Ecobank Nigeria CEO Suddenly Resigns

The CEO of Ecobank, Ivorian Mr. Charles Ike, has resigned his appointment.

A press release by the Bank today reads:

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, ETI, the Lome-based parent company of the Ecobank Group, today announced that Mr. Charles Kie has formally indicated his intention to leave the Group and consequently his role as Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria Limited.

Prior to his current role at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Kie was the Group Executive, Corporate and Investment Bank for Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), responsible for leading the Ecobank Group’s Corporate and Investment Banking business across the global network of 40 countries, 36 of which are in Africa. He joined Ecobank in October 2011 as Chief Operating Officer of the then Ecobank Capital, and was subsequently appointed the Head of the Group’s Corporate Banking business.

Before joining the Ecobank Group, between 2008-2011, Mr. Kie was Group CEO of Groupe Banque Atlantique, based in Togo and then Cote d’Ivoire. Mr. Kie also had a successful career with Citibank between 1997 and 2008, rising to the position of CEO of Citigroup West Africa between 2004 and 2008.

The Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ade Ayeyemi, said: “As Charles prepares to leave the Ecobank Group, I would like to thank him for his immense contributions to the Group. He has certainly laid a strong foundation at Ecobank Nigeria and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Mr Kie said: “I am proud of what the team and I have achieved together, and I thank them for the good work and their unwavering commitment to Ecobank. I also extend my sincere appreciation to the Board. Despite some of the market challenges that we faced over the years, our customers have always been loyal, and it is their patronage that makes the future brighter.” The Chairman of the Board of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr John Aboh, also congratulated Mr Kie for the good work he and his team has achieved, and said he looked forward to the Bank sustaining and improving on this.

The Board will immediately activate the process of selecting a successor. The successful candidate will be announced before the end of August. Mr Kie will continue to manage Ecobank Nigeria through the transition period to ensure a smooth handover to his successor.

Editor’s note: We profiled Mr. Kie as one of Africa’s astute bankers. The Ivorian banker in an anglophone country