Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Pan African financial institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has won the much coveted ‘BusinessDay’s Bank CEO’ of the year 2019 award.
According to a statement, Uzoka emerged tops based on his sterling achievements since he assumed the position of Group CEO at UBA three years ago.
The bank CEO has been successful in pulling increased financial performances and appreciation of shareholders’ investment.
“A techie himself, he has ensured massive investment in the digitalisation of the bank’s activities and processes, particularly the introduction of UBA’s chatbot, LEO which is the first of its kind by any financial institutions in Africa.
“Uzoka has also focused on the consistent expansion of UBA’s activities and services across and beyond the African continent,” the statement added.
Whilst presenting this award to the GMD, the management of BusinessDay Newspapers was quoted as saying, “The visionary leadership of the bank spearheaded by Uzoka has earned UBA the digital bank of the year consistently. The launch of LEO, an artificial intelligence chatbot in January of 2018 has witnessed UBA become the leader in artificial intelligence. Leo is available on different platforms including Whatsapp, Facebook and more recently on IOS, the mobile operating system of Apple Inc.”
Following Uzoka’s appointment on August 1st, 2016, UBA’s customer deposit has grown by 19.4 per cent to N2.49 trillion away from the four per cent crunch which had been recorded the previous year, while net loans improved from a 3.3 per cent loss position recorded in 2015, to N1.51tn, representing a huge incline by 45.2 per cent.
The strong growth trajectory has continued, three years after Uzoka’s appointment, as seen by the 43 per cent growth in the bank’s shareholding fund to N5.01 trillion in the three –year period, as the bank has been enjoying excellent ratings from credible international financial rating agencies such as Fitch and Agusto and Co.
