Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Freda Yahan Duplan as the new Chairperson of its Board of Directors with effect from January 1, 2020 following the approval of her appointment to the Board by the Bank of Ghana.
Mrs. Duplan, takes over from Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Chinery-Hesse, the current Chancellor of the University of Ghana, a retired diplomat and International Civil Servant with a career spanning decades, who was the pioneer Board Chairperson of the Bank from inception in 2005 - 2019.
Mrs. Duplan, comes to this new role with a wealth of global corporate experience. Until her retirement, she was the Managing Director of Nestlé Paskistan Limited. She previously was Managing Director for Nestlé Ghana and also briefly held the position of Head of Nestlé Business Services in Manila, Philippines.
Mrs. Duplan is a trained Computer Scientist with almost three decades of working experience with the Nestlé Group having risen through the ranks to become the first African Female Market Head in the Nestlé Group and the First Ghanaian Managing Director of Nestlé Ghana Limited. She has rich skills set in Strategic planning & Management, Change Management, People Development & Management, Sales & Customer Management along with High Level Negotiations. She also successfully led Nestlé Ghana Limited to become the first in the Central and West Africa Region (CWAR), to go live with SAP.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Akindele Ogunranti, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Ghana said, “We are truly excited with the appointment of our new Board Chairperson who will lead the Bank into its next phase. Mrs. Duplan has an enviable and proven track record in the pursuit of business excellence and market dominance. She identifies with our commitment to corporate governance, the values on which the Bank was founded and the strategic direction in which the Bank is headed. We look forward to her bringing on board, her experience to achieve the vision of the Bank.”
The MD/CEO added, “We are grateful for the selfless commitment and dedication of our former and pioneer Board Chair, Dr. Mary Chinery-Hesse, under whose astute leadership the Bank has grown to be one of the largest and most respected Banks in Ghana.”
On her part, Mrs. Duplan remarked that she is pleased to be appointed to serve as Chairperson on the Board of Directors for Zenith Bank Ghana. “This presents a great opportunity for me to partner with the other members of the Board, Management and Staff of the Bank to spearhead initiatives, policies and strategies that are guaranteed to move the Bank to its next phase and position it as a market leader in the Ghanaian banking industry. Zenith Bank is poised for greatness,” she said.
