Abbey Mortgage Bank appoints John Okafor as executive director

Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc has strengthened its executive management team with the appointment of Mr John Okonkwo as Executive Director, Finance, Risk, and Operations.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Company Secretary, Mr Geoff Amaghereonu, said the appointment had been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), following a thorough regulatory process.

According to Amaghereonu, Okonkwo is an accomplished and experienced finance and operations professional, auditor, risk management practitioner, board and corporate governance advisor, compliance risk management and sustainability services professional.

He said that he had over 20 years of experience leading strategic initiatives across industries with a particular focus on financial services.

The secretary added that he is KPMG-trained, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and an Alumnus of Advanced Management Programme of the Lagos Business School.

“He started his career at KPMG, and held various finance, governance, risk and compliance positions at Heirs Holdings Group, United Bank for Africa Plc and VFD Group Plc.

“In his new role, Okonkwo will provide strategic direction and oversight across the finance, risk management and operations functions to align with the bank’s long-term vision of delivering innovative, customer-centered financial solutions,” he said.

Commenting, the Chairman, Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Samuel Oni expressed delight at Okonkwo’s extensive experience across finance, risk management, and corporate governance.

Oni said that the experience would be instrumental in deepening the bank’s institutional resilience and drive operational excellence that will position Abbey for long-term growth.

On his part, Mobolaji Adewumi, Managing Director of bank said the appointment was crucial to the bank’s transformational journey.

He said Okonkwo’s deep expertise and leadership would further strengthen operational backbone to help the bank “build a more resilient, efficient, and customer focused institution”.