The board of Wema Bank has announced the appointment of Yusuf Kazaure and Segun Opeke as non-executive director and executive director respectively.
The bank said in a notice to Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) that the appointment of the addition of two new directors to its board was effective from February 2, 2024.
Wema Bank said it has received approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria to appoint the new directors, noting that the duo are strong leaders in their relevant sectors and will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the Board of the Bank.
Kazaure is a seasoned professional with over thirty-five years of cumulative multi-sector working experience spanning Architecture, Construction, Banking, as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He is an experienced corporate and technology industry executive, focused on transformative outcomes and motivated by challenges.
He obtained a BSc and MSc in Architecture from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. He is also an alumnus of Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, and Oxford University, United Kingdom where he obtained an MBA and Diploma in Computing respectively.
He is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybersecurity at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
He started his career in public service in 1987 as an Architect in the Kano State Ministry of Works and Housing before moving into the banking sector where he worked for 10 years.
He served as the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and that of Urban & Regional Planning in Jigawa State and later became a Director General in charge of International and Governmental Affairs in the Executive Governor’s Office of Jigawa State between 1999 and 2002.
He was the pioneer managing director /CEO of Galaxy Information Technology and Telecommunication Ltd, the Jigawa State-owned ICT company in 2002, and later the CEO of Galaxy Backbone Ltd, a Federal Government owned ICT company in 2014 up until December 2019.
He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors, of Nigeria Satellite Communications Ltd between January 2020 to June 2023 and a director of MAG Group Ltd, a multinational conglomerate with about eight subsidiaries/ affiliates that have a presence in over 20 countries.
Opeke is a result-oriented professional banker with over thirty-five years of working experience from leading Nigerian commercial banks.
He studied Banking and Finance at the University of Lagos and thereafter obtained an MBA from the same University of Lagos in 1999. He is also an alumnus of the Columbia Business School, New York, and the London Business School, United Kingdom.
He started his career at Chartered Bank Limited and played diverse strategic roles in various banking institutions including leading the consumer banking team in FSB International Bank before proceeding to Prudent Bank as an Area Manager.
Following the consolidation of Skye Bank in 2006, Segun worked as the bank’s Treasurer and Regional Director and later became the Group Head of Corporate Banking, Aviation, and Maritime group.
Upon Polaris Bank taking over the defunct Skye Bank in 2018, Opeke was made an executive director in charge of Lagos Business and Corporate Banking directorates until June 2023 when he retired from the Bank.
He has attended several professional, management, and leadership programs in world-class institutions including INSEAD and Euromoney, London.
Wema Bank’s board said the addition of Kazaure and Opeke will significantly enhance the wealth of knowledge within the board of directors of the bank.
