Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC has officially announced the appointment of Mr. Chukwuma (Chuma) Nwokocha as its new substantive Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective Thursday, October 2, 2025. The appointment follows the necessary regulatory approvals.
Mr. Nwokocha takes over from Dr. Adekunle Adedeji, who served as the Acting Chief Executive during a strategic transition period. Dr. Adedeji will continue in his role as the Executive Director/Chief Finance and Value Management Officer for the company.
Mr. Nwokocha is a highly experienced banker and a chartered accountant with over three decades of leadership experience in Africa’s financial services industry. His background is comprehensive, covering areas like retail and corporate banking, mergers and acquisitions, governance, and regulatory engagement.
He has held several key Chief Executive and Board-level positions. Notably, he served as the Chief Executive of Standard Bank’s Mozambican subsidiary, where he focused on driving strategic growth, governance, and operational excellence.
He holds a Master’s in Business and Management (MBA) from Henley Management College at Reading, where he studied the role of coaching and mentoring in developing leadership.
The Board of Stanbic IBTC Holdings has expressed great confidence in Mr. Nwokocha’s ability to lead the group into its next phase of growth. His qualifications make him an excellent fit for the top job. His history in senior roles, including his position as CEO of a Standard Bank subsidiary, demonstrates a proven track record in strategic transformation and governance.
His diverse experience across retail banking, corporate banking, M&A, and regulatory matters gives him a deep and wide understanding of the financial sector across Africa. The Chairman, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, highlighted that his leadership is expected to strengthen the Group’s leadership and ensure continued stability and strategic execution in a constantly changing regulatory and economic environment.
The appointment of a new substantive CEO with a strong, diverse background is generally viewed as a positive sign of stability and long-term strategic direction.
The Board believes Mr. Nwokocha’s leadership will be instrumental in driving the growth strategy of the Stanbic IBTC Group. This focus on long-term strategy and governance could lead to sustained positive performance.
His tenure starts at a high point. Under the immediate past leadership of Dr. Adedeji, the Group recorded its best financial performance since inception and successfully completed a Rights Issue, which ensured the bank met the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapitalisation requirements well ahead of the March 2026 deadline. Mr. Nwokocha’s role will be to maintain this upward momentum.