Accion Microfinance Bank appoints Laoye as new chair

Accion Microfinance Bank has appointed Adenike Laoye as its new board chair.

Established in 2006, Accion MfB Limited began operations in May 2007 upon obtaining the Central Bank of Nigeria licence and has continuously empowered and supported business owners in Nigeria over the years, according to a statement on Tuesday.

It was founded by Accion International, International Finance Corporation, Ecobank, Citibank Nigeria, and Zenith Bank.

Laoye was appointed a non-executive director representing Ecobank Nigeria on the board of Accion Microfinance Bank on January 5th, 2017. She has a Law degree and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991.

The statement said: “Mrs Laoye joined Ecobank Group in 1993, where she rose to become the head of Legal and Regulatory Unit of Ecobank Nigeria in 2000 and subsequently the company secretary/chief legal counsel in 2002. She has had over 30 years of experience as legal counsel in a financial services company, 17 years of which, was as chief legal counsel. In March 2019 when she took up the role of chief of staff to the group chief executive officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Lome, Togo, the parent company of the Ecobank Group. She also doubled as group head, corporate communications.

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“As chief of staff, Laoye coordinated and effectively took charge of the office of the GCEO of the Ecobank Group whose direct reports included 33 Managing Directors from across 33 African countries, gaining strong exposure to finance, banking, and macroeconomics across the African continent. In the role, she also had close interaction with several international multilateral agencies. She has attended executive programs at INSEAD, Harvard, and Cranfield amongst others.”

She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association as well as an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, according to the statement.

It said: “She was recognised by Chambers as a 2021 General Counsel Influencer for Africa. She led her Legal team at Ecobank Nigeria to win the 2013 Acquisition International Team of the Year and In-House Legal Department of the Year 2010 in the maiden edition of the BusinessDay Legal award in Nigeria.

“Laoye is an ardent proponent of financial inclusion, best corporate governance practices, and a strong believer in sustainable development goals. She brings to the board over 30 years of professional experience in the financial services industry.”