Despite shattering the stereotype and breaking records as the first female to have emerged as the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of Fidelity Bank PLC; Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe’s profile has steadily risen above her peers. She is regarded as a female living in a man’s world.
She is known for taking big risks and swift decisions that have helped position any banks she had worked. With over 3 decades of experience as a consummate banker with Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank Limited, where she held several management positions in Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking, it will be hard to beat her to the game as she is a master strategist.
All her life she has had a track record linked with excellent performance. The University of Nigeria Nsukka graduate has never for once compromised with standards. She is a near perfectionist who loves team spirit. After she assumed office on the first of January 2021, she has had a turbulent sail in the affairs of the bank. She was directed with heavy waves to throw her off balance but as a skilled captain of the ship, she was able to navigate towards the tides and show her dexterity in proffering solutions to issues of corporate governance and board room politics. After her detractors found out that she survived their first attack, they also went ahead to sponsor several campaigns of calumny trying to pitch Nneka and her former boss the immediate past M.D Nnamdi Okonkwo against each other claiming that she was hunting for his jugular by probing his tenure.
Despite every attempt to cause enmity between them sponsoring smear campaign on the media space, their relationship kept waxing stronger as the bank through its board of directors also released a statement stating their disassociation from the lingering rumour of probe. Sources said; those who want Nneka to fail at all costs are at work. She became a nightmare for them with her different approach to work and mode of execution. “Those who could not meet up with her high standard are the on trying to throw her off balance. She has developed a thick skin and she remains unruffled. She has served previously in this bank as the Executive Director, Lagos and southwest, overseeing the bank’s business in the six states that make up the South West region of the bank. She led the transformation of the Directorate to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth, across key performance metrics, including contributing over 28% of the Bank’s PBT, Deposits and Loans. So trying to bring such a person with impeccable track records down is just nauseating. It’s a gimmick; neither Nneka nor Nnamdi will fall for it.”
