Zenith Bank’s CFO, Mukhtar Adam, Emerges Chief Financial Officer of the Year at the 11th AABLA

The award ceremony took place at the King’s Ballroom, Sun City, South Africa, on June 23, 2023. The honour places Mukhtar alongside other celebrated professionals across Africa.

Expressing his gratitude for the recognition, Adam thanked the judges and organisers of the award, expressing his appreciation for being deemed a fitting recipient of the ‘Chief Financial Officer of the Year’ for 2023.

He dedicated the award to the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR. Additionally, he expressed his gratitude to the management of Zenith Bank, his colleagues in Nigeria and the bank’s subsidiaries for fostering a positive work environment. Adam also extended his thanks to the bank’s many customers.

The AABLA, in partnership with CNBC Africa, represents Africa’s largest single-business awards, celebrating the pinnacle of African business achievement, a statement explained.
The AABLA has consistently narrated an African story of perseverance, success, innovation and accountability. It has become synonymous with recognising the finest in business leadership on the African continent.

Adam is a distinguished finance professional with over two decades of cognate experience. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Finance from Leeds Beckett University, an M.Sc. in Finance – Financial Sector Management from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, an MBA in Finance from the University of Leicester, and a B.Ed. in Social Sciences, specialising in Economics and Management, from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Adam also holds a Diploma in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from the esteemed Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Insurance from the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance in the UK. He has participated in several executive programmes at world-leading institutions, including the General Management Program (GMP) at Wharton Business School in the USA, Harvard Business School, INSEAD Business School in Paris, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana (ICAG), and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). Prior to his current role as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Zenith Bank Plc, Adam served as the bank’s Deputy CFO, leading the Financial Reporting, Tax Management and Strategic Planning Groups and supervising the Zenith Group’s entire financial reporting function. Before joining Zenith Bank in 2007, he honed his skills as a Senior Consultant in the Financial Services Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

His vast expertise spans numerous financial areas, from financial sector management and policy analysis to financial reporting and analysis, tax management, audit management, strategy development and execution, enterprise risk management, credit risk management, and financial advisory. He is also accomplished in capacity building and training. Adam is a prolific researcher with several professional and academic publications.

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