Dr. Philip Oti-Mensah
CEO

Dr. Philip Oti-Mensah is a dynamic and results-driven business leader with over 20 years of experience in Banking and Development Finance. His career spans leadership roles across Africa, where he has played a pivotal role in driving growth, operational excellence, and financial inclusion. Throughout his career, Dr. Oti-Mensah has led and advised numerous financial institutions, demonstrating a strong track record of transformation and innovation. He has served as a Management Consultant for FINCA Bank Tanzania, a Non-Executive Director at ProCredit Bank Congo, Deputy CEO of ProCredit Ghana, CEO of Union Savings and Loans, and CEO of OmniBank.

Dr. Philip Oti-Mensah is a dynamic and results-driven business leader with over 20 years of experience in Banking and Development Finance. His career spans leadership roles across Africa, where he has played a pivotal role in driving growth, operational excellence, and financial inclusion.
Throughout his career, Dr. Oti-Mensah has led and advised numerous financial institutions, demonstrating a strong track record of transformation and innovation. He has served as a Management Consultant for FINCA Bank Tanzania, a Non-Executive Director at ProCredit Bank Congo, Deputy CEO of ProCredit Ghana, CEO of Union Savings and Loans, and CEO of OmniBank.
In his most recent role as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of OmniBSIC Bank, he successfully led the seamless integration of systems, policies, and procedures following the bank’s merger. He also spearheaded a customer experience transformation program, reinforcing the bank’s position in the financial sector.
Dr. Oti-Mensah holds a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Project Management from the University of Ghana Business School. Additionally, he earned a Master of Applied Business Research and a Doctor of Business Administration from the Swiss Business School. His executive education includes programs from globally renowned institutions such as INSEAD (Singapore) and the London Business School (UK).
A distinguished finance professional, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and a Certified International Change Manager (CICM). He also holds a postgraduate diploma in International Bank Management from the ProCredit Academy in Germany.
His outstanding contributions to the financial sector have earned him numerous accolades, including the President’s Award for Excellence in Banking and Finance (2020) and the Private Sector COO of the Year (2023).
Beyond his corporate leadership, Dr. Oti-Mensah is an international speaker and guest lecturer on Leadership and Financial Inclusion. He also serves on the boards of several reputable institutions in Ghana.

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Ivy Therese Buagbe
General Manager, Credit

Ivy Therese 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 Therese 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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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 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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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.

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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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.

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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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.

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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