Alhaji (Dr.) Suleiman Adebola Adegunwa, OFR

Chairman
Committee Memberships: Committee of the whole Board
External directorships: Ess-ay Holdings Limited, Fototek
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

Alhaji (Dr.) Suleiman Adebola Adegunwa OFR is an accomplished businessman who has carved a niche for himself in the Photo Industry and contributed immensely to its development in Nigeria.

 An experienced entrepreneur, he has at different times served on the board of such successful companies as Essay Holdings Ltd, the defunct Magnum Trust Bank Plc and Marina International Bank Plc, to mention a few.
 
A notable philanthropist with particular interest in education, attested to by his various endowments to higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. He is the beneficiary of two Doctorate degrees (Honoris Causa) from Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and Lagos State University (LASU).

In recognition of his various achievements and contributions to national development, he has been honoured with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Razack Adeyemi Adeola

Group Managing Director / CEO
Committee Memberships: Credit Committee, Finance and General Purpose Committee, Establishment Committee, Risk Management Committee
External directorships: Sterling Capital Markets, Sterling Asset Management & Trustees
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

Mr. Yemi Adeola has over 25 years of professional experience spanning banking and finance, law, corporate consulting and academia. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director Sterling Bank Plc, he served as Executive Director, Corporate and Commercial Banking between January 2006 and November 2007.

Mr. Adeola joined Nigeria International Bank (Citibank Nigeria) in 1988 and served in various capacities from Chief Legal Counsel to Head, Public & External Affairs. In 1998, he was appointed to the board of directors as an Executive Director, a position he held until June 2003 when he left Citibank Nigeria to pursue a turn-around assignment as Deputy Managing Director of Trust Bank of Africa Limited playing a leading role in the effort that restored the bank to profitability.
 

A J.F. Kennedy scholar, Yemi holds a post graduate degree in Law and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983.

Yemi Idowu

Non-executive Director
Committee Memberships: Audit Committee, Credit Committee, Risk Management Committees
External directorships: Ferodo Nigeria Limited, Communications Associates of Nigeria, Eba Odan Commercial & Industrial Ltd, Sterling Capital Markets
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

 Yemi Idowu is an entrepreneur and industrialist with business interest in various sectors of the economy, including electronics, Transportation, Real Estate as well as Oil & Gas.

Mr. Idowu holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounts and Financial Analysis from the Newcastle upon Tyne University, England and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. He is a member of the Institute of Personnel Management, United Kingdom. After his university education, he worked as a Business Development Manager for Africa and the Middle East at Anglo European Equipment, London. Since 2003, Mr. Idowu has held the position of Executive Director of Aircom Nigeria Limited, a Panasonic Import Syndicate partner.
 
Mr. Yemi Idowu is a Director of Eba Odan Commercial & Industrial, a holding and investment company with shares in various companies including Banks, Industries and Trading establishments.
He is a board member of several successful Nigerian companies such as Ferodo Nig. Limited and Communications Associates of Nigeria Ltd.

Mr Idowu was formerly a Director of NBM Bank.
 

Alhaji Bashir Mohammad Borodo, MFR

Non-executive Director
Committee Memberships: Audit Committee, Finance & General Purpose Committee, Establishment Committee
External directorships: Sterling Registrars
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

Mr. Borodo graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1971. He also obtained a masters degree in Economics from the Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1974.
 
He started his banking career in 1971 as an officer at the Bank of the North, and three years later he moved to the Ministry of External Affairs where he served as a Foreign Service Officer until 1980. He served as Chairman of Tropical Commercial Bank and NAL Bank Plc before his appointment as a Director of Sterling Bank

Osunsade Olufunmilola

Non-executive Director

Accomplished professional with more than 24 years experience spanning Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Finance and Banking.
 
Worked in a variety of senior capacities in such areas as Treasury, Operations, Administration and Customer Service among others.
 

