The Central Bank of Nigeria, in the early hours of Thursday, appointed Hassan Imam as the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Keystone Bank.
Olaniran Olayinka, the CEO of Keystone Bank and two other banks till the CBN dissolved their boards on Wednesday, steps down in favour of Imam as the new head of the commercial bank.
Imam has over 25 years of experience in banking and has held a number of executive positions.
Imam worked at Fidelity Bank as the North Region’s Executive Director starting in January 2020, before being named CEO. In that capacity, he oversaw the commercial, SME, consumer, and public sector operations of Fidelity Bank in 19 states in Northern Nigeria, including Abuja.
Prior to the bank’s 2005 merger with Fidelity Bank, Imam began working for FSB International Bank in 1998.
He had a number of executive roles at Fidelity throughout the years in the areas of risk management, SME, consumer banking, and commercial banking.
During his lengthy tenure at Fidelity, the new CEO of Keystone Bank ascended from General Manager to a position on the Board of Directors.
Hassan Imam completed his undergraduate studies in economics and went on to earn two master’s degrees, including an MBA. In addition to attending executive programmes at prestigious universities like Wharton and Harvard Business School, he is a licenced accountant.
In addition to being a senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, he is also a fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration, an associate member of the Chartered Public Accountants, and a graduate of Oxford and Pan-Atlantic Universities.