Emefiele, the nominee for Central Bank of Nigeria governorship has been a Silent Achiever At Zenith Bank
Godwin Emefiele is a University of Nigeria, Nsukka-trained astute banker and also a Harvard University-trained financial strategist. He graduated as the best MBA student (Finance) from UNN after obtaining a Second Class Upper degree in Banking and Finance in 1984.
Godwin Emefiele
He went on to deepen his knowledge of Macroeconomics at Oxford University having obtained various qualifications and Executive Education studies in Negotiation, Strategy, Leadership, Critical Thinking, Delivering Value/Profit from Harvard University, Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania (Wharton Business School).
He took Zenith Bank to another height last year when he became the first GMD/CEO in the banking industry to achieve N100 billion after tax profit in a financial year. He is an astute manager of people and resources and a corporate governance savvy professional banker who has earned several personal and corporate endorsements and achievements.
Emefiele is an expert in forecasting and takes steps, leveraging on his excellent acuity and calculated-risk-taking skills to crystallise any benefits from existing and future opportunities. Zenith, which by balance sheet size and other positive financials has shaped and is shaping certain critical aspects of developments in the sub-sector, is in sheer entrepreneurial energy and a bank without equal, one which has taken after its lead-manager.
The several achievements of Zenith Bank plc since he took over stand Emefiele out as an accomplished banker and erudite manager of human and material resources. His capacity for leadership and eye for growth opportunities is evident in Zenith’s performance and geometric progression on a number of parameters.
A system’s person and unassuming achiever, Emefiele knows and understands banking and the unique Nigerian economy like the palms of his hands. He had been part of the core people who built the Zenith culture, and understands the direction of the board and shareholders of the bank viz-a-viz the realities and focus of the larger economy. He knows and understands that the responsibility to deliver is non-negotiable.
Before he came into banking he was a don at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and the University of Port Harcourt, where he lectured in finance, bank management and insurance. He is a banker whose years of experience are backed by sound academic knowledge of the job he is engaged in. He is a dyed-in-the-wool banker, very steadfast at what he does and has remained strong in the Zenith tradition of producing results. And those results have been manifested in the laurels and recognition that the bank has received both locally and internationally.
Currently, Zenith is the largest bank in Nigeria and the seventh largest in Africa by tier-1 capital. Forbes & CNBC Africa ranks Zenith bank as the 3rd biggest company in West Africa. Capital Finance International (CFI) adjudged the bank the ‘Best Commercial Bank in Africa’.
World Finance voted the bank as the best Nigerian Bank in Corporate Governance in 2013. The Corporate Governance award is in recognition of the bank’s ability to set an industry-wide example of best practices in Corporate Governance. The bank was evaluated on a wide range of criteria that included quality of policies and procedures, quality of disclosures, elements of innovation in Corporate Governance practices and excellence in stakeholder relationship management. In 2013, Zenith Bank was recognised as one the 20 Global super brands and KPMG rated the bank as the ‘Best Customer-Focused Bank’.
In January 2009, the bank was adjudged to be the ‘Most Customer-focused Bank in Nigeria’ according to a survey conducted by KPMG. The survey which focused predominantly on corporate customers of banks, including companies in a variety of sectors found that customers were most satisfied with the services offered by Zenith Bank.
The bank was rated as the “Best Bank in Nigeria in 2012” by BusinessDay Newspapers following a survey of all the banks in Nigeria. Zenith Bank also won ‘Bank of the Year Nigeria 2013’ by The Banker Magazine, a publication of Financial Times of London. Nominees for The Banker award were judged by their ability to deliver shareholder returns and gain strategic advantage in terms of market visibility and positioning. According to The Banker Magazine, Zenith Bank was selected based on the overall performance of the institution and the opinion of leading financial analysts from the world’s financial markets. The award also indicates the level of trust and confidence on the brand and is a testament to the strong management, sound business model and prudent risk approach of Zenith Bank plc.
Zenith Bank has greatly impacted banking in Nigeria, literally lifting the sector from the era of over-conservatism to one of healthy conflict and dynamism, characterised by a culture of excellence and global best practices. This has been achieved through a combination of the power of vision and a skilful union of banking expertise and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that meet and anticipate customers’ expectations.
Under his leadership, Zenith Bank has grown its Agric loan portfolio ranking amongst the highest contributors in growing the industry agric portfolio from 1 per cent in 2010 to over 4 per cent in 2012. The bank also took active part in financing some of the power projects that changed hands from government to the private sector investors. With this in mind, Zenith Bank’s contributions to Nigeria’s macroeconomic growth are seen to be very commendable.
The bank is adjudged to be of incredibly high standard not just on a national level but an international one. Testimony to Emefiele’s leadership qualities is a succession of excellent ratings from local and international agencies. Zenith bank ranks amongst the world’s 500 valuable brands. Brand Finance plc ranked Zenith Bank as the 11th most valuable brand in Africa.
Under Emefiele’s watch, Zenith Bank shares currently trade on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) following a listing of the $850 million worth of its shares at $6.80 each in a major step aimed at improving liquidity in the stock through Global Depository Receipts.
Impressive performance parameters such as these are an eloquent indication of Emefiele’s rare penchant for banking and unflinching ability to mitigate existing inefficiencies that often exist in business.
As an institution, Zenith Bank has kept abreast related and unrelated developments and addressed the best it could circumstantial challenges in the course of 2013. It is evident that despite business and economic realities, it did not lose sight of its priority: to remain a leading and financially stable and sustainable institution.
Speaking at a forum on 2014, he said, “Year 2014 is obviously a harbinger of change in several aspects of our endeavours and it is not unlikely that even business-to-business and business-to-customer interactions will be recalibrated. The reform in Agriculture and power will begin to take roots and positively impact Nigeria and the citizenry and at Zenith, we are well poised to take advantage of opportunities there-from in a manner that would support the Nigerian government determination to ensue and sustain achievements in the social and economic realms of our livelihood.”
He said, “We will leverage on new experience gathered, knowledge acquired and successes achieved but in large part, we shall make conscious effort to contribute to the overall development of the economy the best we can. We shall focus on creating greater mileage from our engagements through a deliberate diversification of our approaches, expectations and focus.”
Emefiele is confident that going forward, with the rich experience garnered over the years and his institution’s collective commitment and determination to its corporate goals, Zenith Bank shall achieve even better results and further impact the economy in the years ahead.
Although the bank’s 2013 financial year-end results are expected to be published, market analysts are of the view that the bank will post one of the best results in the banking industry.
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Zenit is not the largest bank in Nigeria!!
ReplyDeleteWho told yu. Haters
ReplyDeleteOk what is been an Hater has to do with whether Zenit is or not the largest bank or biggest bank in Nigeria? I just detest pple with temper issues like u, you can simply reply the first anon by starting ur facts or simply put ur comment Zenit is the largest shikenna! If u don't have any.Ask yourself, are the above allegations true?, Is it been investigated and confirmed to be true? Was sanusi involved in all those acts? If yes, will sanusi be punished for this acts? The govt can't rant abt this allegations against sanusi and then do nothing abt it, now he's suspended, is that the supposed punishment for the above allegations? We are not fools! Enough of all this government propaganda and pple buying their bullshit Enough!!
DeleteIf what govt claims is right, investigate sanusi and applied the proper punishment to deter others from committing same acts in the future it mUst not end with suspension only but if govt is not sure or cannot do this then they should shut up!! One can't just come out to say somebody committed the above crimes and the accused is still out there relaxing.
People, let's look beyond politics forget abt APC or PDP this is what they use in dividing us, reason above this limits before commenting!!