Global Excellence 2020

232 Acquisition International - Global Excellence 2020 18 Acquisition International - Issue 11 2020 Aug20469 Pioneer In Financial Integration Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) is the parent company of the Ecobank Group, the leading independent pan-African banking group. Recently, we caught up with the Group’s CEO, Ade Ayeyemi to discover more about the firm’s internal culture and recruitment process, as well as learn just how vital a role it plays in the ETI’s overall success as our Most Influential Banking CEO of the Year 2020 – Africa. oday, ETI has a banking license in France and representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Beijing, China; London, the UK and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It employs more than 14,800 people and serves about 24 million customers in the consumer, commercial and corporate banking sectors across 33 African countries, offering a full suite of banking products, services and solutions. Group’s CEO, Mr. Ayeyemi, gives us some insight on what it is that makes ETI so successful and distinguishes it from others. “Ecobank offers a natural advantage with its unmatched pan-African banking competencies, built up over the last 30 years,” he begins. “Marshalling its impressively broad presence, its proficiency and its performance, the banking group is intent on delivering sustainable returns and playing a catalytic role in the transformation of Africa. It continues to play a pivotal role as a recognised pioneer in financial integration and inclusive banking. “Our one bank model, whereby we manufacture our products and solutions centrally and distribute them locally across 33 sub-Saharan African countries of operation, helps to make us stand out. This makes it possible for all customers to have access to the same world class products and services, wherever they may be in our network. “This model ensures cost efficiency in product development so a small affiliate like Sao Tome can, for instance, have access to provide digital products and services to its clients without expending huge amounts in designing these products and services by itself.” Similarly the Ecobank Mobile App is the same across the Group’s network. Customers in South Sudan, for instance, use the same App as customers across the entire network of countries. Mr. Ayeyemi explains further: “We leverage our digital platforms through our programme of establishing strategic partnerships to secure our goal of delivering financial integration, economic development and financial inclusion across Africa, the expansion of our marketing and distribution reach and the further scaling our digital ecosystem. “As a pan-African banking group, we facilitate diaspora opportunities business in Africa through our presence in international markets (France, United Emirates and China). “Our knowledge of the continent is a significant strength especially as we have the largest banking footprint on the continent. Africa is our home and we are the local bank in each of our countries of presence.” T Customers may be key in ensuring the success of Ecobank, but Mr. Ayeyemi is quick to point out how the Group’s employees play a paramount role. “Our staff are our most vital asset and we are intent on being the Bank that Africa trusts,” he enthuses. “We continue to embed talent management processes across the Group. This, among other things, enables us to have the right bench strengths to drive the business objectives and overall talent sustainability of the firm.” At Ecobank, culture is everything. In fact, the Group recently commenced a culture transformation programme to ensure that its operations and business remains sustainable into the future, and to demonstrate its commitment to its staff. “Our culture encompasses a set of values and a framework for ethical and behavioural decision-making. These values are - Respect, Accountability, Customer-Centricity, Excellence, Integrity and Teamwork (RACE-IT). The leadership team of the Bank is committed and has pledged to demonstrate the right expected behaviours and have all agreed to live these values in their daily engagements with clients and with other Ecobankers. Entrenching the values in the institution and in all staff is a priority. To show our commitment, we did not allow the lockdown to delay the programme, we embarked on a Values Campaign in all our countries between the months of April and August 2020.” Succession planning has become a core part of Ecobank’s integrated talent review process. The process is fed by rigorous talent assessment that looks at both the performance and potential of our people performing leadership and critical roles. “It defines the way we run the business and ensures that, at any time, we have developed our bench strength and pipeline of talent. The strength of this process is increasingly visible, as it enables us to internally fill vacancies for critical positions across the Group. For example, in 2019 most of the vacant roles were filled by talents identified through internal succession and structured recruitment processes. We will continue to grow our internal pipeline and also fill vacancies within subsidiaries with Ecobank talent. “We also have a graduate trainee program that infuses the workforce with young and fresh minds to ensure that we are sustainable into the future. Fresh graduates are put through a training program for 18-21months and the best are thereafter recruited into the workforce.” Company: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Web Address: www.ecobank.com Most Influential Banking CEO of the Year 2020 - Africa