Nana Dwemoh Benneh
Chief Executive Officer

Nana Dwemoh Benneh has considerable local and international expertise in banking. He worked briefly with Merchant Bank Ltd after his graduate studies in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Ghana in June 1996. In September 1998, Nana Dwemoh moved to join Barclays Bank on Barclays Plc’s International Business Leadership Program.

Mr. Felix Awuku
Executive Director, Operations

Felix Awuku has direct responsibility over operations at the Bank, including e-operations, core banking operations, card operations, 3rd party/outsourced integrations and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Felix Awuku has direct responsibility over operations at the Bank, including e-operations, core banking operations, card operations, 3rd party/outsourced integrations and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
He is focused on cost optimization and operational excellence, adapting digital and straight-through processes to achieve exponential impact. He also ensures that the Bank’s work environment is adequate and safe; ensuring that the physical infrastructure is fit -for -purpose. Felix has over 15 years of banking experience in progressively senior management and executive positions.
In this role Felix has led the process of automating key processes in the Bank, including account opening and SWIFT operations. Felix has overseen the process of developing EZUPDATE, an online solution allowing customer to link their Ghana cards to their accounts online.
Before joining UMB, Felix had over a decade of banking experience in senior management roles from Barclays Bank Ghana Limited where he was the Head of Commercial Operations. In this role he acquired extensive knowledge and experience in the design and implementation of Operations Processes & Controls, as well as driving operational excellence in supporting the business.
Prior to this, he served Barclays Bank in various capacities including Head of Scheme Loan Collections in the Zambian operation, amongst other roles.
Felix is currently an adjunct lecturer at the National Banking College in the area of Operational Risk Management.

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Belinda Boamah
Executive Director, Strategy & Growth

Belinda Boamah is an Economist, a Banker and a Management Expert, with proven trackrecord spanning 25 years. Over the years, she has been able to put in place institutional structures to drive corporate goals and helped secure ambitious growth targets by leveraging on technology and digital solutions.

Belinda currently has executive responsibility for driving the Bank’s medium-term Strategy & Growth agenda, dubbed the OGYA! Strategy. In addition, she steers UMB’s strategic and long-range goal- planning functions, leading towards a sustainable and profitable path to the future. Prior to her current role, she served as Director for Virtual & Transaction Banking at the Bank. Belinda has held various senior management positions in Banking Operations, Risk Management Control, Transactional, Electronic and Digital Banking.
Key initiatives that have been delivered under her supervision include the reinvigoration of the Bank’s digital channels and processes, achieving significant milestones towards the Banks paperless, remote-enabled, customer life -cycle experience. As the most senior female executive in the Bank, Belinda is the embodiment of UMB’s aggressive diversity and inclusive agenda. She has been instrumental, with other female leaders in rejuvenating the UMB Ladies Association, with a focus on grooming the next cohort of leaders in the Bank.
Belinda holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MIS) from the University of Ghana and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium. She is also a graduate from the University of Ghana with a degree in Economics.

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Victor Kwaku Dikro
General Manager, Finance

Victor has overall responsibility for the Finance and Accounting function at the Bank . In this role Victor oversees inter alia financial control, preparation reports, cost optimization measures and general ledger management. He has led the process of financial structuring to align with the Bank’s medium-term strategy, including embedding an ROI regime for all revenue stimulation activity.

Victor is a noted accounting leader in the industry, reputed to have a keen eye for detail and leveraging the F&A function to provide insight required to deliver sound strategy. To this end Victor is a critical champion of the Bank’s medium-term strategy. He particularly focused on the strategic pillar 3 which states “Build a Strong Resilient Balance Sheet and Efficient Cost Profile”, and is known to be aggressive towards the kpi of growing the Bank to tier-2 status in the medium term. In line with this, Victor was a key EXCO sponsor for the promotional activity that helped propel growth of the Banks deposit line in excess of GHS3.5billion in 2022.
Victor joined UMB (then Merchant Bank Limited) in October 2007, as an Analyst responsible for startup companies and restructuring of viable but financially-distressed companies. He rotated in 2009 into the Finance Department, as a General Ledger Monitoring Officer. He progressed into other critical roles in the Finance team including Head, Management Accounts, Head Regulatory Reporting , Deputy Head, Strategy and Financial Controller.
Prior to joining UMB, Victor worked with the Amalgamated Bank Limited (Bank of Africa) as an Internal Control Officer responsible for Special Audits and Investigations and with Sammy Tsahey and Associates (Chartered Accountants and Tax Consultants) as an Audit Manager.
Victor holds an MPhil (Accounting) and a B.Sc. Admin (Accounting), from the University of Ghana, Legon and the Ghana Securities Industries Certificate from the Ghana Stock Exchange. He is also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. (FCCA) and a member of the Institute of chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG)

