/ Our People

Mr Segun Agbaje is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc), one of Africa’s leading financial services groups with a banking franchise that serves over 37 million customers across ten (10) African Countries and the United Kingdom.

Regarded as one of Africa’s leading CEOs with an in-depth understanding of complex businesses and fast-growing markets and a passion for innovation and embracing disruptive technologies, Mr Agbaje has over 30 years of experience in investment, commercial and international banking. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a master’s degree in Business Administration, both from the University of San Francisco, USA. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.

Prior to his current role, Mr Agbaje was the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc between June 2011 and July 2021. During this time, he led the bank through a decade of unparalleled growth, growing its customer base from less than 3 million customers in 2011 to over 24 million customers in 2020, and its profit before tax from ₦45.5 billion at the end of the 2010 financial year to ₦238.1billion at the end of the 2020 financial year.

In July 2021, following the corporate reorganization of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc into a Holding Company Structure, Mr Agbaje was appointed the Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO Plc, the new parent company of all Guaranty Trust banking businesses. Mr Agbaje’s portfolio also includes overseeing GTCO Plc’s establishment of strategic non-banking businesses in high-growth sectors, such as Payments, Asset Management and Pension Fund Administration. His unique ability to consistently see into the future with a clear sense of purpose had set the vision for Guaranty Trust’s transition, and with his wealth of experience in executing globally acclaimed projects and business deals, GTCO Plc is well-positioned to achieve its goal of becoming Africa’s leading financial services group.

In recognition of his sterling leadership and consistently outstanding performance, Mr Agbaje has been the recipient of several awards over the years, some of which include: the African Banker of the Year Award by the African Banker Magazine, the Banker of the Year, Africa by the World Finance Magazine and CEO of the Year at the Africa Investor Awards.

He is also the Co-Chairman on the MasterCard Advisory Board (Eastern, Europe, Middle East and Africa) and was elected to the Board of Directors of PepsiCo Inc., as an Independent Director and a member of the company’s audit committee in July 2020. In 2024, Mr. Agbaje was appointed as an International Ambassador of the Swiss Red Cross.

Mrs. Catherine Echeozo started her 33-year banking career in 1984 with Chase Merchant Bank Nigeria and also worked with Ecobank Nigeria Plc. She then began her 24-year career with GTBank in 1993. She was appointed to the Board of GTBank as an Executive Director in March 2005, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Bank in 2011 and served in that capacity until her retirement in March 2017. Mrs. Echeozo also represented GTBank on the Board of Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) from 2008 till March 2017.

After her retirement in 2017 from GTBank, Mrs. Echeozo was appointed to the Council of The Nigerian Stock Exchange as the Second Vice President and also served as an Independent Director of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited from 2017 – 2020. She presently manages Cathingens Empowerment Initiative, her social intervention & Investment entity and also serves in the following capacities:

-Chairman, NGX Regulation Ltd, a subsidiary of the Nigerian Exchange Group

-External Member, Investment Committee CDC Group.

-Member Board of Trustees First Cardiology Foundation.

-Member Finance Council. Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.

-Member Board of Trustees ICAN University

Mrs. Echeozo holds a first degree in Accountancy from the University of Nigeria, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Maryland, University College, USA. She became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in the year 2000 and a Certified Information Systems Auditor in 2005.

Mr. Suleiman Barau holds a postgraduate degree in Economics and Certificates in Management Research and Projects Planning. He is a seasoned banker and economist. His experience in the banking sector covered merchant, commercial and central banking.

Mr. Barau was between 2007 and 2017 a two term Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Prior to that he was a Special Adviser to the CBN Governor between 2005 and 2007. Mr. Barau had been involved in significant reforms of the banking and financial services industry during these periods particularly on banking, payments and monetary policies.

Mr. Barau has received executive education from most of the major global business schools.

Mr. Adebanji Adeniyi is an astute professional of over 24years, he acquired consulting and auditing experience in Coopers & Lybrand 1996-1998, PricewaterhouseCoopers 1998-2000 & Arthur Andersen 2000-2001. During his stint at the Big 4, he garnered experiences within the Manufacturing, Oil and Gas and Financial Services Industry providing value adding financial statement audit, assurance & business advisory services.

Mr. Adeniyi started Banking at Lead Bank in 2001, rose to Deputy Manager/Head, Internal Audit with responsibilities for Inspection &, Internal Control functions, Implemented Control tools amongst other projects at the Bank. In February 2006, he joined GTBank, rose to General Manager & Chief Financial Officer, having responsibilities for the activities within Financial Control, Strategy and Group Reporting Division. He has diverse knowledge and vast experience in planning, implementing, building and enhancing financial health of Organizations. Possesses strong analytical, General Management, Accounting, Financial Advisory & Control Skills.

Mr. Adeniyi has worked on several projects with challenging objectives; GTBank Eurobonds issuance working with PwC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and White & Case, led the finance team in converting 3years Local GAAP Financial Statement to IFRS FS in fulfilment of the listing requirement of $825m GDR on the London Stock Exchange and championed GTBank’s full transition and embedding of IFRS & has represented GTBank at several Road shows (RS) and Conferences (CFs) both locally and Internationally (GTBank/JPMorgan RS, HSBC, EFG Hermes, Rencap, Standard Bank & Moody CFs.

Mr. Adeniyi is an Alumnus of University of Ibadan, graduated with Doctor of Vet Medicine Degree in 1995,a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), bagged MBA in 1999 & HCIB in 2013. He has attended Local and International Trainings; Euromoney, Programme Certificate in Strategic Finance IMD Switzerland, Mckinsey Executive Leadership Programmes South Africa, Michigan Ross, Cranefield School of Management & LBS SMP.

Mr. Babatunde Soyoye holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Kings College, University of London, London, England (1991) and a Masters in Business administration from Imperial College London, England (1995).

Mr. Soyoye is a seasoned professional with over thirty (30) years’ work experience, twenty-nine (29) of which has been spent in investment/financial advisory services.

He is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Helios Investment Partners LLP, a private investment firm with its principal office in the United Kingdom, formed to pursue alternative asset class investments in Sub-Saharan Africa, specializing in investment in companies, growth capital for private enterprises, restructurings, joint ventures, startups and structured investments.

Prior to co-founding Helios Investment Partners, Mr. Soyoye was a principal responsible for Telecoms & Media investments across Europe for TPG Capital. Before that, he served as a senior member of the corporate strategy team at British Telecom, and manager of business development at Singapore Telecom International.

Mr. Soyoye has played a key role in the execution of $3 billion of investments across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.

He was an Independent Non-Executive Director in Guaranty Trust Bank plc from July 2016 to July 2020.