Access Bank names new deputy managing director and executive director

Access Bank Plc has named Oluseyi Kumapayi as Deputy Managing Director for African Subsidiaries and Olanrewaju Bamisebi as Executive Director for Information Technology and Digitalisation. This move aims to boost the bank's operations, profit, and tech-driven services.

The new roles started on 27 and 28 October, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved the appointments. This information came from a regulatory filing by Sunday Ekwochi, the Group Company Secretary.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, the Group Chairman of Access Holdings, spoke about the appointments. He said these decisions show the group's focus on turning its wide banking presence in Africa and beyond into better performance, efficiency, and higher returns for shareholders.

"Access Holdings has built a strong banking network across Africa and beyond. Our focus now is to turn that scale into better performance, higher efficiency, stronger returns on capital, and lasting value for our shareholders," Mr Aig-Imoukhuede said.

He added that Mr Kumapayi’s new role would help the group improve the performance of its African branches. Mr Bamisebi’s role will bring tech leadership closer to the bank's operations, customers, and business goals.

Roosevelt Ogbonna, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, mentioned that the bank aims to be more productive, efficient, and profitable. This will happen through better use of capital, technology, and its strong market presence.

He said the bank would focus on boosting returns across its African branches, simplifying technology platforms, improving reliability, and speeding up innovation to enhance customer experience at lower costs.

Access Holdings explained that these appointments are part of its shift from focusing on scale to value creation, profitability, and efficient capital use.

The group’s goal is to maximize the value of its operations in Africa and other selected markets. This will be achieved through better subsidiary performance, smart capital allocation, and tech-driven productivity.

They said moving the responsibility of Information Technology and Digitalisation from the holding company to Access Bank will better link technology changes with banking operations, customer service, revenue generation, and cost management.

This change will speed up digital transformation, simplify operations, boost resilience, and improve execution across the bank's operations.

Mr Kumapayi was promoted from his previous role as Executive Director for African Subsidiaries, a position he held since November 2020.

He has more than 25 years of banking experience in areas like financial management, strategy, risk management, treasury, and business development. He joined Access Bank in 2002 and was the Group Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2020, where he helped strengthen the bank’s financial management and support its strategic goals.

In his new role, he will keep overseeing the bank’s African subsidiaries and will work to boost profitability, capital productivity, operational performance, and cross-border business integration. He will also support the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in leading and managing the bank's strategy.

On the other hand, Mr Bamisebi has joined the Access Bank board from Access Holdings, where he was Executive Director for Information Technology and Digitalisation.

He has over 20 years of experience in tech transformation, digital banking, enterprise systems, and operational management in the financial services and other sectors. Before Access Holdings, he worked at Equity Group Holdings Limited in senior roles, including Group Director for IT and Operations and Managing Director of Finserve Africa.

He was also the Group Chief Information Officer at Diamond Bank and held other tech leadership roles at major Nigerian banks.

In his new position, Mr Bamisebi will lead Access Bank’s tech and digitalisation strategy. His focus will be on improving operational efficiency, modernizing tech platforms, strengthening cybersecurity, and speeding up digital solutions to enhance customer experience.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computing and Information Technology from the University of Derby and an MBA from Durham Business School. He is also an alumnus of the Cambridge Judge Business Senior Management Programme.