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Mrs. Brenda Semevo Afari
General Counsel

Mrs. Brenda Semevo Afari was appointed as Company Secretary of Universal Merchant Bank Ltd (UMB) in April 2015. In 2021 she was elevated to serve UMB as General Counsel, a position she currently holds.

Mrs. Afari has about 15 years of knowledge and work experience in the Ghanaian financial services sector working with UMB and its subsidiaries / affiliates (7years), Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited (4 years) and Awoonor Law Consultancy (3 years) a reputable firm of Corporate and In the 7 years preceding Mrs. Afari’s appointment to UMB, she served as Chief Legal Affairs and Corporate Governance Officer at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), a technical arm of the African Union Commission (AUC) responsible for implementing Pillar IV of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP Pillar IV). At FARA she supported institutions in obtaining and administering multi-donor funded trust funds, loans and grants and from financial institutions and international development organizations including the World Bank and European Union Commission.
Mrs. Afari is a Legal Practitioner with 23 years’ post call experience and a Corporate Governance professional. Her focus areas of law include business/commercial, investment and corporate law, legal aspects of banking and finance and international non-profit organizations. She has facilitated the efficient running of Boards across various jurisdictions. Her work has taken her to the USA and over 15 other countries in Africa and Europe.
She holds an LLM in Banking and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an LLB from the University of Ghana and GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels from Achimota School.
She is a British Chevening Scholar.

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Philemon Okyere Danquah
General Manager – Corporate Banking

Philemon Okyere Danquah serves as the revenue lead for the Corporate Banking division of the bank. UMB’s heritage is built on strong roots in corporate and merchant banking, which accounts for at least 40% of all the Bank’s revenue. Philemon is a noted leader in corporate banking, with significant leadership stints at leading banks including Barclays Bank Ghana (now ABSA Ghana), Standard Chartered Ghana and Stanbic Ghana. In all his alumni assignments, Philemon distinguished himself, winning several awards and acclaim as a high-performing commercial banking expert. His awards included delivering the largest single business banking deal ($100million) in the Standard Bank Group, Africa Regions in 2018.

Philemon currently leads an origination and client coverage team that has over 150 years of cumulative finance experience and continues to reinforce UMB’s brand position as the leading indigenous merchant bank in Ghana. Under his watch the division has refocused on delivering world class client coverage and advisory services, and has streamlined its value propositions. In less two years on current role, Philemon has reintroduced the Mining and Metals Business Unit of the bank, led the Value Chain Banking drive of the Bank and has activated the digitization agenda for corporate clients by introducing SPEEDMAX, UMB’s internet banking platform for corporates.
Philemon is a Certified Expert in Climate Change & Renewable Energy Finance from Frankfurt Business School. He holds a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) coupled with Master of Science in Development Finance from University of Ghana and Bachelors in Accounting and Economics from University of Cape Coast.

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Nelly Abotchie
General Manager, Public Sector & Syndications

Nelly Abotchie is a seasoned banking professional and general management specialist with almost 3 decades of banking excellence. Nelly started her banking career with UMB in 1995 (then Merchant Bank) within the marketing team of the Bank. She stood out for excellent performance and transitioned to serve in increasingly senior roles at the United Bank for Africa Ghana Limited.

Nelly rejoined the Bank in 2015, as part of the leadership of the Banks Wholesale Banking division. She currently has apex responsibility of the Public Sector and Syndications revenue team, delivering significantly to improved performance of the Wholesale Banking division in the last few years. She is currently noted as a champion of the Bank’s aggressive efforts to be the bank-of-choice to government and parastatal agencies, powered by UMB’s innovative digital platforms and banking-as-a-service innovations.
Nelly is also a champion of the Banks diversity and inclusion initiatives, as a female leader, mentoring many executives in the organization. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Ghana, Legon and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Ghana Legon.

