About Cecilia Ibru
An accomplished Nigerian businesswoman, Cecilia Ibru most recently
served as Managing Director and CEO of Oceanic Bank International Plc,
one of the country’s fastest-growing and most profitable financial
institutions. Entering the banking sector in 1990, Ms. Ibru quickly
established herself as a leader capable of spearheading viable economic
development initiatives on a large scale. Cecilia Ibru began serving in
her former leadership role in 1997, and she played a key role in
financing numerous projects that had a positive impact on the Nigerian
economy. As the first female CEO to raise the bank’s equity to N25bn
(approximately $203 million), she confronted issues such as poverty and
civil unrest in Nigerian society. Additionally, she employed her
extensive understanding of national and international finance to provide
new opportunities for underserved populations.
Under Cecilia
Ibru’s direction, Oceanic Bank International gradually expanded from a
small family-owned enterprise into a major publicly traded company amid
the global recession. Aside from her notable contributions to the bank,
Ms. Ibru reached a major professional milestone in 2001 when she earned a
Fellowship with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. Inducted
into the Nigerian Women Hall of Fame in 2004, Ms. Ibru received an
additional honor in the same year when the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM) tapped her to join its Board of Trustees.
Appointed as an Honorary Ambassador for UNIFEM’s Women’s Entrepreneur
Forum in 2004, she moved on to serve on the board of the United Nations
Global Compact. The agency is committed to facilitating meaningful
partnerships between corporations and citizens.
Named as a Top
10 Banker by Business Day and conferred as a member of the Order of
Federal Republic, Cecilia Ibru is a founding member of the Nigeria
International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of Delta State
University’s Governing Board, and a former board member of the Chartered
Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
