•As He Bows Out Next Year…
With an annual profit of N196.85 billion, employee strength of more than 12000 staff strength plus 231 branches, Segun Agbaje at GTBank Bank is leaving no tack untried to deliver a consistent experience to its customers across different channels.
Having worked with the investment and banking sector for no fewer than 20 years, Agbaje has changed the face of Guarantee Trust Bank within 9 years as the Managing Director.
In a recent interaction, Segun Agbaje revealed his key insights on how he is orchestrating convenient transformations to make way for a digital culture and prepping the bank to make the digital leap. Key among them: listen, listen, listen to customers; and get to the heart of the issues quickly and never stop innovating.
Mr. Agbaje is the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. With over 19 years investment and international banking experience, Mr. Agbaje is involved in the general management of the bank’s day-to-day operations and has earned a reputation as a truly accomplished and highly respected professional within the West Africa sub-region, given his diverse experience in the financial services industry.
Prior to joining Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, he worked with Ernst & Young, San Francisco, USA. He subsequently joined Guaranty Trust Bank as a pioneer staff in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become an Executive Director in January 2000, and Deputy Managing Director in August 2002, in light of his diverse background and experience in almost all areas of the bank’s activities including commercial banking, investment banking, treasury, corporate planning and strategy, settlements and operations.
Mr. Agbaje possesses a deep understanding of the Nigerian business environment having initiated and led the execution of large, innovative and complex transactions in financial advisory, structured and project finance, balance sheet restructuring and debt and equity capital raising in several sectors of the Nigerian economy notably Oil and Gas, Energy, Telecommunications, Financial Services and Manufacturing industries. In addition, he helped in developing the Interbank Derivatives market amongst dealers in the Nigerian banking industry and introduced the Balance Sheet Management Efficiency system.
He was also very instrumental in putting together Guaranty Trust Bank’s landmark USD350 million Eurobond offering in 2007 and later that year, the listing of its US$750 million Global Depository Receipts (GDR) in an unprecedented concurrent global offering in the domestic and international capital markets – which made Guaranty Trust Bank the first Nigerian company and the first bank in Sub-Saharan Africa to be listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. In 2011, he further led GTBank to launch the first Sub-Saharan Africa financial sector benchmark Eurobond when the Bank launched its USD500 million Eurobond without a sovereign guarantee or credit enhancement from any international financial institution.
Mr Agbaje serves on the boards of several other notable companies including Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, Guaranty Trust Bank (Gambia) Limited, Guaranty Trust Bank (UK) Limited and also a Director on MasterCard Advisory Board Middle East and Africa.
He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco, USA.
Mr. Agbaje was appointed Acting Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in April 2011, and as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer on June 22, 2011. As the bank’s policy, he’s expected to serve until 2021.
It is not debatable that Mr Agbaje has achieved so much in so little time. He has placed Guarantee Trust Bank on the pace that puts her contemporary behind to follow steps, innovations and modality that can be emulated by any zealous financial institution.
We, however, wonder, who is ready to take this mantle of leadership from 2021 and not only sustain the pace of growth but ensure that the bank retains its pastime of leading while others follow.
