Nnamdi Okonkwo was appointed to the Board of Directors of FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited on 10 May 2022. He is the Group Managing Director (GMD) of FBN Holdings Plc. His work experience spans over 32 years of focused and results-oriented local and international banking.
Before joining FBNHoldings, Nnamdi was the Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc from January 2014 to December 2020. He previously served as the Executive Director for Southern Nigeria at Fidelity Bank. During his tenure as CEO, the institution witnessed a series of significant transformations, one of which was the Bank’s rise from a mid-table Bank to the leading Tier 2 Bank in Nigeria while enhancing its top ranking among banks in Africa. During his seven-year service at the helm, the Bank also successfully accessed the local and international markets through the issuance of corporate bonds and Eurobonds, alongside other key transformational and financial growth achievements.
Nnamdi joined Fidelity Bank after eight years at United Bank of Africa Plc (UBA). He was, at various times, Regional Director (FCT, Nigeria), Regional Bank Head (Lagos Mainland) Head Conglomerates (Corporate Banking Division). In the International banking sphere, Nnamdi was the Regional CEO covering the West African Monetary Zone for UBA Plc, overseeing the Group’s operations in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, a role he combined with being the substantive Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana. He joined Fidelity Bank in 2012 upon returning to Nigeria.
Nnamdi has rich Corporate Board experience. Apart from currently serving as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of FBNQuest Merchant Bank, he is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Group’s largest subsidiary, FirstBank. Nnamdi’s past Board experience at various times were at UBA Ghana, UBA Sierra Leone, UBA Liberia, Nigeria Interbank Settlement. Scheme (NIBSS), Unified Payment Systems Limited and Nigeria e-Government Strategy. He also chaired the Shareholders’ Audit Committee of FMDQ.
Nnamdi’s career started at the Merchant Bank of Africa Limited in 1990. It saw him traverse the banking space and gain preparatory/ leadership experience in leading financial institutions, including Guaranty Trust Bank (Now GTCO) and FSB International Bank. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Credit Administration. He also chaired the Mentoring Advisory Committee of CIBN and was a two-term Vice President of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce. He holds a B.Agric. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Benin, Nigeria and an MBA (Banking and Finance) from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of INSEAD. Nnamdi has attended Executive Management and Board training programmes at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Wharton Business School, IMD, Singapore, IESE Business School, the University of Nevara, Barcelona, Spain and Kellogs Business School, USA. Nnamdi has been honoured with many awards and recognitions globally. He is a globally recognised thought leader in banking and finance. He is highly reputed as one of the few African bank CEOs to be invited as guest speaker at the Investor Conference of major global banks.