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Kojo Asare Darpaah
Treasurer

Kojo Asare Darpaah serves as UMB’s Treasurer, bringing to bear significant and progressive experience in optimal asset-liability management, sustainable profitability of the trading book and a proven track record of solutionist impact. Kojo has carved a reputation as a financial engineering expert, noted for using investment techniques to harness and leverage required capital from both domestic and international sources to present innovative options to solve client problems and increase shareholder value.

Kojo’s career track over the last decade includes leadership as the Head of Trading at First National Bank Ghana, where he successfully set-up the FX, Fixed Income, and Money Market desks in the Global Markets and Treasury units of the FirstRand Group’s greenfield entry into Ghana. Kojo developed the product and mandate limits for the trading and banking books, and formulated and executed the Bank’s Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) strategy.
Prior to taking up his role at FNB Ghana, Kojo was Assistant Vice President, Fixed Income at Barclays Ghana. He set up the Fixed Income sales and trading desks, significantly ramping up Barclays’ visibility in the then burgeoning 3-tier Ghanaian pension market. He cemented his reputation for competent execution and innovation, being instrumental in the closing of several landmark GoG fixed income transactions with major offshore investors. Kojo was an inaugural member of the national technical committee mandated to create operational rules and guidelines for the Ghana Fixed Income Market (GFIM). Kojo’s superior performance was recognized with the “Best Trader Award” for Africa Markets in the Barclays Group, during this period.
Kojo started his career as a Management Trainee at CAL Bank, rotating through the Risk, Credit, and Treasury departments, eventually settling as an Associate, Corporate Finance where he played a variety of roles in the relationship management, credit origination and syndicated lending space
Kojo holds an M.S. in Financial Engineering from the Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California and a BSc. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Ghana, Legon. Kojo also holds the ACI Financial Markets Association Treasury Dealing Certificate.

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Samuel Sakyi-Hyde
General Manager, Consumer Banking

Samuel Sakyi-Hyde has over twenty-three (23) years’ banking experience in Financial Services Management, Rural Banking, Credit Risk Management, Domestic Operations, Business Development, Retail and SME Banking, Internal Audit, Treasury Management, Trade Finance, Corporate Banking and Project Management.

Samuel has previously worked with Ga Rural Bank Limited, Amalgamated Bank Ghana Limited (now Bank of Africa) and uniBank (Ghana) Limited (now CBG Limited), where he occupied various managerial positions and introduced several initiatives which stimulated the growth and value of the banks’ retail and SME customer base and credit portfolio.
He holds an International MBA in Banking and Finance and Risk Management from the Business School Netherlands.

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Ivy Theresa Buagbe
General Manager, Credit

Ivy Theresa Buagbe currently serves as is the General Manager for Credit at the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), charged with strategically managing the entire credit process of the bank.

In her role, she has successfully initiated and implemented many impactful processes and programmes purposely to reengineer the credit space in achieving positive results and enhanced productivity in line with the Bank’s overall strategic objectives. Ivy has over 23 years of considerable expertise in Credit Management within the financial sector, where she has been instrumental in driving organizational goals and strategies to reflect the institutions cultural change and bottom line figures.
Ivy is an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and before taking up the leadership role at UMB, she had held many leadership positions including Head of Credit Risk Prevention, at Bank of Africa, Ghana. Her passion for creating a legacy impacted positively in how she purposely nurtured and grew the function and mandate of this newly created role within the industry until it became a strong standing support for the institution’s profitability.
While working for various organisations in Ghana, Ivy has demonstrated resourceful and leadership qualities in different capacities within the financial sector such as Business Relationship Management, Asset Management, Credit and Enterprise Risk Management. Credit, Enterprise Risk, where she has a proven track record of helping these organisation consolidate their gains
Ivy is a proud alumnus of the University of Cape Coast, where she first graduated with a Diploma in Education and later a Bachelor Science (BSc.) Degree in Mathematics. She also holds a and Executive MBA in Finance from the University of Leicester, UK as well as a qualification in Enterprise Risk Management.

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Randal Ofori-Boachie
Chief Risk Officer

Randal Ofori-Boachie is a Chartered Accountant with over 19 years post qualification experience in Internal Controls, Auditing, Finance and Risk Management having worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited, Sovereign Bank Limited, Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited, and First Atlantic Bank Limited.

