Ifiesimama Sekibo
Ifiesimama Sekibo | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1965 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist, banking executive |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | CEO of Heritage Bank (Nigeria) |
Ifiesimama “Ifie” Sekibo (born April 18, 1965) is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and banking executive. He currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at Heritage Bank (Nigeria), a leading retail financial institution within Nigeria. Before assuming this role, Sekibo served as the Executive Vice-chairman of International Energy Insurance Plc (IEI) and was the inaugural Managing Director/CEO of Heritage Bank. In September 2021, he was acknowledged as one of Africa’s most respected bank CEOs, alongside Yemisi Edun, CEO of First City Monument Bank.
Early life and education
Sekibo was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he completed his primary and secondary schooling. He obtained a degree in accountancy from the University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt. Between 2006 and 2009, he pursued studies at Harvard Business School. Additionally, Sekibo earned a PhD in Credit Management from the London Post Graduate Credit Management College, UK, which is affiliated with American University, London. In 2002, he was inducted as a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Career
Sekibo’s professional journey began in 1988 as an Auditor within the Audit department of the Rivers State government. The following year, he joined KPMG in Lagos as an Audit Trainee before transitioning to ELF Nigeria Ltd where he held the position of Cost Controller. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Financial Controller and Head of Administration at Monipulo Limited (Petroleum Development), and between 2000 and 2002, he was part of the Executive Management team at Rims Merchant Bank. In 2003, Sekibo was appointed Group Managing Director at International Energy Insurance, where he orchestrated the acquisition of Global Assurance Company Limited and managed a successful capital increase culminating in a listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In 2009, he spearheaded the transformation of Société Générale Bank Nigeria into Heritage Banking Company Limited, which subsequently acquired Enterprise Bank Ltd in 2014 to form Heritage Bank Ltd.
Heritage Bank
During his tenure as Managing Director/CEO of Heritage Bank (Nigeria), Sekibo has established the bank as one of Nigeria’s foremost innovative financial institutions. Under his guidance, Heritage Bank earned numerous accolades including Best SME Bank by Capital Finance International (CFI) in 2018 and Agriculture Bank of the Year at the Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA) in 2018. Presently, the bank maintains a network comprising 127 branches, 202 automated banking centers, and over 350 ATMs distributed across all Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Awards and achievements
- Man Making a Difference, Goal Attainment Made Easy (GAME), 2014
- Leader of the Year Award, Leadership Clinic GOTNI, 2016