By Ayomide Otitoju
The board of Wema Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Oluwole Ajimisinmi as the new Deputy Managing Director and Olukayode Bakare as an Executive Director, effective December 1, 2024.
Ajimisinmi succeeds Oluwole Akinleye, who is retiring after a decade on the board. A legal professional with extensive experience in banking and corporate governance, Ajimisinmi joined Wema Bank in 2009 as Company Secretary/Legal Adviser. He was elevated to the board as an Executive Director in July 2020 and has since overseen the Lagos Business Directorate and the Remedial/Recovery Department.
The bank, in a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited on Friday, described Ajimisinmi as possessing “outstanding strategic orientation, strong product development, and portfolio management capabilities.” A law graduate of the University of Jos and the Nigerian Law School, he is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s General Management Program.
To fill Ajimisinmi’s previous role, the board appointed Olukayode Bakare as Executive Director. Bakare, a seasoned treasury and finance expert, brings over 32 years of experience spanning academia and banking. Until now, he was the Divisional Executive overseeing Treasury, Wholesale Funding, and Global Trade Business at Wema Bank.
Bakare earned a degree in Economics from Ogun State University and an MSc from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a distinction in the ACI Dealing Certificate from the Financial Markets Association in Paris, France.
The board expressed confidence in the new appointments, stating they will “further strengthen the bank’s leadership team and ensure its continued focus on delivering exceptional value to stakeholders.”
