Zenith Bank PLC

Zenith Bank PLC is one of Nigeria's largest and most profitable commercial banks, founded on 16 May 1990 by Jim James Ovia CFR CON (born 4 November 1951 in Agbor, Delta State) with a capital base of USD 4 million, and commenced operations in July 1990 from a converted residential property in Victoria Island, Lagos. Jim Ovia - called "The Godfather of Banking" by Forbes Africa - served as pioneer CEO/Managing Director for 20 years until July 2010, when he became Chairman. He holds a B.Sc. from Southern University (Louisiana, 1977), an MBA from the University of Louisiana (1979), and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School's OPM programme. Zenith Bank listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on 21 October 2004 following a successful IPO, and in 2013 it completed an USD 850 million GDR listing on the London Stock Exchange. The bank reported total assets of approximately NGN 29.96 trillion and gross earnings of NGN 3.97 trillion in 2024, with shareholders' equity of NGN 4.029 trillion. Zenith operates over 500 branches across Nigeria and maintains subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, France, and an office in China. Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji OON became Group Managing Director/CEO in 2024, with nearly three decades of banking experience and over 20 years at Zenith. The bank was named Best Bank in Nigeria at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025.