In a significant leadership reshuffle, Standard Chartered Bank has announced the elevation of Dalu Ajene to the position of Chief Executive Officer for its entire African operations.
A Proven Leader Takes The Helm
The appointment, effective from 16 January 2026, sees Ajene taking on dual responsibilities. He will serve as both the CEO for Africa and the Head of Coverage for the continent. This move comes after a highly successful two-year tenure where Ajene was the CEO of Standard Chartered Nigeria, a role he assumed in April 2024.
Under his leadership in Nigeria, the bank achieved robust year-on-year financial growth. Notably, Ajene is credited with steering the institution to meet the stringent N200 billion recapitalisation requirement set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for national commercial banks. This critical financial milestone was achieved well ahead of the regulatory deadline of March 2026.
Experience and a Track Record of Excellence
Ajene brings a wealth of experience to his new role, with over 25 years in the global financial services industry. Before joining Standard Chartered, he held the position of CEO at Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria. The bank's official statement highlighted that his promotion reflects its culture of rewarding high performance and provides assurance to its stakeholders across Nigeria's financial sector.
Ajene is an Ivy League-educated banker, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is widely recognised as a leader who fosters a high-performance culture focused on empowering people to deliver exceptional client service and strong financial results.
Vision for Growth Across Africa
Commenting on his new appointment, Dalu Ajene expressed his honour at taking on broader responsibilities. "Having had the privilege of leading Standard Chartered Nigeria over the past two years, I am deeply honoured to now take on broader responsibilities across Africa," he said.
He attributed the transition to the strength of the bank's franchise and the resilience of its teams. Ajene outlined his strategic focus for the continent, emphasising Standard Chartered's role as a key partner in:
- Trade finance
- Structured solutions
- Development finance
He stressed the importance of leveraging technology to provide trusted, client-centric services. "I look forward to working closely with our experienced teams across Africa to accelerate growth across our corporate and investment banking and wealth and retail businesses, mobilise catalytic capital, and create sustainable value for our clients, stakeholders and the communities we serve," Ajene added.
In his new capacity, Dalu Ajene takes over from Kariuki Ngari, who served as CEO for Africa, and Sarmad Lone, who was in charge of the Africa Coverage portfolio. This appointment signals Standard Chartered's confidence in Ajene's ability to drive its growth strategy across the diverse and dynamic African market.
