Mr Essoka was appointed to the Board in June 2021 as an expert in finance, financial markets, audit, risk, investments, and international business.
He is Executive Chairman of IBURU, an advisory firm focused on economic development across Sub-Saharan Africa. He previously held several senior leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Group as Vice Chairman for Africa, CEO South Africa and Southern Africa and CEO Central and West Africa.
Mr Essoka is also Chairman, Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) of United Bank for Africa, Cameroon SA, Chairman (INED) of COGEBANQUE, Rwanda, and INED of Mobile Money Corporation of Cameroon where he Chairs the Audit, Risk and Compliance sub-committee of the Board. He is a former Senior Advisor to the President of the African Development Bank, working on the Africa Investment Forum, Former Chairman (NED) of SCB Côte d’Ivoire, Former Chairman (NED) of SCB Cameroon, Former NED and Chairman of the Audit Committee of SCB Mauritius. He has served on Boards in other jurisdictions including Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia and Uganda. He was a member of the Global Advisory Council of the London Business School (2000-2016).
Mr Essoka holds a BS Degree in Finance, an MBA in Finance and a Diploma in International Business from Seton Hall University, USA. In addition, he has attended Senior Executive Development programs at INSEAD, London Business School, Templeton College, Oxford University and Cambridge University.