With over 17 years experience in banking, He has worked in various roles including Chief Risk Officer in Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited and Sovereign Bank Limited and is credited with developing the Enterprise Risk Management function in both Banks. Prior to joining UMB, He held the position of Chief Internal Auditor in First Atlantic Bank.
He holds an MSc in Development Finance and BSC (Hons) Banking and Finance degree with First Class Honors from the University of Ghana, Legon. He is member of ACI Financial Markets Association and a Fellow of ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

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Charlotte Lily Baidoo
Head, SME Banking

Charlotte Lily Baidoo has MBA in Finance and is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Economists (Ghana). She has acquired vast experience on the Ghanaian Banking landscape over a period of eighteen years, with specific focus on financial inclusion of women, poverty alleviation and SME financing.

Her forte has been in designing and implementing women-targeted products and interventions aimed at empowering entrepreneurs, something she sees as the surest route to poverty alleviation.
From 2006 until 2019, before she joined the Universal Merchant Bank, she had held various roles in different financial institutions ranging from Credit Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer both here in Ghana and Nigeria.
In all these roles, her specialty has been in the efficient delivery of credit to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with emphasis on micro entrepreneurs. During her working career, she has been able to nurture and groom a sizeable number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), many of whom have demonstrated their loyalty moving their business accounts to wherever she finds herself.
Charlotte’s leadership is defined by her passion for growth, excellence and innovation She has designed, implemented and rolled out innovative tailor-made products for SME financing in Ghana. As a trailblazer and a role model, she is passionate about grooming and empowering young entrepreneurs, especially, females.
Being a firm believer in the positive impact SMEs can make in the economies of their countries, she tries to identify avenues to educate them on seeking financial support from financial institutions.
In 2016 and 2017, Charlotte received two awards from the African Network Of Enterprises (TANOE), through its flagship network, Woman Rising Program, as one of the Woman Rising Top 60 Women Corporate Leaders in Ghana. These were followed, the following year, by another award as the Finance Woman of the Year 2018.
She currently serves on the Board of Yolo Beauty Salon and Spa as well as being a Trustee of the Esther Ocloo Foundation.

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Mr. Ernest Pascal Gemadzie
General Manager, Recoveries

Ernest Pascal Gemadzie is a lawyer with over 24 years of standing at the Bar. As a practicing lawyer, he has over 15 years of working experience in various banks in Ghana, including Intercontinental Bank Ghana Limited (now Access Bank), in key areas such as legal services, credit risk management, litigation, and recovery issues.

He holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Ghana and a Barrister At-Law Certificate (BL) from the Ghana School of Law. Additionally, he possesses a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law & Sustainable Development from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Netherlands, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise & Investment Lawyers Course from the International Law Development Organization (IDLO), Italy.
Prior to his current role, he served as the Director of Legal Services at the Bank from 2015. In his current role, he is at the forefront of converting non-performing loans into performing ones through a combination of aggressive recovery measures and legal proceedings in court, aiming to build a strong and resilient balance sheet for UMB.

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Rexford A. Darko
Chief Information Officer

Rexford A. Darko is an Electrical Engineer and an IT Professional, with proven track-record in planning and delivery of Banking Technology spanning over 26years. He is responsible for providing strategic direction for IT services delivery in alignment with business strategy. He has been able to put in place the required structures to drive systems stability, efficient service delivery and service availability whiles reducing cost of IT Operations.

Prior to joining the Bank in August 2021, Rexford worked as the Regional CIO for the Anglophone West Africa Region of Ecobank for almost 10years with responsibilities for Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry.
Key initiatives that have been delivered under his supervision include the replacement of critical Data Center equipment (servers, storage devices, Routers and Firewalls); the setting up of a 24/7 monitoring of IT equipment and services; the setting up of IT operational and governance structures such as IT Service Management unit; Information Technology Steering Committee (ITSC); Change Advisory Board (CAB) and certification of the Bank for ISO/IEC 27001:2022. This has culminated in a well-structured IT organization delivering a streamlined technology solutions and system changes in a secured manner as well as rapidly responding to service issues.
Rexford holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester – UK. He is also a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Electrical/ Electronic Engineering.

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Gibson Annor-Antwi
Chief Digital Officer

Gibson Annor-Antwi brings a wealth of global experience in management consulting, having worked across various regions for several years. His expertise spans Cloud Transformation, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, and Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), where he has successfully led teams and delivered impactful outcomes.

