By Chinedu Nsofor
Fashola Akanni Shamsideen is a highly experienced and top rated Banker who has proven his mettle working in different Banks in the country and beyond at various levels of Management and Top Management positions.
As a man of high educational and mental capacity, he had his Tertiary Education at the prestigious University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) where he bagged a B.Sc. Accounting in 1993. By 1999, he was already an Associate Member of the Institute of Chatered Accountants of Nigeria and later went back to Obafemi Awolowo University for an MBA in Marketing.
In 2012, he became a Fellow of the International Academy of Retail Banking, London and in 2014, a Fellow of the Institute of Chatered Accountants of Nigeria, he subsequently bagged a Certificate in Strategic Management at Harvard Extension School in Boston and crowned it all with an Honourary Fellow of the Chatered Institute of Bankers in 2021.
His experience in Retail Banking cut across the entire gamut and spectrum of the Retail Banking Industry including Digital Transformation, Strategic Digital Product Development and Management, Sales Management, International Remittance, Risk Management, SME Business, Financial Inclusion Marketing (Advert/ Promotion), Performance Management, Project Management and Analytics Business Intelligence. He has led several Startup projects in the Retail Banking space on Digital Transformation, Product Development, Retail Asset Processing Centre, Sales Optimization, Performance Management, Business Intelligence Unit, Sales Force Management and Due Diligence on Retail Banking.
He has travelled to different parts of the world for Conferences, Hands-on Training and Marketing. Some of the Oversea exposures include: Microsoft Workshop in Reading U.K, Product Development Hand On Training with U.K.Post and Post Italaine. One Week Understudy of UTI Bank of India ( now Axis Bank) on Retail Banking, Backend Operation Management, Diaspora Marketing in Canada, USA, Italy, Spain,U.K. and South Africa. Also Strategic Management Training at Harvard e.t.c. In his Banking career, he has achieved a lot like: launching of Digital Investment Products platform with capability of integration with other third party investment Solutions through Simple API_Nest.
He is reputed to have conducted the first Mystery Shopping Exercise in Six Agent Banks as a tool to improve service delivery and drive service led promotion.
He set up and managed Western Union Franchise for Standard Trust Bank Plc which won the Best Agent in Africa and Middle East at the Western Union Agent Conference in Marrakech Morocco, 2005 and exceeded the Western Union set target for two consecutive years. Shamsideen Fashola’s work experience in different Banks in Nigeria is as engaging as it is phenomenal.
He started as a Youth Corper in May 1994 at the Ministry of Finance, Sokoto State Government and upon completion in 1995, moved to Tripple Gee and Co. Plc.Lagos, as an Internal Control Officer.
Between February 1996 to December 1999, he was at the Research International ( U.K. Nigeria) as Manager Finance and Strategy. By 2002 he moved his career to Standard Trust Bank Plc as the Resident Control Officer (Jos/ Abuja) and later Area Control Manager Abuja.
In 2003, he became the Profit Centre Manager, Special Liability Marketing. Still with Standard Bank Plc, he became the Product Manager, Money Transfer till August 2005. From August 2005 to April 2006, he was Head International EFT at the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. And by 2006, he crossed over to Bank PHB where he was the Head of Money Transfer. As the Marketing Manager of Money Gram International U.K., he developed and deployed marketing strategies for Money Gram.
He introduced new Product Development and Management and strengthened Relationship between Management and agents. He equally saw to the promotion of Money Gram in Nigeria and other major send corridors all over the world. In Bank PHB, he was Head Microfinance Bank Channels and Oversaw Remittance from July 2008 to December 2008 and from January 2009 to July 2009, he was the Divisional Head, Retail Banking at Bank PHB Plc. He was also the Divisional Head, Product Analytics and Retail Strategy from August 2011 to April 2012 at Keystone Bank Ltd.
He was also at the UBA Capital Plc. as Vice President, Consumer Finance Business and later Group Head, Product Customer Segments Management and DSA Management at FCMB and from September 2021 till date, he is the Divisional Head, Retail Banking at FCMB.
Shamsideen Akanni Fashola has also attended many Post Graduate Courses like Strategic Management Boston 2015, Retail Banking Certification, London,2012, Innovative Governance Training By Beebe Nelson 2018, He has also undergone Trainings in areas like: Emotional Intelligence, Leadership and Strategic Management, Personal Effectiveness and Performance Enhancement ___ Dale and Parker, Professional Selling Skills__ Konsult,Six Sigma of Marketing ( Western Union, Marrakech, Morocco) Marketing Management ( Western Union Lagos) Credit Analysis and Review Skills ( In House) Personal Effectiveness and Organizational Values LDC and mandatory continuous Professional Programes ( ICAN) He has interest in Travelling, Reading Books, Mentoring and rendering Voluntary Services to humanity.