Mrs. Yemisi Edun

Mrs. Yemisi Edun is one of Nigeria’s most accomplished women in finance, and a name that carries real weight in the country’s banking industry. She made history in January 2021 when she was appointed Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), becoming the first woman to ever hold this position in the bank’s history, and was confirmed substantively in the role effective May 1, 2021, following approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Her journey to the top was not overnight. She began her career with Akintola Williams Deloitte in 1987, with a focus on corporate finance activities, and joined FCMB in 2000 as Divisional Head of Internal Audit and Control before eventually rising to become the bank’s Chief Financial Officer.

On the academic side, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, and a Master’s Degree in International Accounting and Finance from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. Her professional credentials are equally impressive. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a CFA Charter holder, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, an Associate Member of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. She is married and a mother of two children.

Under her leadership, FCMB has grown in very tangible ways. She steered the bank toward increased SME lending, and the bank delivered a profit before tax of 27 billion naira for the year 2022, representing a 72 percent growth compared to the previous year. She also championed women’s economic inclusion through the bank’s SheVentures initiative, a program that disbursed up to 800 million naira in zero-interest loans over five years while providing training and mentorship to thousands of women-led small and medium-sized enterprises.

Her impact did not go unrecognized. She was named Banker of the Year 2023 by Leadership Newspaper for her contributions in steering FCMB towards SME financing and earning the bank international recognition.