Standard Chartered appoints new Africa CEO
Standard Chartered has announced the appointment of Dalu Ajene as the CEO of the bank’s operations in Africa.
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Standard Chartered has announced the appointment of Dalu Ajene as the CEO of the bank’s operations in Africa with dual responsibilities as the head of coverage for Africa.
Until this appointment, Ajene was the CEO of Standard Chartered Nigeria, a role he assumed in April 2024. He is credited with leading the bank to achieve strong year on year financial performance including meeting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recapitalisation requirement of ₦200 billion (about $140.8 million) for national commercial banks ahead of the March 2026 deadline. Before joining Standard Chartered, he was the CEO of Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria.
Speaking on his appointment, Ajene said, “Having had the privilege of leading Standard Chartered Nigeria over the past two years, I am deeply honoured to now take on broader responsibilities across Africa … I look forward to working closely with our experienced teams across Africa to accelerate growth across our corporate and investment banking, and wealth and retail businesses, mobilise catalytic capital, and create sustainable value for our clients, stakeholders, and the communities we serve.”
Ajene holds a bachelors’ degree in economics from Dartmouth college and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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