UBA’s board has approved Ibrahim Ajimasu Puri’s appointment as a Non-Executive Director, subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The appointment brings back the executive to the bank’s board more than three decades after beginning a career that has taken him across banking, fintech, telecommunications and fast-moving consumer goods.
Puri was formerly an Executive Director of UBA, a position he held before retiring from the bank in 2022; Beyond UBA, Puri has built a portfolio of boardroom responsibilities. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc and 9mobile, giving him exposure to two major sectors of the Nigerian economy outside banking.
He holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from Bayero University, Kano, and has attended executive programmes at Harvard University, the University of Oxford and Euromoney London.
His appointment comes at a time when UBA is positioning itself as a pan-African financial institution with operations in 20 African countries, alongside a presence in the United Kingdom, United States, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking on the appointment, the Group Chairman, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, said: “I congratulate Mr. Ibrahim Puri on his appointment as a Non- Executive Director. The Board is confident that his extensive experience, depth of expertise and sound judgement will further strengthen the Board and contribute meaningfully to the continued growth and success of the Group.”
For Puri, returning with more than three decades of experience and board responsibilities across banking, telecommunications and manufacturing, he is expected to bring that institutional knowledge and independent perspective to the strategic direction of one of Africa’s largest banking groups.
