October - December 2017 •
The Lion King
• 31
ASK THE EXECUTIVE
a parameter that US and European
banks do not have to worry about.
An honour because of the leading
position in Africa of United Bank for
Africa and because of the trust that
has been put in me. And a great
responsibility of course to contribute to
the group’s further development and
leadership.
Did you have any cultural expecta-
tions?
It is like an investment in the future
where I can add value. As for work
content, I have goals and administra-
tive tasks to fulfil within a structured
organisation and in this respect it is no
different than serving any other “for-
eign” company. The content of work
however is very vast as I am constantly
developing new knowledge and rela-
tionships, so it feels very enriching. As
far as cultural expectations are con-
cerned, I have worked on deals with
Nigerian banks before and from those
interactions I did expect ambition and
a strong drive to succeed, which I
have encountered across the group
and which I share.
You’ve been here for a couple of
months. What are your impressions?
The “welcome to the family” message
is a reality. I interact daily with many in
the group as if we were on the same
site. I am thankful to everyone for their
great support in integrating me.
How differentiated is the UBA brand
in Paris?
We are clearly positioned as a pan-
African bank striving to serve custom-
ers best, but we are not alone and
must redouble our efforts to present
our strong value proposition: we can
serve and finance the flows of cus-
tomers both ways better than the
competition.
Where do you see the challenges and
opportunities for the Bank in 2018?
Mine can only be a partial view of
a newcomer. The global commod-
ity markets are expected to further
strengthen during 2018 which is good
news for all commodity driven econ-
omies. This will result in more flows,
heightened demand for funded and
unfunded credit lines and will give
us opportunity to seize business from
competitors who might be more con-
strained with their ratios. We shall work
hard towards satisfying this increased
demand in Europe and Africa. Access
to hard currency should further ease
against the positive macroeconomic
backdrop but the cost of it remains a
challenge compared to non-African-
based competitors and we have to
continue to devise ways to lower it.
Generally speaking, what are your
predictions for 2018?
Thanks to our hard teamwork, 2018 will
be a good year. We will have con-
solidated and expanded our market
share, further strengthened the brand
internationally and reduced our cost
of funds.
How do you unwind Rene?
Being with my family; seeing friends
and cooking with them; playing the
piano and listening to classical music;
being in the nature listening and
watching it.
