By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Mr Ayo Adepoju, has been appointed to the company’s board as an executive directive.

A statement from the financial institution disclosed that the appointment became effective Wednesday, June 4, 2025, with the appointee bringing to the board two decades of broad-based leadership experience and deep institutional knowledge as a proud product of the organisation.

Mr Adepoju joined Ecobank in 2012 and earlier worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in London and Lagos, serving in the Financial Services Practice.

His expertise spans financial management, capital markets, strategic planning, capital raising and structuring, treasury management, investor relations, business performance management, governance, enterprise transformation, financial due diligence, internal control, and risk-based audit.

As a distinguished finance executive, the first class graduate of UNILAG has been instrumental in shaping the group’s financial transformation, capital strategy, and long-term resilience. He has also led numerous strategic initiatives, including landmark capital market transactions such as Eurobonds, Basel III-compliant instruments, and sustainability-linked debt

The new board member has held several key leadership positions, including Group Financial Controller, Group Head of Business Performance and Analytics, and currently Group CFO.

“On behalf of my fellow directors, I commend Ayo for his outstanding performance and warmly welcome him to the ETI board.

His proven leadership has fostered trusted relationships with the board and made this appointment both natural and strategic for the group’s future.

“I believe that Ayo embodies Ecobank’s renewed talent philosophy, a homegrown leader with global exposure and a compelling track record. His intellect, integrity, and impact-driven leadership have long been evident.

“His appointment to the board is a testament to our belief in recognizing and elevating excellence from within,” the chairman of Ecobank, Mr Papa Madiaw Ndiaye, stated.

The chief executive of the firm, Mr Jeremy Awori, on his part, said, “Ayo has played a critical role in strengthening Ecobank’s financial resilience and enabling sustainable business growth.

“His ability to manage complexity, innovate in financial strategy, align finance with enterprise-wide transformation, and lead collaboratively has made him a critical member of our executive team.

“I look forward to deepening our partnership as we drive forward our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy.”

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Chief Media Analyst at P+ Measurement Services, Mr Philip Odiakose, has been appointed to the Measurement Commission of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR).

The IPR Measurement Commission is a thought-leadership body composed of global researcher-practitioners and experts committed to developing and promoting best practices in research, measurement, and analytics that uphold ethical, strategic, and effective public relations.

It represents key segments of the PR ecosystem—including corporations, agencies, research firms, academia, non-profits, and government entities.

The inclusion of the Nigerian into the group is in recognition of his efforts to advance the global standards of public relations measurement and evaluation, especially across the African continent.

He thanked the IPR Measurement Commission Director, Ms Angela Dwyer, and the team for the opportunity to contribute to such a critical mission.

He also acknowledged the leadership of the President and CEO of IPR, Ms Tina McCorkindale, for championing innovation and standards in the field.

“This appointment is not only an honour but a call to deepen the work I have championed for over a decade—driving PR measurement education and promoting healthy, standard-driven practices across the public relations industry,” said Mr Odiakose.

Mr Odiakose will, along with other forward-thinking professionals, provide guidance, conduct research, and share insights that shape the future of PR measurement.

His appointment affirms his leadership and contribution to PR measurement and evaluation practices through active advocacy, research-based strategies, and capacity-building initiatives across Africa and beyond.

A longtime advocate for moving the industry away from outdated metrics like AVEs and toward validated and objective measurement models, Mr Odiakose has consistently worked to bridge the knowledge gap in the African PR community through workshops, thought leadership, industry collaboration, and active participation in global forums such as AMEC.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Mr Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has emerged as the next president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), succeeding Mr Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria in September 2025.

The former finance minister of Mauritania won the election held at the ongoing Annual General Meeting (AfDB) of the lender in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on Thursday.

The results were announced by Mr Niale Kaba, Minister of Planning and Development for Côte d’Ivoire, and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the AfDB Group.

Business Post reports that he had 76.18 per cent of the total votes, followed by Zambia’s Samuel Munzele Maimbo, who has the backing of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (CMESA), came second and with 20.26 per cent, and Senegal’s Amadou Hott emerged third with 3.55 per cent.

After the first round of voting, Mr Hott polled 17.62 per cent, Mrs Swazi Bajabulile Tshabalala of South Africa polled 8.24 per cent, and Mr Tah secured 33.21 per cent. Mr Maimbo led the first round with 40.415 per cent, and Mahamat Abbas Tolli had 0.52 per cent.

In the second round, Mr Tah secured 48.41 per cent, Mr Maimbo, 36.68 per cent, Mrs Tshabalala polled 5.90 per cent, and Mr Hott had 9.02 per cent.

This wasn’t until the last round of vote where Mr Tah subsequently secured 76.18 per cent to meet the required 50.01 per cent to emerge as the ninth president of the AfDB.

He was an ex-finance minister and presidential adviser, who has run the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa for the past decade.

In his manifesto, he was focused on four points: mobilising a broader scope of capital, reforming financial systems, harnessing demographics by formalising the informal sector that employs 83 per cent of Africans, and building climate-resilient infrastructure.

He believes the AfDB can turn every $1 raised into $10 of productive capital.

Mr Adesina will bow out as the president of the bank, a position he has held since 2015 for over two terms of five years each in September.

During his tenure, he boosted the capital by 242 per cent from $93 billion to $318 billion.