In his role as Chief Digital Officer, Gibson assumes the responsibility of envisioning and transforming the way we integrate people, data, and processes, thereby generating value for our customers and maintaining a competitive edge in today’s digital-centric landscape.
Gibson possesses a range of certifications, including Certified Blockchain Expert, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA), Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect, Robotic Process Automation Power User, Payment Card Industry Professional, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, ITIL, and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS).
Prior to joining UMB Bank, Gibson gained invaluable experience working at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the renowned global Big 4 consulting firms.

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Samuel Hymore Boahene
Chief Internal Auditor

Prior to his appointment as the Acting Chief Internal Auditor, Samuel Hymore Boahene was the manager in charge of Internal Control and Monitoring department of UMB. He played pivotal role in setting up Internal Control and Monitoring department in October 2014.

Previously, he worked with erstwhile Metropolitan & Allied Bank/BPI, International Commercial Bank (FBN), and also Access Bank Ghana.
He is a Chartered Accountant, a Chartered Banker and an alumni of the University of Cape Coast and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree and Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, respectively
He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana and Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana and also a registered member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

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Charles Leslie Koranteng Odame
General Manager, Human Resources (Ag.)

Charles Leslie Koranteng Odame is an energetic and enthusiastic HR Generalist with over 15years working experience in Human Resource Management, HR Business Partnering, Rewards, Compensations & Benefits/Talent Management, spanning the insurance, outsourcing, and banking industries respectively.

Leslie currently has responsibility for driving the Bank’s people agenda, on developing a high performing talent and agile culture. Prior to his current role, he was HR Business Partner of the Bank. Leslie has held various positions in the Human resource function in two banks prior to joining UMB Bank.
Leslie holds a Commonwealth Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (CEMBA) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He is also a graduate from the University of Ghana with a degree in Political Science & Sociology. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management, Ghana (CIHRM).

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Solomon Dawson
Head, Compliance & AMLRO

Solomon Dawson is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in compliance and risk management within the banking industry. Currently serving as the Head of Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Officer (AMLRO) at Universal Merchant Bank, Solomon has demonstrated expertise in regulatory compliance, corporate governance, financial crime prevention, and strategic compliance management.

With over a decade of experience in leading compliance departments for various local and international banks in Ghana, Solomon has a proven track record of successfully establishing and developing compliance frameworks from scratch. He has also worked as a consultant with Price Waterhouse Coopers, overseeing the winding down of a bank’s compliance department.
Solomon’s achievements include implementing effective risk assessment matrices, integrating data privacy impact assessments into compliance operations, and developing frameworks for incorporating environmental, social, and governance risks into credit underwriting. He has also played a key role in enhancing fraud prevention systems, implementing sanction screening processes, and developing policies and guidelines for regulatory compliance.
As an active member of professional bodies such as the Association of Certified AntiMoney Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) and the Association of Certified Compliance Professionals in Africa (ACCPA), Solomon is dedicated to promoting best practices and providing training on anti-money laundering, terrorist financing, and risk management.
Solomon holds an MBA in Finance from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and has completed various certifications related to compliance, risk management, fraud examination, and data protection. He is an effective communicator and has a passion for coaching and mentoring compliance professionals.

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Kofi Safo Akyea
Head, Marketing, Corp. Communication & Customer Experience

Kofi Safo Akyea joined UMB in 2021, to lead the Bank’s marketing and CX efforts. In this role Kofi is responsible for product marketing, brands and advertising, the corporate communications strategy and the CX delivery engine. He is charged to drive the banks stated medium term strategy to be a leader in service quality and a preferred bank in designated segments. In 24 months, Kofi has revitalized the UMB brand, leveraging the banks 50th anniversary to achieve a top-5 position in media presence in 2022, from a tier 3 classification. Kofi’s promotional strategies have been key to the bank exceeding its deposit mobilization targets from GHS3billion to GHS4billion 2022. Kofi has achieved further success in deploying the go2market programs for the bank’s digital innovations, crafting a unique brand for these under the SPEED sub-brand.

Kofi joined UMB from MoneyGram International where he served as marketing lead for Anglophone Africa. This remit covered 25 countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Angola. Prior to joining MoneyGram, Kofi was Marketing Manager at Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, and a key account manager at Origin8 Saatchi &Saatchi.
Kofi has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Business Administration, as well as an MPhil in Marketing- both from the University of Ghana. Kofi also has an MA in Global Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He recently also attended the FINTECH certificate program of the Said Business School, Oxford and is a fellow of the CSIS AILA program. He is a member of the Institutes of Marketing in Ghana and the U.K. and is also a member at Chatham House.

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