Fidelity Bank: Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe Takes Over As First Female CEO

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe has officially assumed office as the fourth chief executive officer of Fidelity Bank.

Onyeali-Ikpe, whose tenure commenced on January 1, 2020, is the first female to occupy the position since the bank’s inception in 1988.

She succeeds Nnamdi Okonkwo, the erstwhile MD/CEO, who retired on December 31, 2020, after completing his contract tenure in line with the bank’s governance policy.

Fidelity Bank, in an email at the weekend, assured customers that the bank “will consolidate on the already laid foundation and track record of performance, to execute the next growth phase” under her leadership.

Onyeali-Ikpe joined the bank in 2015 and was the former executive director for Lagos and south-west directorate.

“She has been an integral part of management in the last six years and spearheaded the transformation of the directorate, leading it to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth across key performance metrics, including contributing over 28 percent of the bank’s PBT, deposits and loans,” a statement by the bank read.

“She is vastly experienced and has spent over 30 years working across various banks including Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank/Enterprise Bank, where she held several management positions in legal, treasury, investment banking, retail/commercial banking and corporate banking.

“As an executive director at legacy Enterprise Bank Plc, she received formal commendation from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), as a member of the management team that successfully turned around Enterprise Bank Plc.”

Onyeali-Ikpe holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Kings College, London; and has attended executive training programmes at global institutions including Harvard Business School; The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania; INSEAD School of Business; Chicago Booth School of Business; London Business School and IMD.