Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, group managing director and chief executive officer, Access Bank, has emerged the winner of the 2013 edition of ‘African Banker of the Year’ award.
This announcement was made at the awards ceremony organised by African Banker Awards, the publisher of African Banker Magazine, IC Events and Business in Africa Events during the annual African Development Bank (AfDB) meetings held on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 in Marrakech, Morocco.
In its 7th edition, the African Banker Awards is one of the biggest landmark annual events that recognise and celebrate the achievements of Africa’s banking and financial sector. It is a ground-breaking event that brings together over 500 key industry players and top government officials from Africa and around the world to celebrate excellence and best practices in African banking and finance.
The Access Bank chief executive emerged as winner in the ‘African Banker of the Year’ category which had two other Nigerian bankers – Andrew Alli, president/CEO, Africa Finance Corporation, Segun Agbaje, CEO/managing director, GTB Bank and other established bankers from both Mozambique and Tanzania, Joao Figueiredo, CEO and chairman, Unico Bank; and Charles Kimei, managing director, CRDB, as contenders is yet another recognition of his contributions to the African financial services landscape and his visionary leadership which has situated Access Bank in the region of global admiration.
Commenting on this year’s entries, Omar Ben Yedder, publisher of African Banker Magazine, said in the statement, “I remain a staunch defender of the positive role banking institutions can play. The two biggest listed companies in China are both financial institutions and they play a critical role in the economy. The same can be said about many banks in Africa”.
Analysts across Africa have described Aigboje’s emergence as winner of the highly coveted continental award as a testament to the transparency of the awards process and the resolve of the organisers of the annual awards to reward and promote excellence in the African financial system.
Citing some of Aigboje’s achievements, an analyst said, “Under his leadership, Access Bank transited from a lowly rated Nigerian bank to rank amongst African leading financial brands and Nigeria’s Tier 1 banks”, adding that “Access Bank is the only Nigerian bank in the medium-sized category after the 2004/2005 N25 billion recapitalisation that retained its brand identity and subsequently transformed into a Tier 1 bank”.
This is a solid tribute to the bank’s impressive growth trajectory driven by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede which has earned the bank numerous recognitions and laurels. Aside from his inspiring leadership style and impressive professional accomplishments, Aigboje’s resourcefulness has also been felt on the national and global arena where he has served in different capacities.
Over the past decade, he has registered himself as an ardent advocate of responsible business practices and sustainability. He has demonstrated commitment towards addressing critical societal needs via participation in global alliances, playing defining roles in global and workplace health initiatives. He was appointed the first African co-chair of the GBC Health, a leading global coalition of private sector companies focused on addressing health issues.
