Mr. Albert Essien is a seasoned financial specialist with 30 years of experience. He is the former CEO of Ecobank Group, responsible for taking the group into many of its African markets (9-countries) and most of its international ones (3 countries). His rich financial and cultural expertise in running Africa’s largest multinational bank is invaluable to companies that want to expand and build great businesses in Africa.
During Albert’s 25-year career with Ecobank, he was tasked in 2005, with supervising the bank’s businesses in the West African monetary zone, overseeing Ghana, Liberia and Guinea, and opening divisions in Sierra Leone and Gambia. Still in that role, he led the Bank’s expansion into East and Southern Africa to countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Mr. Essien opened the representative office in South Africa, becoming the chief representative for the country in 2008, and helped negotiate Ecobank’s alliance with South Africa’s Nedbank, which today is its largest shareholder. Internationally, he helped open offices in the UK, China, and Dubai.
Prior to his role as Ecobank Group CEO, Mr. Essien served in multiple senior/executive management roles and is now well known as a respected leader in decision making, finding strategic financing partners, and resolving challenges at the governance level.
Mr. Essien serves as Board Chairman of the Endowment Fund of the College of Physicians & Surgeons (Ghana), Oasis Africa Venture Capital Fund, and Ghana Amalgamated Trust (GAT). He also serves as a non-executive director of the following notable institutions: Development Finance Institute (Fin Dev), Canada; Old Mutual South Africa and LMI Holdings.