Aishah Ahmad, New Deputy Governor Of CBN Brief Resume`
The Oasis Reporters
October 7, 2017
The appointment of 40-year-old Aishah Ahmad as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday has turned out to be a charming affirmative action and women’s groups are applauding it.
She is expected to assume duty as CBN deputy governor immediately after her confirmation by the Senate.
She comes well recommended having been actively involved in banking at the top level for most part of the last 20 years, either as a banking executive or investment adviser on retail banking, wealth management, consulting and financial advisory.
She’ll be 40 on October 26, as she was born in 1977. Mrs. Ahmad, an indigene of Niger State, was prior to her appointment, the Executive Director (Retail Banking) at Diamond Bank Plc.
She is the chairperson of the executive council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service, WIMBIZ, a Nigerian non-profit organisation, established in 2001, focused on addressing issues affecting the interest of women professionals in business, with particular attention on promoting leadership development and building capacities to engender growth.
Mrs. Ahmad’s appointment is expected to fill the void created by the exit of the former deputy governor in charge of Economic Policy, Sarah Alade, who retired from the Central Bank in March 2017 as the only woman in the top hierarchy of the apex bank.
Her professional banking experience traverses the NAL Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc. She is a Steering Committee Member for Cherie Blair Foundation’s Road to Growth Project for women in conjunction with Enterprise Development Centre, EDC, at Lagos Business School.
A member of the Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, CAIA Associations, Mrs. Ahmad was until her appointment in charge of the Consumer Banking Division at Diamond Bank Plc, covering the consumer banking, privilege banking, retail assets chains.
A holder of the Master of Science, MSc in Finance & Management from the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Ahmad, an Accounting graduate from the University of Abuja, also has a Master of Business Administration, MBA in finance from the University of Lagos.
She is married to Abdallah Ahmad, a retired brigadier-general, and the union is blessed with two sons.
Part of Mrs. Ahmad’s profile reads that she “has demonstrated proven success at enhancing the value of institutions by driving exceptional business performance. She leverages a multi-ethnic background, cross-sectoral industry network, predisposition for analytical problem solving and ability to inspire diverse teams to aspire and exceed expectations”.
Coming in from the private sector, she’s expected to drive a new verve in the nation’s apex Bank and an inspiration to women in banking.
