The leading pan-African banking group, Ecobank, has appointed Alain Nkontchou, a Cameroonian and independent non-executive director since 2015, as Board chairman of its holding company, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), with effect from June 30, 2020.
In accordance with ETI’s Articles of Association, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, a Nigerian, ended his six-year tenure as chairman on June 30, having reached the retirement age of 70.
Nkontchou said he was honoured to be appointed as chairman of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.
He said having served on the Board of Ecobank since 2015, he has seen the bank’s resilience and its proud history, built on strong foundation to secure its future success.
“I look forward to working with the Board and executive team as we continue our journey ahead and I know that we are well-placed to navigate through the current environment and set the standards in financial services for our customers across Africa,” Nkontchou said.
He thanked his predecessor, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, for his leadership of the Board and wished him all the best for the future.
Ade Ayeyemi, chief executive officer of Ecobank Group, welcomed Nkontchou as Group chairman on behalf of the entire management of the Group.
“We will give him and the Board our continued full support in ensuring the realisation of the strategic imperatives of the Ecobank Group. Nkontchou has always utilised his wealth of experience on the Board and we look forward to his successful and strong leadership,” Adeyemi said.
He was an advisor at Laurent Perrier champagne, having been a non-executive director from 1999 to 2009. He was managing director of Credit Suisse’s Global Macro Trading Group in London between 1995 and 2008 and also at JP Morgan Chase & Co. in the same capacity. Between 1989 and 1994, he was with Chemical Bank in Paris and New York, where he became vice-president, head of trading and sales.
Nkontchou has a track record of business success, having generated significant dollar revenues for each of these top tier institutions. He has an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Supélec and P.M. Curie University, Paris, and an MSc in Finance and Accounting from ESCP (Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris).
