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Below is a list of Zenith Bank Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Zenith Bank Côte d'Ivoire is made up of seasoned individuals determined to deliver superior financial solutions to both businesses and individuals. Our success stems from the experience, leadership, and vision of our staff. Zenith Bank Côte d'Ivoire leverages the talents of world-renowned legal and technology experts to advise on industry-leading solutions and services for its consumer and business customers.
Augustin Kouassi Apetey has over 25 years of senior leadership experience, he is a dual-threat financial expert and corporate strategist with a proven track record across Africa and the United States. Having held pivotal roles at prestigious global organizations including Olam International, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and PricewaterhouseCoopers, he has mastered the complexities of navigating diverse markets. His career is defined by a unique ability to bridge the gap between high-level investment banking and hands-on corporate management, particularly within the agribusiness and industrial sectors.
As a heavyweight in Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Finance, he has spearheaded transactions totaling nearly USD 300 million across West and Central Africa. During a decade-long tenure at Olam Agri, he rose to the rank of Vice President of Strategy & Development, where he executed high-impact acquisitions—such as a $100 million flour mill in Nigeria—and managed massive greenfield processing projects. His expertise extends to fund management and private equity, evidenced by his leadership of the $70 million CDC-CI Capital fund and his current role as Managing Partner at Finagria Capital, where he focuses on scaling mid-cap companies in the CFA zone.
His professional's global perspective is anchored by an elite educational background, featuring an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and specialized training at CEIBS in Shanghai. From auditing with PwC to analyzing capital expenditures for United Technologies Corporation in the US, his career reflects a consistent focus on value creation, risk management, and financial optimization. He remains a vital figure in the African investment landscape, leveraging deep government relationships and cross-border expertise to drive sustainable economic growth.
Mr. Cédric Tano is a visionary banking leader with over 20 years of experience in treasury management, financial markets, and balance sheet optimization across West Africa. Since March 2025, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Côte d’Ivoire, driving the bank’s growth, innovation, and performance strategy while placing client experience and operational excellence at the heart of its priorities.
Before joining Zenith Bank, he was Regional Director of Treasury at ORABANK Côte d’Ivoire and its subsidiaries, covering several key countries in the region. He led liquidity optimization, interbank funding, and the development of tailored foreign exchange and trade finance solutions. He also served as Acting Deputy Managing Director, strengthening his executive leadership.
Recognized for his vision and expertise, Mr. Tano combines financial acumen, risk management, and the ability to deliver sustainable value. He holds an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Indiana State University (United States) and is bilingual in English and French, with working knowledge of Spanish.
Under his leadership, Zenith Bank Côte d’Ivoire is positioned as an agile, innovative, and forward-looking bank, providing clients and partners with high-performing, reliable solutions tailored to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
Edwin Ofogba is a distinguished banking executive with over 30 years of experience in the Nigerian financial sector. He served as an Assistant General Manager and Zonal Head at Zenith Bank Plc. In another capacity, he served as the Chairman of the Zonal Credit Committee, where he orchestrated high-level credit appraisals and spearheads business development strategies for the Zone. His career at Zenith Bank is marked by a consistent trajectory of leadership, having successfully managed major branches in Lagos and Benin City, where he was responsible for driving multi-sector relationship management, operational excellence, and year-on-year profitability.
A specialist in building high-performance sales cultures, he has a proven track record of pioneering new bank branches and transforming existing ones into profit centers. From his early days at First Bank of Nigeria to leadership roles at Standard Trust Bank and Oceanic Bank, he has mastered the art of balancing aggressive marketing drive with rigorous financial analysis and risk mitigation. His expertise extends beyond local branch management to zonal-level deputization, where he has been instrumental in aligning regional operations with corporate goals and supervising complex lending portfolios across diverse economic sectors.
His professional success is underpinned by an elite academic and international training background. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategy & Innovation from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, MSc in Banking and Finance from the University of Benin and a graduate of Economics from the University of Ibadan. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He further refined his leadership skill through executive programs at the London School of Economics and Lagos Business School. Additionally, his recent attainment of the French language certification reflects his commitment to professional versatility and readiness for cross-border engagement within the African banking landscape.
Mrs. Adobi Stella Nwapa comes to the board with over thirty years’ cognate experience in banking, being a pioneer staff of the Bank since 1990. She possesses robust institutional memory and background, honed from the bank’s foundation as the pioneer customer service officer.
She has held several senior management positions in the Bank, including business development and branch and zonal management, and treasury. Until her appointment as Executive Director, she was General Manager and Group Zonal Head of Ikoyi Zone as well as Group Head of Diaspora Banking.
