Access Bank Kenya has appointed Ralph Chinedu Opara as its new Country Managing Director, following approval from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

In a notice dated Wednesday, September 10, the bank confirmed that Opara’s appointment took effect on September 8, 2025.

“Access Bank Kenya (“ABK”) today announces the appointment of Ralph Chinedu Opara as the Country Managing Director for Kenya, effective 8 September 2025,” read the notice in part.

“Opara has a proven record of driving growth, managing large-scale portfolios, and leading transformational initiatives across Africa.”

He succeeds Lillian Odhiambo, who has been serving in an acting capacity since 2024 and will now continue as Executive Director, Wholesale Banking.

Opara previously served as Group Head of Access Bank Group’s Commercial Banking Division, growing it into the Group’s largest commercial business, with a balance sheet of over $1.2 billion and risk assets exceeding $1.3 billion.

He has led key initiatives, including the Access-Diamond Bank integration, international expansion of specialized desks with global DFIs such as DEG (Germany) and FMO (Netherlands), and helped Access Bank meet Nigeria’s new central bank capital requirements ahead of peers in 2024.

ABK Chairperson Barbara Barungi welcomed the appointment, saying: “Mr. Opara is an Access Bank Group veteran and a seasoned banker who has demonstrated agility and efficiency throughout his career. I am confident that his operational experience and leadership, combined with the local team’s deep knowledge, will drive the business to greater heights in Kenya and beyond.”

Opara assumes leadership as ABK undergoes a merger process with the National Bank of Kenya (NBK).

Together with leadership teams from both institutions, he will guide the Integration Management Office (IMO) to deliver a stronger, regionally connected institution blending local trust with pan-African scale to accelerate Kenya’s economic transformation.

The new Country manager brings with him more than 25 years of banking experience across Africa, with a career marked by strategic leadership in commercial banking, corporate finance, and institutional growth.

Opara has served as a Non-Executive Director at Access Bank RDC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2020, where he has provided strategic guidance on risk management, financial performance, and overall business growth.

At Access Bank Plc in Nigeria, Opara rose to become Group Head of the Commercial Banking Division in 2018, a role he has held for seven years.

Previously, between 2014 and 2018, he was the Zonal Head of the Commercial Banking Group, managing some of the bank’s largest conglomerates.

Before joining Access Bank, Opara spent more than a decade at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), where he headed the Abuja Commercial Banking Group from 2011 to 2014, growing the bank’s footprint in construction, commerce, healthcare, and hospitality.

Between 2001 and 2010, he led the Public Sector business, overseeing major accounts in oil and gas, telecommunications, power, and pensions during Nigeria’s privatization and deregulation era.

Opara began his career at First Bank of Nigeria in 2000 as a Corporate Finance Relationship Analyst, where he worked on loan syndications, privatization mandates, and financial advisory services.

A seasoned banker, director, and Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Opara holds advanced degrees in banking and international development, as well as executive education from Harvard, Wharton, IMD, and Cranfield.

Opara attended Harvard Business School, where he completed the Advanced Management Programme in Business Administration and Management. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Business from Emeritus.

He earned a Master of Science in International Development from the University of Birmingham in 2011, graduating with distinction, and a master’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 

Opara’s foundational studies include a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance from the same university.

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