Heritage Bank has announced the commencement of
the final round of activities on its time-table for the integration of the
acquired Enterprise Bank into the mainstream of its processes and operations.
The latest round of activities, according to the Bank, is coming on the heel of
the completion
of all preliminary internal checks and audit of processes at Enterprise Bank
which began shortly after the Board Divestment Closure ceremony organised by
the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) last month to signal final disengagement of the
corporation from Enterprise Bank.
Consequently, the management of Heritage Banking
Company Limited has formally announced the appointment of the Bank’s Executive
Director, Retail Banking, Mrs. Mary Akpobome, as the Acting Managing Director
for Enterprise Bank during the transition period.
Mrs. Akpobome is saddled with the
responsibility of managing the internal transition processes within Enterprise
Bank as well as ensuring seamless integration of the bank into the Heritage
Bank operating system and culture in a way that protects all stakeholder
interests. The exercise which spans people, process, systems and value
integration is estimated to a last a couple of months.
Mary Akpobome, a seasoned banker par
excellence with over 20 years’ experience joined Heritage Bank in 2012 as the
Executive Director, Ivory Banking. A woman with an eagle eye for growth
opportunities, Mary was a key executive member in the acquisition of Enterprise
Bank by Heritage Bank in 2014.
A well decorated banking veteran,
Mary has in the past successfully undertaken similar tough but sound business
decisions that revolutionized the banking business and generated substantial
profits for shareholders from her days at Citizens Bank and Bank PHB.
Her years of experience spans
different spheres of the banking space such as Commercial Banking, Private
Banking, Customer Service, Information Technology, Banking Operations, etc.
Holder of an executive MBA from
the University of Lagos, Lagos State and a B.A (Hons.) Theatre Arts degree from
the University of Benin, Edo State, she has also attended several certified
courses both locally and internationally.
She is an alumni of the ‘Insead’
Business School, IMD Switzerland, LBS Pan- Atlantic University and EMRC Brussels, Belgium. She is also a fellow of
the Institute of Credit Administrators, Associate Member of Nigerian Institute
of Management and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.
Speaking
earlier this year at the AMCON Board Divestment Closure ceremony where the
corporation fully handed over Enterprise Bank to the new owner, the Managing
Director, Heritage Banking Company Ltd (Heritage Bank), Mr. Ifie Sekibo, had
observed that the handing over gave Heritage Bank added impetus to roll out a more robust plan
that would affirm its commitment to the promise of creating and preserving
wealth across generations through highly personalized banking service.
“We
promise to make the bank more successful. We will create more value and improve
on what has been done at Enterprise Bank. One year from now, all stakeholders
will see reasons to appreciate the sale of Enterprise Bank to Heritage Bank”,
Sekibo said.
The Enterprise Bank acquisition,
according to analysts and watchers of the nation’s banking sector, was a strong
step to ensure that Heritage Bank, which entered the market in 2013 with a
regional bank status, transforms into a strong national bank. The addition of Enterprise
Bank’s over 160 branches, over 177 ATMs, 57 Cash Centres and 2000 POS Terminals
spread across major markets and commercial centres in the country will increase Heritage Bank’s points of
presence from the current 15 Experience Centers (Branches) to nearly 200
branches spread all over the country.
This automatically transforms the bank from a tier-2 player to a strong
tier-1 player.
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| MRS. AKPOBOME |
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