The Chief Executive of Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), John Awuah has been honoured as the Finance Personality of the Year at the just ended 4thGhana Finance Innovation Awards (GFIA). 

The event which was held in Accra saw the UMB boss recognized for his immense contribution to the local financial space.

Mr Awuah was nominated to be the recipient of the award based on his enviable track record and shrewd leadership at UMB. 

The award criteria were based on his huge contribution and many years of experience in areas such as financial control, regulatory reporting, credit control, performance management, taxation, market risk monitoring, financial accounting, operational risk and corporate strategy.

Speaking to JoyBusiness Mr Awuah said the award, “Is through hard work and the unending support from a dedicated team; and we are hopeful this will not end here; we would capitalize on this achievement and increase our marketing offering to ensure that UMB is the bank of choice in Ghana.”

In the past year, the CEO of UMB has championed a myriad of forward-thinking physical and digital innovations that have significantly improved the way the bank operates and enhance its profitability. 

Notable amongst these achievements are the impressive financial performance of the bank in 2017 as Profit before Tax was in excess of 150 per cent over the performance recorded in the previous year, 2016.

Also in the digital mobile banking space, Mr Awuah spearheaded the successful introduction of the bank’s mobile banking application in 2018, UMB SpeedApp, which has since become one of the top finance applications in the industry following its official media launch in February 2018. 

The convenient services and features on the UMB SpeedApp are available to both customers and non-customers and as such a lot of the users have resorted to transacting on the mobile platform as against visiting the bank’s various branches nationwide to do business. 

The introduction of the mobile application was in line with the bank’s focus of digitizing the banking experiences of its existing customers as well as potential customers.

In his interaction with the media on the night, the CEO of UMB expressed his appreciation for the honour bestowed on him and dedicated the award to the loyal customers of the bank and then to every member of staff at UMB for their commitment to work.

Meanwhile, the 4th Ghana Finance Innovation Awards (GFIA) also saw the bank was also adjudged Best Customer Experience award.

About UMB Bank

UMB Bank is a full-service financial institution specializing in customized banking products and services.  UMB opened on March 15, 1972, and is a leading Ghanaian indigenous bank with considerable financial expertise. 

UMB is recognized for its entrepreneurial approach, innovative use of technology, and distinctive banking solutions.  UMB currently has 36 branches, three

UMB Centres for Businesses, one UMB PPP Incubator Centre and a vast network of ATMs.

The GFIA Award is an event meant to recognize leading, finance experts, teams and top finance organizations whose outstanding leadership and practices have elevated the standards of accountability within the profession, showcased brilliancy in managing organizations’ wealth as well as promoting economic growth.