download (3) As elusive as the quest by Nigerian women to achieve gender parity in all spheres of life may seem many women are holding their own in their chosen fields of endeavour. In this report, ENE OSHABA celebrates six Nigerian women leading in the banking industry even as more strive to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
Nigeria’s business sector, especially the banking industry, has had its fair share of men occupying not just leadership positions but dominating practically the entire sector.
As women continue to work towards getting to the top in their various fields of endeavour, those in the banking industry appear to be taking the lead with more women assuming managerial levels positions in recent times.
This is in line with the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) which states that as part of a wider sustainable banking commitment the industry should work towards 40 per cent female representation at top management and board levels.
Blueprint Weekend checks showed that out of 23 commercial banks, women occupy leadership of six as Managing Directors (MDs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) representing 26 per cent managerial position in the sector.
The leading women include: Miriam Olusanya in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB); Halima Buba in Suntrust Bank; Ireti Samuel-Ogbu in Citibank; Yemi Edun in First City Monument Bank (FCMB); Nneka Onyeali Ikpe in Fidelity Bank; and Tomi Somefun in Unity Bank.
Oluwatomi Somefun
Oluwatomi Somefun, an award-winning Nigerian banker, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/ Managing Director (MD) of Unity Bank, making her the first woman in the bank’s history to hold this position.
She was appointed the Executive Director of Unity Bank on March 4, 2015, and her remarkable performance as executive director had earned her the enviable position as the MD/CEO of Unity Bank in August 2015.
Mrs Somefun obtained a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) in English from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) in 1981.
She subsequently registered at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and eventually became a Chartered Accountant in 1982.This banking guru is an ICAN fellow and constantly attends both local and foreign trainings including the Industry-Specific EuroMoney training, and INSEAD Fontainebleau, France.She is also an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School and the University of Columbia Business School, New York.Oluwatomi Somefun is a member of several professional bodies including the Institute of Directors (IOD), Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN), and Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria […]
