All what you should know about new Polaris Bank CEO, Sonola

Adekunle Sonola, the new Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank is a stalwart with 33 years of experience across Africa.

His first message as CEO speaks volumes of his readiness for the new role if words were enough to judge character. He said:

“This is an exciting time for the Nigerian financial services industry, and we are committed to building on the strong foundations established by the departing board. We would like to thank them for their service and wish them well.“

His most recent experience before joining Polaris Bank was as Executive Director of Commercial Banking at Union Bank Plc, a position he was appointed to in 2015. He left Union Bank in March 2021 after six years.

He has also had international experience as he was the pioneer Regional Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank East Africa, where he successfully rolled out the franchise in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. He rose from being a member of the Corporate Finance Group to the Divisional Head of Corporate Banking. He also served as Director of Investment Banking Africa for Standard Bank of South Africa.

Sonola has served on the boards of Airtel Africa Plc and First Bank of Nigeria where he chaired the board’s Risk Management Committee.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language from Ogun State University, an LL.B in Law from Obafemi Awolowo University, and an MBA from Durham University Business School, Durham, United Kingdom.