Mr. Simon Aranonu has held the position of Executive Director of the Bank’s Large Enterprises Directorate since August 2016. His responsibilities include developing the Bank’s strategy for Nigeria’s larger corporates as well as managing BOI’s team in charge of the Large Enterprise loan portfolio.

Mr. Aranonu boasts of more than 30 years banking and financial consulting experience, including several senior positions in some of Nigeria’s better-known financial institutions. His significant expertise lies particularly with credit and corporate governance.

Mr. Aranonu’s banking career began in 1987 when he joined Chase Merchant Bank, later becoming Continental Merchant Bank, where he spent three (3) years in various Middle Management positions. In 2008, Mr. Aranonu was appointed Executive Director at Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) and had served as Executive Director in Global Bank Plc. He also worked at various times for Liberty Merchant Bank as an Assistant General Manager and also at Manufacturers Merchant Bank as an Assistant Manager.

Mr. Aranonu holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where in 1984, he also won the University Foundation Prize as the Best Graduating Student in Finance. He is also a Graduate of the Advance Management Programme of Stanford University California, United States.

Mr. Aranonu is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

An avid scholar, Mr. Aranonu has attended various business leadership programmes throughout his career, including courses at Harvard Business School, Chicago Business School, Columbia Business School, New York and Cranfield University UK. Other training programmes that he has attended included courses at Citibank School of Banking, New York, Chase Manhattan Bank, New York and Mellon Bank, Philadelphia. Mr. Aranonu has also been trained in Kellogg School of Management, Chicago, Illinois and Wharton Business School, Pennsylvania both in the United States. In the spring of 2000, Mr. Aranonu became a beneficiary of the USAID-sponsored Best and Brightest African Bankers training programme in the USA.

Mr. Aranonu is also licensed by the IFC to train Company Directors on Corporate Governance.