Women in Business: Mary Akpobome

Mary Akpobome is the Chief Operating Officer of HBCL Investment Services Plc, a private Investments company.

Prior to her appointment to HBCL Investment Services Plc, Mary was the Executive Director, Business Banking overseeing all Corporate, Commercial, Special Projects, Intervention Schemes, Multilaterals, Agriculture and Export Businesses of Heritage Bank.

A Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administrators, Mary holds an MBA from the University of Lagos and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. She is an Alumnus of Lagos Business School, London Business School and INSEAD (France); Mary has attended courses at Stanford Graduate School, Harvard Business School, Kellogg Executive Education and well as IMD (Switzerland).

In 2015, following the acquisition of Enterprise Bank Limited by Heritage Bank Plc, Mary was appointed the Acting Managing Director of Enterprise Bank Limited. Her solid experience in the management of people and resources was instrumental in stabilizing the operations of the bank, improving its service orientation and preparing it for a seamless integration with Heritage Bank Plc.

A consummate Banker with over 30 years cognate experience and vast proficiency and skills in Credit Management, Commercial and Retail strategies, Mary began her banking career with Citizens International Bank serving in different departments before joining Platinum Bank Ltd in 2001 and rose to the position of Executive Director Designate in 2008 overseeing the Service Bank of Bank PHB.

In 2009, Mary was part of the Executive Team of the core investor that acquired the former Societie Generale Bank. An astute manager of people and resources, Mary is a team leader with extensive experience in the private and public sectors.

Akpobome is also a member of the Institute of Directors, Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland and Nigeria.

For her, Banking is a knowledge-based industry, and you can get customers literally eating out of your palms if you understand their business. “They walk into your office because they want their problems solved, they want to grow their businesses.

When you understand their businesses, their sectors, then you understand how to add value to them which is where the knowledge comes in. Customer will stick to where they can get that extra commitment. An excellent spirit in everything that you do is being able to see through situations.” Mary said.

She has more to say about the banking industry. “Banking is a service industry. Survey has shown that among all the various ways customers use to decide who to bank with, the highest is service. So customers want the right service, at the right time. You make a promise of service to a customer; he also makes a promise of service to his customer.” She revealed.

Mary is also the Founder, The Purple Girl Foundation. The Purple Girl Foundation is a private organisation solely set up to provide opportunities and support for enhancing the education of female children in Nigeria. Its primary focus is giving young girls from underprivileged backgrounds, who struggle amid various disadvantages, a chance to improve their lot through educational support. They work with indigent female children at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels because they believe that every girl deserves the chance to make a difference in their lives and by extension, the society.

“Poverty remains the most important factor in determining whether a girl can access education. The Purple Girl Foundation was borne out of a desire to provide opportunities for enhancing education for the girl-child amid these disadvantages. Akpobome stated adding that “our main emphasis is on providing educational support to female children from indigent families at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.”

In Mary’s words, “Life has taught me to be real to myself, that I should be kind to people, that I should be there for people because people have been there for me”.