The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria has organised a valedicroty lecture in honour of the Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, who is due to retire by the end of this year.
Onasanya is retiring after a career spanning over three decades of diverse management and operational experience, of which 21 years has been spent with First Bank.
The CIBN instituted a valedictory lecture series in 2008 to acknowledge the contributions of individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their career in banking.
The lecture is the third in the series and Onasanya will be speaking on the topic: ‘Banks, bankers and the imperatives for sustainable banking’.
The event, which will be chaired by a former Managing Director of the bank, Chief Joseph Sanusi, is scheduled to hold on Tuesday in Lagos.
A statement by First Bank said the first two CIBN valedictory lectures were delivered by a former Managing Director of First Bank, Mr. Jacobs Ajekigbe, on January 13, 2009; and Prof. Adedoyin Soyibo, a pioneer director of the Master of Science (Banking and Finance) programme in the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, on March 19, 2013.
The statement reads:
Having had an eventful career at First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank), Bisi Onasanya is set to retire at the end of the year having completed his tenure as the GMD/CEO of the Bank in an inspiring and enviable career spanning over three decades of diverse management and operational experience, 21 years of which he has spent with FirstBank, serving meritoriously in the last six years as Group Managing Director/CEO. In recognition of his commendable service, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has organised a valedictory lecture in his honour.
The CIBN instituted a valedictory lecture series in 2008 to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the contributions of individuals who have distinguished themselves and reached the pinnacle of their career in banking. This lecture is the third in the series and Mr. Onasanya would be speaking on the topic ‘Banks, Bankers and the Imperatives for Sustainable Banking’. The event which will be chaired by a former Managing Director of the Bank, Chief Joseph. Sanusi, is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The first two CIBN valedictory lectures were delivered by Mr. Jacobs Ajekigbe, also a former Managing Director of FirstBank on January 13, 2009 and Professor Adedoyin Soyibo , a pioneer Director of the M.Sc (banking and finance) programme in the department of Economics, University of Ibadan on March 19, 2013.
In Bisi Onasanya, CIBN celebrates a respectable personality who has established a reputation for solid performance and sound judgment in FirstBank and the industry at large. He is widely reputed as the architect of the modern FirstBank, associated with various innovative and creative achievements. He was the Project Coordinator of Century 2 the new frontier, FirstBank’s far-reaching enterprise transformation project at the turn of the century, as well as the Coordinator of the FirstBank Corporate Transformation project which has seen the bank accentuating its foothold on modernisation. Mr. Onasanya also superintended the latest composite Corporate Identity/Brand Refresh of the FirstBank Group, a bold step heralding the international expansion of the FirstBank brand which under his leadership now boasts of subsidiaries with operations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
An articulate and insightful thought leader in the financial services industry, Mr. Onasanya has made meaningful contributions as a member of the Bankers Committee and is the Chairman of the Sub Committee on Ethics and Professionalism. Speaking on the topic ‘Banks, Bankers and the Imperatives for Sustainable Banking’, Mr. Onasanya would expound on the changing financial services industry landscape, the responsibility of bankers and a strong ethical eco system among other subjects. Bisi has also delivered several papers and served on various conferences C-Suite panels across the globe. He is the Editor of a new book, “Perspectives on Banking in Nigeria”, featuring a collection of learned articles by banking and finance professionals including operators, regulators and academics.