Bankers of The Year
africa
Segun Agbaje
Guaranty Trust Bank
Since earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco, Segun Agbaje has gone on to excel in international banking. He now has more than two decades’ experience in the field and enjoys a reputation that stretches across West Africa. After a stint at EY, Agbaje joined Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) in 1991. Always one to stand out from the crowd, Agbaje was soon noticed and quickly rose through the ranks: he became executive director in January 2000, and was then named deputy managing director in August 2002. Today, as well as being the managing director of GTBank, Agbaje also serves as the chairman of the board of directors. During his time at the helm, he has been instrumental in the bank’s continued growth, and also led it to become the first bank in sub-Saharan Africa to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.
asia
Tatsufumi Sakai
Mizuho Financial Group
Tatsufumi Sakai is a true Mizuho veteran. Following his graduation from the University of Tokyo in 1984, Sakai joined the Industrial Bank of Japan – one of the three institutions that merged 20 years ago to create modern-day mega-bank Mizuho. His rapid ascension through the ranks saw him head up the elite corporate planning unit – a highly sought-after role in the Japanese financial services sector – before taking on the top job last April. He has since reversed the recent trend of declining shares by adopting an analytical, numbers-focused approach and introducing a calculated yet risk-driven culture to the bank. Colleagues know him for his love of books, his detail-orientated attitude and his brand of reasoned, no-nonsense pragmatism – all highly relevant traits for the leader of one of Japan’s most prestigious lenders.
australasia
Lyn Cobley
Westpac
Since receiving her bachelor’s degree in economics from Macquarie University, Lyn Cobley has spent more than 25 years in financial services. Before joining Westpac, she worked at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as group treasurer and executive general manager of retail products and third-party banking. Since September 2015, Cobley has been the CEO of Westpac Institutional Bank, where she is responsible for global relationships with corporate, institutional and government clients, as well as overseeing the company’s Pacific Island businesses in Papua New Guinea and Fiji. A strong advocate of mental health, Cobley is the executive sponsor of Westpac’s Wellbeing Employee Action Group. She is also focused on shaping the future of business by working as a judge for the Businesses of Tomorrow programme.
europe
Zbigniew Jagiełło
PKO Bank Polski
After first obtaining a degree in engineering, Zbigniew Jagiełło went on to earn his Executive MBA at the University of Gdansk, which was certified by the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Jagiełło began his work in the financial sector at Pioneer Pekao Investments, where he served for nine years as president of the management board. He later helped to establish the PKO/Credit Suisse TFI mutual funds company, becoming its first vice president, before being named president of PKO Bank Polski in October 2009. Since then, he has helped steer the company through a financial crisis, earning him a place on Bloomberg Businessweek Polska’s list of top 20 managers in a crisis in 2012. Jagiełło has also been recognised for his work in promoting corporate and social responsibility.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Gianfranco Ferrari
Banco de Crédito del Perú
Gianfranco Piero Dario Ferrari de Las Casas became CEO of Banco de Crédito del Perú – the oldest and largest bank in Peru – in 2018, after becoming the bank’s deputy CEO in 2017. Since 1995, Ferrari has worked his way up the ladder at Credicorp, the financial holding company that owns Banco de Crédito: he is also deputy CEO and head of universal banking at the group. Having worked in numerous positions across the banking industry, Ferrari has a diverse range of experience: in 2015, he launched the group’s digital transformation strategy with the aim of building customer-focused solutions. The bank has since been recognised for its innovative payment solutions. Ferrari holds a degree in business administration from the University of the Pacific, and he received a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 1995.
middle east
Adnan Chilwan
Dubai Islamic Bank
With more than a decade of experience in Islamic banking, Adnan Chilwan has become well respected for his visionary leadership. Since becoming group CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) in 2013, he has been a key figure in pushing the organisation towards a new era of growth. In particular, he has been instrumental in driving the bank’s international expansion: in 2017, Chilwan identified Kenya as the perfect location for an African subsidiary, and last year expanded the bank’s regional team with a number of impressive local hires. Prior to joining DIB, Chilwan worked at a number of other financial institutions in the Gulf region, including Mashreq, HSBC and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. Whichever company he is based at, Chilwan has been hailed for his forward-thinking approach and commitment to boosting the worldwide appeal of Islamic finance.
north america
Thasunda Duckett
Chase Bank
As CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, Thasunda Duckett is driving the rapid expansion of JPMorgan Chase’s retail banking division. Across the US, Chase has around 5,300 branches and 18,000 ATMs serving 23 million households. Duckett was promoted to lead the banking network in 2016 after working as CEO of Chase Auto Finance from 2013, where she drove the business up from 27th to first place in the prime and non-prime areas of the JD Power US Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study. During her time in the auto finance group, Duckett also launched a new direct-to-consumer business, Chase Auto Direct. Among other positions, Duckett worked as the national retail sales executive for Chase Mortgage Banking. Before that, she was the director of emerging markets at mortgage lender Fannie Mae, where she led strategies designed to increase home ownership among minority groups.