The CEO of Sterling Bank, Mr. Razaq Yemi Adeola, will, effective 1 April 2018, step down as CEO of the bank.

In his place, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, the Executive Director, Finance and Strategy, has been appointed CEO.

Mr. Abubakar has a bachelors in Economics from the University of Abuja, a Masters degree in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford, and has attended various executive education programs at INSEAD, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Said Business Schools.

He began his career as an Experienced Staff Assistant at Arthur Andersen (now KPMG Nigeria), before moving to MBC International Bank (now First Bank) as a Management Associate and later worked in Citibank Nigeria in roles spanning Treasury and Asset & Liability Management.

From there, he joined Trust Bank of Africa in 2003 as the Head of Treasury and Finance before it merged with other banks to become Sterling Bank in 2006. Following the merger in 2006, he was appointed Group Treasurer; a position he held until 2011 when he assumed the role of Integration Director – tasked with managing and integrating Equitorial Trust Bank (ETB) into Sterling.

In 2012, he was named the Chief Financial Officer and was appointed to the Board in April 2014 with responsibility for the financial performance of the Company; and directly overseeing the Finance and Performance Management, Strategy and Innovation, Brand Management and Communication, and Human Resource Management Department.