Yinka Abdulwaheed Adeola

Non-executive Director
Committee Memberships: Credit Committee, Risk Management Committee
External directorships: Sterling Asset Management & Trustees, SBG Insurance Brokers
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

Mr. A.A. Adeola is a trained economist and an experienced banker with over 25 years in the Nigerian Banking Industry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (1979) and a Master of Science (1987) Degree in Economics from the University of Lagos.
 
Adeyinka Adeola started his banking career at the CBN where he rose to the position of an Assistant Manager in 1988. He later joined Pacific Bank Ltd as a Manager and became the MD/CEO of the bank in 1998. He joined Trust Bank of Africa as the MD/CEO in 2003; a position he held until his recent appointment as a Director in Sterling Bank.

Mr. Rajan

Mr. Rajan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Lit from Loyola College, Chennai, India and an MBA from Cochin University of Science and Technology. He is a certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. He joined SBI in 1977 and has worked in various capacities acquiring expertise in all aspects of Banking including credit and risk management, project finance, stressed asset management, and training.
 
He was selected to head the New York operations of SBI as the CEO for 54 months, he returned to India and took up responsibility of the Strategic Training Unit as the Chief General Manager, before present assignment as the Chief General Manager of the Foreign Offices in Mumbai”

Lanre Adesanya

Executive Director
Committee Memberships: Establishment Committee
External directorships: Sterling Asset Management & Trustees 
Date joined: Dec 22, 2005

Mr. Lanre Adesanya serves on the board as an Executive Director, an appointment he has held since January 2006. He started his banking career in 1987 as a Credit and Marketing Officer in Nigbel Merchant Bank Ltd (NBML) and was subsequently appointed pioneer manager for the Port Harcourt branch in 1991.
 

He rapidly moved up the rungs of the organization to become the General Manager overseeing the Port Harcourt and Abuja regions in December 2000. Subsequently, his responsibilities were expanded to cover Public Sector Banking and Management Services.

In 2003, he assumed the role of Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer of the bank from where he became the Managing Director.

Mr. Adesanya has attended many executive training programs and has over 21 years banking experience.

He holds both first and graduate degrees in Economics from the University of Lagos.

Devendra Puri

Executive Director
Committee Memberships:Credit Committee, Finance & General Purpose Committee, Risk Management Committee
External directorships: -
Date joined: Dec 10, 2009

Mr. Devendra Puri serves on the board as an Executive Director. He started his banking career as a direct officer with State Bank of India (SBI) in 1984.

He has held senior positions in Personnel & Human Resources, Training, Operations and Risk Management.

Mr. Puri was the Regional Manager in charge of Region II AO, Patna between 2008 and 2009; leading the Region to becoming the first among others to achieve some major milestones in the Bank. While serving as Circle Credit and Financial Officer at the SBI Local Head office in Patna between June 2009 and April 2010, he was promoted Deputy General Manager in August 2009.

Aderemi Rasheed Kolarinwa

Mr Rasheed Kolarinwa graduated from the University of Toronto with Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He obtained a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business, York University Toronto, Canada. In a career that spans three decades in the banking industry,

Mr. Kolarinwa has made invaluable contributions to the profession. He retired as the Deputy Managing Director of the defunct IBTC Chartered Bank. He is currently the Chairman of Capiflex Management Limited, an asset management and investment services firm.

Abubakar Sule

Executive Director, Corporate Banking
Qualifications:B.Sc (Accounting)
Date of appointment: Nov 01, 2011

Abubakar Sule graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Over the last 22 years, he has acquired extensive experience in the banking industry in various capacities. He spent his first 6 years working in supervisory and management roles at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) after which he assumed prominent positions in leading financial institutions in Nigeria.

He joined Sterling Bank in the General Management cadre in February 2003 where he held positions in several business areas including Treasury, Trade Services and Corporate Banking. After a brief stint as Managing Director, Sterling Capital Markets Limited, he was appointed Executive Director at Intercontinental Bank Plc by the CBN. While at Intercontinental Bank, he was responsible for the North Bank Directorate, Operations, Information Technology and Services.

Upon successful completion of his assignment at Intercontinental Bank Plc, he was appointed as Executive Director, Corporate Banking at Sterling Bank.