About EDD Consulting Limited

With over 25 years’ experience managing transformational teams in Retail and Corporate Banking, Wealth Management and SME Banking providing Business Strategy, Corporate Turnaround and Financial Advisory for SMEs and Corporates, some of Stella Okuzu’s achievements are as follows:

1. Pioneered the Retail Banking Division of FCMB Bank (UK) Limited in the City of London, United Kingdom. Approved by the Bank of England for this role. Pioneer Head of the Business Unit starting and growing the business from a concept on paper to a thriving Business segment of the Bank to a high-growth sector of the Bank. Exceeded liability targets by 60% in 17 months of operation and as of September 2021 contributing 40% to the entire Bank’s customer base. 

2. Project Lead for the digitalisation of the Retail lending processes and model of the 350+branch wide First Bank of Nigeria, West Africa’s biggest Bank. Leading a multidisciplinary team, she pioneered digital retail lending in Africa’s largest economy. As Sector Head, she achieved a growth of about USD80milion, against the target of USD64milion by financial year end March 31,2006, leading a team of 25 Relationship Managers across the country.

3. Transformed Union Bank Plc’s Retail Lending Business, introducing 13 Retail Lending Products with Board approval in three months. In 12 months achieved 40% growth in loans to Individuals and SMEs across 350 branches of the Bank against a 30% growth target.

4. Through EDD Consulting provided financial and business consultancy services to Financial Institutions and Medium sized enterprises, including the world’s largest Christian international non-governmental organisation with presence in nearly 100 countries worldwide. She led EDD Consulting’s Executive Search Services for corporate clients’ key management positions such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Head Private Banking. She also generated and reviewed funding requests totalling $138milion on behalf of two investee companies in the Telecommunications and Oil and Gas sectors.

5. Crafted the Business strategy and designed the lending products and processes to enable a Microfinance Institution to obtain its operational license from a Central Bank in Africa.

6. Grew and managed both the Unsecured Lending and Mortgage Balance Sheet and increased this from $42milion as of December 2009 to $65milion by December 2010, 23% above target of $50milion. She was the Project Lead for the launch of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria’s SME Proposition, providing a bundled product offering thus increasing product per customer from 2 to 3.5. Migrated 40% of customer relationships to the Internet Banking platform and other alternative channels, reducing transaction costs by 50%.

7. As member of the McKinsey-led consulting team, restructured United Bank for Africa’s Retail Banking processes, branch layout and staff distribution. Managed the Relationship Management team and achieved turnaround of the SME segment of the bank from its previous stagnant position reducing non-performing loans by 40%. 

Stella has an MBA from IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain and is an Executive Doctorate Researcher on Entrepreneurship at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. She has also attended several other leadership courses and seminars including Columbia University's Board Corporate Governance Programme, Oxford University’s Fintech Programme, Stanford University Graduate School of Business’s Executive Management Programme, Imperial College Business School’s Fintech Innovative Banking programme and the Extrapreneurship (Revolut cohort) from the Centre for Finance, Technology & Entrepreneurship (CFTE), London. 

She sits on the Board of Fast Credit Limited, a Non-Bank Financial Institution in Nigeria and is the Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Board Credit Committee.

Stella is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Investments & Securities, UK, a Member of the  Institute of Directors, United Kingdom and is the pioneer President, Lagos Business School Alumni (UK Chapter) and an Honorary Senior Member (HCIB) Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

In her spare time, she is a Business Mentor at Invest Africa/University of Oxford - Said Business School’s Business Mentoring Programme for Oxford Said African MBA Students and a Mentor at Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ).

In January 2022, she was listed in LeadersHum’s (based in California, USA) Powerlist of the Top 200 Global Biggest Voices in Leadership to watch out for in 2022 and is listed in the Mayor of London’s 2023 List of Women Who Make London Great.