The board of Guinea Insurance Plc has made new appointments, hoping to tap from the industry experiences of the new board members. This notification was contained in the statement sent to the authorities of the Nigerian Exchange Group(NGX) as a means of notifying its shareholders and the investing public, noting that it received the No-Objection of its Primary Regulator, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for the appointments as directors on the board of Guinea Insurance Plc, Ogonna Offor- Orabueze, as Executive Director Technical, and Chioma Okigbo, as an Independent Non- Executive Director of the company.

Offor- Orabueze is a dedicated insurance professional who has served with Guinea Insurance Plc for over 15 years. Prior to her appointment as Executive Director Technical, she held the position of Team Lead Claims Unit and Group Lead Technical Unit. Her experience covers risk assessment and mitigation; damage assessment, evaluation of liability exposure, claims reports/ documentation and policy interpretation.

Offor- Orabueze is an Associate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (ACIIN). She Holds a master’s degree in business administration from University of Lagos; Higher National Diploma (HND) from Federal Polytechnic, Oko and attended the West African Insurance Institute, Banjul, The Gambia (WAII) where she graduated with distinction and was awarded best student in “Insurance Supervision and Regulation; and Practice of Marketing.”

Chioma Okigbo is the founder and CEO of Modd Management Company Limited, an Investment Management and Administrative Company, amongst other thriving businesses. Prior to establishing Modd, Okigbo worked with Asset & Resource Management Holding Company (ARM) Limited for 16 years and held the Managing Director role of two of their businesses for 7 years, providing strategic direction and business development. She also worked with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) from 1995-2000 as a Deputy Manager. Okigbo has served on the Boards of several Companies and is also a Trustee on several non- profit boards. She remains passionate about giving back to society.

“We are delighted to welcome both Mrs. Offor-Orabueze, as Executive Director Technical (effective August 1st, 2024) and Mrs. Okigbo as an Independent Non- Executive Director (effective September 1st, 2024), as their exceptional leadership skills and combined expertise in the Investment, Financial Services and Insurance Industry will be invaluable to the Company in achieving set organizational goals,” the company said.

In a related development, Sterling Financial Holdings has announced the appointment of Ashutosh Kumar as a Non-Executive Director of the company. Kumar is a seasoned banker with over twenty-three (23) years of experience. He joined the State Bank of India (SBI) in 2021 and has served in different capacities and areas, including international banking, forex and derivatives, risk management, credit, trade finance, retail banking, performance planning, operations among others.

Kumar is versed in regulatory compliance and reporting. He is currently the Country Head and Chief Executive Officer of SBI, South Africa. Before his current role at SBI, South Africa, he was the Deputy General Manager (Business Operations) Jodhpur Zone and the Chairman, Zonal Credit Committee. Kumar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Economics and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance and a Certified Treasury Professional. He holds certificates in securities operation and risk management, currency derivatives and equity derivatives.

The financial holdings also announced Professor Olayinka David-West as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Sterling Bank Ltd. She is a Professor of Information Systems with almost three decades’ experience in the IT and financial services industry. Professor David-West is an Associate Dean at the Lagos Business School (LBS), the premier business school in Nigeria and sits on the school’s Management Board. She leads the Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services (SIDFS) initiative, a research and advocacy initiative dedicated to enhancing financial inclusion in Nigeria.

She holds expert certifications in financial inclusion policy and digital money. She is a member of the governing council of Fintech Association of Nigeria and a member of the African Women in Finance and Payments.

She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), and the academic advocate to the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). She is also a qualified practitioner of the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). Professor David-West is a member of the Association of Information Systems (AIS), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), African Academy of Management (AFAM), Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI) and Fintech Association of Nigeria (FTAN).