The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) Council has appointed Mrs Abena Osei-Poku as the new Chairperson of the Council.
A statement issued by the GSE said Mrs Osei-Poku’s appointment took effect from October 14, 2021.
It said Mrs Osei-Poku, who is the Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, is the second female in 26 years to become the chairperson of the Exchange after Mrs Gloria Nikoi of blessed memory.
The statement said Mrs Osei-Poku took over from Mr Ray Anselm Sowah, whose tenure ended at the last annual general meeting held on July 28, 2021.
“As one of the three independent members on the Council representing the Associate members, Mrs Abena Osei-Poku is also the Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana – a systematically important player in the Ghanaian economy. Abena is credited with leading the successful Barclays transition from a “100-year-old household brand into Absa,” the statement said.
It added that she was responsible for charting a transformational direction for the bank and for entrenching the new brand amongst key clients, customers, and all stakeholders. Prior to this, she worked at Absa Group in South Africa as Managing Director responsible for the Corporate and Investment Banking business in East and West Africa.”
“As a High-Ambition leader, Abena combines effective commitment to high financial performance and social good. She has over 27-years pan-African experience from Standard Chartered and Barclays Bank with various leadership roles in risk management, corporate governance, business management, strategy, client coverage and change management,” the statement said.
It said Mrs Osei-Poku had broad board experience having previously sat on boards in telecommunications, banking, commerce, and hospitality. She is currently the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana. In addition, she sits on other executive fora and is an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana.
The Absa Bank Ghana Managing Director is an alumnus of University of Ghana Legon and has an MBA from the ManchesterBusiness School in the United Kingdom. She has participated in various leadership and other programmes worldwide and fluent in English with a working knowledge of French.
The GSE Council wished Mrs Osei-Poku well as the new chairperson of the Council and pledged to support her to succeed.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
