Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc has announced the appointment of Olubisi Makoju as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the holding company, while Olayinka Oni was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Sterling Bank Limited. The appointments, disclosed in a regulatory filing signed by company secretary Sunny Kanabe on Friday, are intended to strengthen the leadership of both entities following regulatory approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Regulatory Filing and Approvals
“We wish to notify Nigerian Exchange Limited, our esteemed shareholders, and the investing public of the appointment of new Directors to the Boards of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc (Holdco) and Sterling Bank Ltd (the Bank). The Central Bank of Nigeria has approved the appointments,” the holding company stated in the filing. The appointments come as part of strategic moves to bolster governance and expertise across the group.
Olubisi Makoju: Profile and Experience
Ms Makoju is a finance executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning the oil and gas, consulting, information technology, and financial services sectors. Her expertise covers financial management, corporate strategy, operational leadership, and organisational transformation. She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Smart Grid Development Limited and is the founder of Earthwise Capital Limited. Before assuming her current role, she was the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), where she led strategic and corporate initiatives and managed multifunctional teams.
Ms Makoju holds a degree in accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Warwick. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK.
Olayinka Oni: Profile and Expertise
The Group also appointed Mr Oni as a Non-Executive Director of its banking subsidiary, Sterling Bank Limited. Mr Oni currently serves as an Executive Director at Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc. Before joining the board of the holding company, he was the Chief Digital Officer of Sterling Bank, where he led the bank’s digital strategy. Prior to joining the Sterling Group, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Nigeria, overseeing technology strategy and stakeholder engagement. He also held the position of Chief Information Officer/General Manager, IT and Operations, at Wema Bank Plc and was an experienced manager at Accenture’s Nigerian practice.
Mr Oni is a graduate of Agricultural Economics from the University of Ilorin and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He also holds a master’s degree in management from McGill University, Canada. The company added that his expertise spans solutions engineering, programme management, enterprise architecture, and IT governance, and that he has completed executive education programmes in business strategy and financial acumen. His executive education includes programmes at Harvard University, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, INSEAD, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Strategic Impact
The appointments are expected to enhance the strategic direction and operational efficiency of both Sterling Financial Holdings and Sterling Bank. With Makoju’s extensive experience in financial management and corporate strategy, and Oni’s deep expertise in digital transformation and technology, the group aims to strengthen its leadership team to navigate the evolving financial landscape in Nigeria.
