Adedayo Odulaja
One of the most prominent men in corporate Nigeria, Bisi Onasanya is set to retire as Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s biggest bank, First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
The Ogun State-born banker will cease being the group head of the bank, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc and Nigeria’s most valuable banking brand at the successful completion of his tenure at the end of the year, a position he has held since 2009.
His retirement takes effect at the end of the current Financial Year on December 31 2015 and according to a statement from First Bank, ‘Onasanya is retiring on the heels of an inspiring and enviable career spanning over three decades of diverse management and operational experience, 21 years of which he has spent with FirstBank, serving meritoriously in the last six years as Group Managing Director/CEO. He has been able to stabilise and modernise the expanding FirstBank brand since his appointment in 2009, thus reinforcing the confidence of the bank’s diverse stakeholders and the global financial publics.’
The statement from the bank, obtained by NET, adds that: ‘Onasanya’s successor will be announced in the last quarter prior to his exit. This is in sync with FirstBank’s corporate governance practice, which provides for seamless transition for the office of Group Managing Director. As is well known, FirstBank’s corporate governance posture has won it much respect and awards both locally and internationally.’
Reputed as a seasoned banker and chartered accountant, Onasanya is a highly respected and personable executive who has established a reputation at FirstBank for solid performance and sound judgment. He is widely reputed as the architect of the modern FirstBank.
He succeeded Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer upon the appointment of the latter, now the Emir of Kano, as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria in 2009.
