Ecobank announced on January 05 the appointment of Ghanaian Abena Osei-Poku as CEO of Ecobank Ghana and Regional executive, anglophone West Africa, effective January 1, 2024.
Abena Osei-Poku, 52, succeeds Joana Mensah, who has been acting CEO since August 15, 2023, following the retirement of former CEO Dan Sackey.
Ecobank Ghana has 65 branches, numerous point-of-sale terminals, many QR codes in stores, and over 248 ATMs in the country.
Prior to her appointment Abena Osei-Poku, was, since September 2018, Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana (Ex Barclays), where she is credited with successfully leading the transition from Barclays, a “century-old family brand”, to Absa. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of Absa Bank in South Africa and Co-Regional Head of Coverage, Corporate and Investment Banking within the Absa Bank Group, overseeing all of Africa outside South Africa.
With a BA in Economics and Statistics from the University of Ghana Legon and an MBA (Strategy and Finance) from Manchester Business School in the UK, Abena Osei-Poku has over 27 years’ experience in the banking sector. Before joining Absa Bank, she worked at Standard Chartered for 7 years, as wholesale banking director for global corporates, after holding the position of head of special assets for the banking group in West and Central Africa. At Barclays Bank, where she has worked for the past 15 years, she has held various senior positions in risk management, corporate governance, business management, strategy, customer coverage and change management.
Abena Osei-Poku began her career at First Atlantic Merchant Bank.
The new CEO of Ecobank Ghana is also, since October 2021, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). She is the second woman in twenty-six years to become Chairman of the Exchange, after Gloria Nikoi of happy memory.
Abena Osei-Poku has served on a number of boards, including Airtel Mobile Money Limited, the United Kingdom and Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) and the hospitality industry. She has participated in various leadership and other programs worldwide. She is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.
