the CEO, I took passionate interest in the Wema Bank vision and poured myself into a personal mission of exceeding expectations, challenging limitations and aiming for the extraordinary; and with a force of Knights aligned with this vision, we have gone on to exceed goal after goal. We are just getting started and there is no stopping us”.

“The banking and financial services industry is a dynamic terrain and to keep the industry thriving, it is important that we all in our various roles and capacities, strive to maintain excellence and consistently raise the bar, innovating intentionally and strategically to expand our frontiers beyond the limits of banking into driving impact for the people we serve across various verticals.

“This is how we can collectively build the Nigerian financial services industry into a global force and this is how we can contribute significantly to accelerating economic growth in Nigeria.

“I receive this honour with gratitude for the acknowledgement and I take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to bringing every vision to life, every dream to realization and every goal to fulfilment”.

The Head of Corporate Communication and Brand Management of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mrs. Folake Akintayo, attributed the CIBN Fellowship Award as an avenue to recognise the awardees’ meritorious services, commitment to professional responsibilities and valuable contributions to the industry and the economy at large.

Moruf Oseni was also awarded Top CEO of the Year at the BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs Awards 2023 and The Sun Banker of the Year 2023, among others.