Standard Chartered names Ayodeji Adelagun acting CEO for Nigeria

STANDARD Chartered Bank Nigeria has appointed Mr Ayodeji ‘Deji’ Adelagun as acting chief executive officer of its Nigerian operations, the bank announced on Monday.

Mr Adelagun, a long-serving executive at Standard Chartered, brings more than 26 years of experience across the financial services industry, including financial markets, banking operations, securities and foreign exchange trading, asset and liability management, commercial banking, risk management and credit. He has spent over 19 years of his career with Standard Chartered. The bank said his appointment reflected its culture of leadership continuity and reinforced stakeholder confidence in Nigeria’s financial system.

Ayodeji Adelagun, Acting CEO, Standard Chartered Bank

Announcing the appointment, Africa CEO of Standard Chartered, Mr Dalu Ajene, said Mr Adelagun’s leadership track record, strong market knowledge and growth-focused vision positioned him well to lead the bank in Nigeria. Mr Ajene noted that Standard Chartered remained committed to supporting economic growth in the country and expressed confidence that Mr Adelagun’s leadership would further strengthen the bank’s impact while delivering innovative solutions to clients.

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Before his appointment, Mr Adelagun served as Executive Director, Financial Markets, where he was credited with improving trading liquidity and strengthening risk management practices. He also played a key role in the development of local and regional financial markets.

Reacting to his new role, Mr Adelagun described the appointment as an honour and said Nigeria remained a priority market for Standard Chartered. He pointed to the bank’s recent recapitalisation and refreshed strategy as evidence of this commitment, adding that the bank would continue to facilitate foreign portfolio inflows to support the Nigerian economy. He said customer needs would remain central to the bank’s operations, with a continued focus on cross-border transactions as well as wealth and affluent banking as key growth drivers.

Mr Adelagun joined Standard Chartered in August 2007 as head of Rates and Credit Trading, where he was responsible for establishing the Rates and Credit Desk. Prior to that, he had worked in banking operations, commercial banking and treasury at Access Bank Plc. He also previously worked at First Securities Discount House Limited (now FSDH Merchant Bank), where he was the pioneer bond dealer and set up the bond trading desk.

He succeeds Mr Dalu Ajene, who recently assumed the role of Africa CEO and Head of Coverage at Standard Chartered Bank. Mr Adelagun said his close working relationship with Ajene would ensure continuity and stability in the bank’s Nigerian operations, adding that he would continue to rely on the guidance of the board to deliver on the bank’s strategic priorities.

Adelagun holds a degree in Economics from the University of Ilorin, an MBA from Lagos Business School, and is an alumnus of the IESE Business School Executive Management Programme. He has also completed executive training at INSEAD. He is an honorary senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and the ACI Financial Markets Association, and holds several executive management and leadership certifications.