By GRACE ALEGBA

Access Holdings Plc has announced the appointment of Mr Uche Orji, as an Independent Non-Executive Director of its subsidiary, Access Bank Plc.

A statement on Saturday night by the bank says the appointment took effect from Jan. 7, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The statement said the appointment reflected the bank?s commitment to enhancing governance practices and ensuring a diverse and experienced board.

Orji is a renowned investment banking professional, information technology entrepreneur, and finance expert, with three decades of professional and board experience.

He Is the Co-founder and Partner of Titangate Capital Management, an equity firm, that invests in deep-tech, enterprise software, semi-conductors, hardware, and artificial intelligence companies.

He Is also the Founder and Director of Vitesse Africa Limited, an investment advisory firm, focused on African energy, technology and infrastructure sectors.

He serves as an Executive Board member and investor in Ultrasafe AI, an artificial intelligence/IT development firm, that maintains strategic collaborations with leading technology companies.

He also sits on the Board of Private Infrastructure Development Group, London, and chairs the Risk Committee.

Previously, Orji served as the founding Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.

He held positions as Managing Director and Senior Analyst at UBS Securities Limited New York and Managing Director and Head of European Technology/Semiconductor Equity Research at JP Morgan Securities, London.

He also served as Executive Director/Portfolio Manager at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London.

Earlier in his career, he was an Acting Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Limited and an Audit Trainee at Arthur Andersen and Co.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Paul Usoro, the Chairman of the Bank, said Orji was appointed based on his exceptionally rich professional, academic, and corporate board experience.

He said the qualities would be invaluable to the bank as it continued to pursue its strategic objectives.

?We are confident that his addition to the Board would further enrich the quality of our decision-making process, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our customers and stakeholders,? he said.

Usoro said the appointment was made in accordance with the bank?s internal policies, which had been communicated to all relevant regulatory authorities due to its commitment to upholding highest standards of corporate governance.

He welcomed Orji to the board and expressed optimism that he would contribute to ensuring that the bank becomes one of the top five African banks in the shortest possible time. (NAN)

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