Polaris Bank has announced Mr. Innocent Ike as the new Acting MD/CEO of the bank, following the retirement of the incumbent Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, who had successfully completed his two terms of two years each. Mr. Ike’s appointment takes effect from Tuesday the 1st of September 2020.
A statement from the bank signed by Babatunde Osibodu, the Company Secretary, said the incoming CEO was, until now, the Executive Director, Technology & Services while also overseeing the South-South/South East Directorate of the Bank. Accordingly, not only has he been a pivotal part of the Bank since July 2016, but a major driver of the Corporate Transformation journey.
This gives an assurance of continuity: a definite continuation of the strategic plans and initiatives that brought the Bank the successes it has recorded till date. Ike has garnered over three decades of professional experience in the Banking Industry. He is a graduate of Accounting from the University of Lagos, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a Certified IFRS Expert and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
He holds an Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation from MIT Sloan School of Management; Boston and he is also a Member of Institute of Directors (IOD). With this change of baton, the Bank is set to continue to deliver on the sterling performance reflected in the full year 2019 results in which the Bank posted Profit After Tax (PAT) of N27billion. To buttress the fact that this is sustainable, the Bank’s first-half 2020 result showed a PAT of over N18billion, despite the tremendous headwinds brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.