Yvonne Ike leads Bank of America’s strategic expansion in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on regional growth and impact.
Yvonne Ike is the Managing Director and Head of Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, a position she has held since 2014. She has over twenty years of experience in investment banking and capital markets and has played a key role in shaping the bank’s operations in a region characterised by economic diversity and development challenges.
Born in London and partly raised in Nigeria, Ike completed her secondary education there before returning to the UK for university studies. She began her professional career as an auditor at Ernst & Young International before transitioning to investment banking. Over the years, she has held senior roles at global institutions, including Lehman Brothers and JPMorgan, where she served for 15 years and was Managing Director overseeing West African operations.
Before joining Bank of America, Yvonne Ike was the CEO of West Africa at Renaissance Capital, where she led investment banking and securities trading activities across the region.
Bank of America’s African dominance
Bank of America ranks among the world’s largest financial institutions, offering a wide array of services, including investment banking, commercial lending, asset management, and risk advisory. Its presence in Africa, although limited compared to its operations in Europe or North America, focuses on providing corporate and investment banking services tailored to the continent’s financial and infrastructure development needs.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the bank engages with local businesses, governments, and investors through services such as fixed-income trading, equities, and capital markets transactions. Its approach combines global financial expertise with local insights, aiming to support key sectors in emerging markets.
Transactions and sector involvement
Under Ike’s leadership, Bank of America has participated in several high-profile transactions. She has been associated with the execution of global depositary receipt (GDR) listings for Nigerian banks, including a $750 million GDR for GTBank and a $300 million GDR for United Bank for Africa (UBA), both on the London Stock Exchange. She is also reported to have contributed to the merger of Stanbic and IBTC, a significant transaction in Nigeria’s banking sector.
In addition to corporate finance work, Ike has provided advisory services to public institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, and Lagos State, particularly in matters related to credit ratings and financial restructuring.
Social impact and philanthropy
Beyond her work in finance, Ike is active in social impact initiatives. In 2017, she founded the Adara Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on promoting women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and access to education in underserved communities.
She is also a trustee of the Dangote Foundation and the Christopher Kolade Foundation, contributing to leadership development and philanthropic efforts in Nigeria.
Ike’s contributions have been recognised across various platforms. In 2019, she was listed among the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa.
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