Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc Appoints New Chairman, CEO and Non-executive Directors

Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc has made it official that the bank will be appointing a new Chairman, CEO, and Non-Executive Directors. The appointment of the following directors was authorized by the Central Bank of Nigeria: 

• Yemi Adeola has been appointed as Chairman of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc.

• Yemi Odubiyi has been appointed as GMD/CEO of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc.

• Abubakar Suleiman and Shola Adekoya have been appointed as Non-Executive Directors of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc. 

• Ms. Aisha Bashir and Mrs. Eniye Ambakederemo have been appointed as Independent Non-Executive Directors of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc.

• Mr. Olayinka Oni has been appointed as Executive Director of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc.

Yemi Adeola's Personal Information 

Mr. Yemi Adeola has worked in banking, finance, law, and business consulting giving him 35 years of experience.

He began his career as a Consultant, Legal, and Corporate Advisory Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to Citibank, Nigeria, where he became the Executive Director, Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking.  

From 2003 to 2005, He also held the position of the Deputy Managing Director of Trust Bank of Africa Ltd. Where he moved to Sterling Bank where he served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer from 2007 until 2018.   

He is now the Chairman of the Lennox and Blair Group, as well as a partner in Adeyemi Adeola & Co. Commercial Arbitrators and Legal Consultants.  

Mr. Adeola has a bachelor's degree in Law from Obafemi Awolowo University. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (CIARB), and a member of the Association of Banks' Legal Advisers and Company Secretaries (ABLACS) Board of Trustees.  

He attended Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, the University of Oxford, and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School. In addition, he is a John F. Kennedy Scholar.   

Yemi Odubiyi's Personal Information 

Mr. Odubiyi began his banking career with Citibank's Nigeria business as an Operations & Technology Generalist, serving across all Operations and Technology divisions, and was later enrolled in its Management Associate program, spending time in all significant units of the bank.  

In 2003, he left Citibank to join the team of Trust Bank of Africa as Head of Operations and Technology. Yemi served as the first Group Head, Trade Services when Trust Bank was merged into Sterling Bank Plc.  

In 2008, he was tasked with establishing the Structured Finance Group while also overseeing company strategy as Chief Strategy Officer.  

From February 2015 until June 2023, Mr. Yemi Odubiyi was the Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking at Sterling Bank Limited. He graduated from the University of Lagos with a bachelor's degree in Estate Management and a master's degree in international law.  

He has completed advanced Public Management/Executive education programs in Risk Management, Finance, and General Management at prestigious worldwide universities such as the London and Harvard Business Schools.