Sterling Financial Holdings appoints Makoju, Oni to boards after CBN approval

STERLING Financial Holdings Company Plc has announced the appointment of Ms Olubisi Makoju and Mr Olayinka Oni to the boards of the holding company and Sterling Bank Ltd following regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The company disclosed the appointments in a notice to Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), shareholders and the investing public, stating that the new directors would strengthen governance and strategic leadership across the group.

Ms Makoju joins the board of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc as an independent non-executive director. She brings more than 25 years of experience across the oil and gas, consulting, information technology and financial services industries, with expertise in finance, corporate strategy, operations and business transformation.

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She currently serves as chief financial officer of Smart Grid Development Limited and is the founder of Earthwise Capital Limited. Before assuming her current position, she was executive director and chief operating officer of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), where she oversaw strategic and corporate initiatives while leading cross-functional teams.

Makoju holds a degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Warwick. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK, and has completed several executive leadership and professional development programmes.

The company also appointed Mr Olayinka Oni as a non-executive director of Sterling Bank Ltd. He currently serves as an executive director of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc after previously leading the bank’s digital transformation agenda as chief digital officer.

Before joining the Sterling Group, Oni was chief technology officer at Microsoft Nigeria, where he was responsible for technology strategy and stakeholder engagement. His previous roles also include chief information officer and general manager of information technology and operations at Wema Bank Plc, as well as experienced manager at Accenture’s Nigerian practice. He also co-convened CIO Nexus, a forum for chief information officers in Nigeria.

A graduate of Agricultural Economics from the University of Ilorin, Oni holds a master’s degree in Management from McGill University, Canada, and is an honorary senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB).

His professional expertise covers solutions engineering, enterprise architecture, programme management and IT governance. He has also attended executive education programmes in business strategy, financial management, digital transformation and general management at Harvard University, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, INSEAD and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Sterling Financial Holdings said the appointments have received the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and form part of its efforts to reinforce leadership and governance across the group.