John Awuah appointed Deputy CEO of Ghana Association of Bankers

The Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) has appointed Mr John Awuah as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Mr D.K. Mensah, the current Chief Executive Officer, when he retires later in the year.

Prior to Mr Awuah’s appointment, he was the Managing Partner of Jawuah & Co. Advisors Ltd, a management and financial services consulting firm.

A statement issued by the Association on Wednesday said Mr Awuah would lead all strategic initiatives of GAB and champion the banking industry’s response to global banking practices, research opportunities, regulatory compliance, and emerging trends in sustainable financial services and financial inclusion efforts.

Mr Awuah, in response to his appointment, was quoted as saying: “The practice of banking has evolved; the change has been deep and impacted every aspect of the trade – our job is to navigate this phenomenal change professionally and remain in control.”

“I draw my excitement from the superior service experience that banking customers are enjoying and will continue to benefit as a result of unimpeded banking evolution globally.”

“At GAB, we will focus on building more inclusive banking with emphasis on technology, collaboration and holistic risk management practices across all our networks and channels.”

The statement said Mr Awuah’s strong knowledge of the banking industry could only be an advantage to the Association.

“We have every confidence in his ability to proactively coordinate industry efforts and be a strong advocate not only for banks in Ghana but for the entire financial services sector in the country and beyond,” Mr Alhassan Andani, the President of GAB, was quoted as saying.

“We assure him of our unflinching support.”

Mr Awuah has an MBA from the Oxford Institute of International Finance (Oxford Brookes University) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (United Kingdom) and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana.

He has previously worked with Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) as the CEO and has also held senior leadership positions as Finance Director at GCB Bank, Group Chief Finance Officer at Ecobank Capital, and Financial Controller at Barclays Bank of Ghana (now ABSA Bank).

He was also the Chief Finance Officer at UBA Ghana and as Finance Business Partner at Standard Chartered Bank Ghana with industry exposure from Tractor and Equipment Ghana (now Mantrac) and Western Castings Limited.

Established on May 29, 1980, the Ghana Association of Bankers is the country's leading mouthpiece for the universal banking sector, currently representing the interests of 23 member banks and the ARB Apex Bank.

It supports and promotes policies and initiatives that balance both the interest of banks and the wider public benefit.