Standard Chartered has announced the appointment of Dalu Ajene as the Chief Executive Officer of the bank’s operations in Africa, with dual responsibilities as the Head of Coverage for Africa.
Until his appointment, Ajene served as the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Nigeria, a position he assumed in April 2024. Under his leadership, the bank recorded strong year-on-year financial performance, including meeting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapitalisation requirement of N200bn for national commercial banks ahead of the March 2026 deadline.
Before joining Standard Chartered, Ajene was the Chief Executive Officer of Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria, the bank stated in a statement on Thursday.
The bank said the appointment of Ajene, who has over 25 years’ experience in the global financial services sector, reflects its culture of promoting excellence and reinforces confidence among stakeholders in the Nigerian financial industry.
Speaking on his appointment, Ajene said, “Having had the privilege of leading Standard Chartered Nigeria over the past two years, I am deeply honoured to now take on broader responsibilities across Africa.
This transition reflects the strength of our franchise, the resilience of our teams, and the impact we have delivered in a period of significant change and development.
“Across the region, Standard Chartered remains a key partner in trade finance, structured solutions, and development finance, leveraging technology to deliver client-centric services anchored on trust.
“I look forward to working closely with our experienced teams across Africa to accelerate growth across our Corporate & Investment Banking and Wealth & Retail businesses, mobilise catalytic capital, and create sustainable value for our clients, stakeholders, and the communities we serve.”
Ajene holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is also described as a leader passionate about driving a culture of high performance centred on people empowerment to deliver best-in-class service to clients and strong financial outcomes for stakeholders.
He takes over from Kariuki Ngari, who served as CEO, Africa, and Sarmad Lone, who previously oversaw the bank’s Africa Coverage portfolio.
