Barclays appoints Zambian Mizinga Melu to head Africa unit

The Barclays Africa group has appointed a Zambian top bank executive, Mizinga Melu, as chief executive officer (CEO) of Barclays Africa Regional Management.

Mrs Melu, whose appointment is effective from October 1, is expected to be responsible for the bank group’s businesses outside of South Africa.

“I am excited that we were able to appoint someone with such breadth of skills and experience into this role. Her appointment will be instrumental in executing our strategy on the continent,” said Barclays Africa group CEO, Maria Ramos.

Previously, Mrs Melu held a number of roles in Standard Chartered Bank including CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Zambia, Global Head of Business Organisations in the UK and Africa Regional Head of Financial Institutions in both South Africa and Kenya.

The global financial services provider also stated that country managing directors of all Barclays Africa’s businesses outside South Africa will report to Mrs Melu.

EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE

She will then co-ordinate integrated planning and ensure the development of product-led, country-specific strategies, as well as support their execution.

Mrs Melu will also oversee the development of stakeholder relationships with governments, regulators, the boards and customers in the countries.

The senior bank executive was appointed managing director of National Bank of Commerce in Tanzania in March 2013 where she built a strong team that is transforming that business.

With an MBA in finance from Henley Management School in UK and deep experience across many countries in Africa, Mrs Melu brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the role.

She was the first woman to hold the position of managing director and chief executive officer at Standard Chartered Bank-Zambia and during her tenure was the only female CEO in the 13 African countries where Standard Chartered Bank maintains subsidiaries.