The new principal officers of the National Advisory Council of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) in Nigeria have been appointed to drive the institute’s agenda in 2023.
The CISI is the global professional body offering certification and continuing professional development opportunities across the breadth of financial services. The growing membership supports practitioners in the capital markets, risk and compliance, wealth management, and operations and settlement. All these functions are represented. Ijeoma Onwu MCSI has emerged the President, Obinna Okafor MCSI First Vice President, and Abiodun Adebimpe MCSI Second Vice President.
“They have all shown great commitment towards the growth of CISI in Nigeria. They were elected based on their commitment and support over the years to the vision of CISI. With their many years of valuable experience in various capacities in the financial services space, including corporate board room exposure. They are set to promote and deliver the benefits of the institute across the financial sector in Nigeria.
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“We would also like to thank the inaugural president, Mr. Bola Ajomale, for his inspiration and leadership, and the outgoing president, Mr. Ade Buraimo,” said John Osuoha, MCSI CISI Nigeria Country Representative.
Ijeoma Onwu is a senior member of CISI in Nigeria and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). She has vast experience in audit and advisory services, and as a chartered stockbroker and certified information systems auditor, she has over 20 years of working experience and over 10 years in leadership positions. “The CISI has a lot to offer in Nigeria; the importance of professionalism and integrity should be at the heart of our member community here. The knowledge, skills, and behaviour the CISI offers contribute extensively to a practitioner’s employability, and I look forward to working on behalf of and meeting members during my term of office,” said Onwu.
Okafor holds a BSc and MSc in accounting and an MBA in marketing and is a member of the CISI. He is the managing consultant and CEO of Vicosbin Consult Limited, a firm that specialises in compliance, risk management, auditing, and management consulting. He has over 20 years’ experience in financial services, where he rose to executive positions in accounting, audit, compliance, and risk management. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and a Fellow of the Compliance Institute of Nigeria (FCIN). Okafor is the chairman of the governing council of the Society for West Africa Internal Audit Practitioners (SWAIAP). He is a director at Mamoru Digital Technology Nigeria Ltd., a mentor with the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurial Foundation, and a Chartered Tax Practitioner (ACTI).
Adebimpe is a member of CISI and the West African regional head of Custody Services for Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a division of First Rand Group headquartered in South Africa. He also worked for Stanbic IBTC and Standard Chartered Bank, where he held managerial positions. Adebimpe is a graduate of accounting from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, where he emerged as the best graduating student in the Accounting and Finance Department and the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences for the 2002/2003 academic session. He also emerged as the overall best professional examinations student of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 2004, and he is a Fellow of ICAN and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
Helena Wilson, Chartered MCSI Assistant Director Global Business Development at the CISI, says, “We are delighted to welcome such esteemed member practitioners to help us shape the CISI’s growth in Nigeria. It is an exciting time for the CISI, with a growing number of universities, including Covenant, Elizade, Mountain Top, and Badcock, all training students for CISI certificates. We are also working closely with the Nigeria Exchange Group to deliver training for our globally recognised Wealth Management and Derivatives modules. We are thankful for the support of our strategic membership partners, the CIS and CIBN, as we work together to deliver global continuing professional development.”