Mrs. Nwapa holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in History from Imo State University, a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from Strayer University, Houston-Texas, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Jack Welch Management Institute and an honorary doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Abia State University.
She has attended several local and international courses and programmes, including Leading Change and Organisational Renewal (Harvard Business School), Key Executive Programme (Harvard Business School), World Finance/Winning Negotiation Strategies (HSM Americas), Developing Strategies for Value Creation (London Business School) and the Senior Management Programme (Lagos Business School).
She is a Fellow of several institutes, including the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC), the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants (ICMA) and the Institute of Management Specialists (IMS), United Kingdom. She is also a member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (HCIB)
Mr. Louis Odom is a graduate of Accountancy from the Abia State University and has an MBA from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and M.Phil (Management) from Nile University of Nigeria.
Mr. Louis Odom is a graduate of Accountancy from the Abia State University and has an MBA from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and M.Phil (Management) from Nile University of Nigeria.
He joined Zenith Bank in January 1997 and has worked in River/Bayelsa Zones and currently in Abuja, FCT. Until his appointment as Executive Director, he served as the General Manager in charge of the Abuja and Northern Zones and contributed to the growth and profitability of the Bank. Prior to joining Zenith Bank, he worked in Diamond Bank. He is well versed in operations, credit and marketing.
He has attended several Executive Education programmes both within and outside the country, including London Business School, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Business School and Lagos Business School.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, and Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria.
Gabriel Ukpeh is an internationally acclaimed consultant in business strategy, risk management, process re-engineering and financial services, who was, until recently, a Senior Partner and Risk Quality Leader for Africa at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria with over thirty-five (35) years experience in Financial Audit and Reporting, as well as a member of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
A graduate of accounting, he holds Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
He obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc) Degree in Contemporary Accounting from the Leeds Metropolitan University, UK in 2009.
He worked with PwC, an International Business auditing and consulting firm for over thirty five (35) years, and as a Partner for over 20 years led, directed, planned and managed the audit, accounting, and consulting assignments for numerous financial institutions, multinationals and local companies, including most major banks in Nigeria.
Ibamon Joachim Diezon is a prominent financial expert and leader in the African banking sector, currently serving as the Director General of the African Confederation of National Banking Professional Associations (CAF-ANPB) which represents banking professionals across 15 member countries.
He is the founder and Director General of Teams-CI, a consulting firm specializing in banking, finance, risk management, and regulatory compliance. He frequently represents the banking community in high-level discussions, including meetings with government ministers in Cote d’Ivoire regarding security and industrial development. His work focuses on the modernization and stabilization of the African financial landscape through Leading webinars and training sessions on governance risk and operational performance. He is Specialized in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), countering the financing of terrorism (FT), and cyber-security. He is Active in the Association Ivoirenne des Professionnels de la Banque (AIPB) that focuses on the training and certification of bank directors and staff.
Alima Diawara Ouédraogo is a highly credentialed French-Chartered Accountant (Diplôme d'Expertise Comptable) and Statutory Auditor with a distinguished career spanning France, the United States, and Sub-Saharan Africa. With deep technical mastery of SYSCOHADA, IFRS, and US GAAP, she has built a reputation as a versatile financial leader capable of navigating complex regulatory environments. She served as a Chartered Accountant and Auditor at CEC ALO in Côte d’Ivoire, where she brings decades of experience in financial engineering, internal control implementation, and high-level statutory auditing for both public institutions and multinational corporations.
Her professional portfolio is characterized by high-stakes interventions in the extractive, logistics, and financial sectors. She has held senior management roles in major industrial hubs, including serving as Finance Manager for Congo Mining Ltd (an Australian mining subsidiary) and Administrative and Financial Manager for SOCOFRAN. Beyond corporate management, she has extensive experience in the "Big Four" and international consulting landscape, having held supervisory and senior roles at Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and Constantin in New York and Paris. This background is complemented by successful advisory mandates for the World Bank, the Ministry of Portfolio in the DRC, and the French Development Agency (AFD).
As a committed leader in the business community, she is an active member of the Chartered Accountants Organization of Ivory Coast (OECCI) and influential networks such as EUROCHAM and the Women’s Investment Club (WIC). Her expertise extends beyond traditional accounting to include business valuation, human resources management, and contract negotiation across diverse industries—from luxury brands like Longchamp and Lalique in the US to energy giants like Foxtrot and ENI in Africa. This combination of rigorous technical skill and cross-continental operational experience makes her a cornerstone of financial governance and strategic growth in the region.
Zenith Direct Customer Contact Centre
Email: info@zenithbank.com.ci
Address: SCI Wall Street, Avenue Noguès, Plateau, 25 BP 945 Abidjan 25, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
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