Jim James OVIA,

Biographical record

Title

Mr

Surname

OVIA,

First Name

Jim

Other Names

James

Gender

Male

Source of Publication

NIBC Who's Who (3rd Edition)

Date of Birth

November 4, 1951

Status

Alive

State of Origin

Delta State

Place of Birth

Agbor, Delta State

Father's Status

N/A

Mother's Status

N/A

Marital Status

Married

Name of Spouse

Okay Ovia

Names of Children

Isioma Ovia

Profession

Banker
Administrator
Businessman
Philanthropist
Writer
Motivational Speaker

Working Experience

Jim Ovia is the founder of Zenith Bank. He started the bank in 1990 and served as CEO until 2010 when he became the chairman. Under his leadership, Zenith was transformed into and positioned as one of the largest and most profitable banks in Africa. Zenith bank has expanded over the years and established operations in countries outside Nigeria, countries like- Sierra Leona, Ghana, South Africa, the Gambia and the United Kingdom. Ovia is also the founder of Visafone Communications Limited; Chairman, Nigerian Software Development Initiative (NSDI); Chairman, National Information Technology Advisory Council (NITAC), Chairman of Cyberspace Network Limited; Member, Honorary International Investor Council, and Member, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI).
He is the founder and Chairman, Mankind United to Support Total Education (MUSTE), a philanthropic organization focused on providing scholarship for the less privileged, Founder of the Youth Empowerment/ICT Foundation, which focuses on improving the socio-economic welfare of Nigerian youths by inspiring and motivating them to embrace Information and Communication Technology and Founder of the Jim Ovia Foundation
Jim Ovia is a Member of the Governing Council of Lagos State University, Lagos, a Member of the Board of Trustees, Redeemer's University for Nations, Lagos and Member of the Honorary International Investors’ Council.
He is also the founder and proprietor of James Hope College, Agbor, Delta State and the University of Information and Communication Technology, Delta State.
Jim Ovia is currently the Chairman of Prudential Zenith Life Assurance Limited and Chairman and majority shareholder of Zenith General Insurance Limited;

Education Level

Tertiary

Schools Attended with Dates

SCHOOLS ATTENDED: Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, 1977 (B.Sc); University of Louisiana, Monroe, Louisiana, USA, 1979 (MBA); Harvard Business School, USA (OPM).

Academic Honours

• Ovia is the founder of Visafone Communications Limited and the chairman of both the Nigerian Software Development Initiative (NSDI) and the National Information Technology Advisory Council (NITAC). He is a member of the Honorary International Investor Council as well as the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI). He is the Chairman of Cyberspace Network Limited. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in the 50th convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos
• Jim Ovia is a member of a number of global organizations including the World Economic Forum (since 2007), the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA)—a key voice for U.S.-Africa business relations—among others.
• In 2007, Jim Ovia was honored as the Banker of the Year by ThisDay Newspaper. In 2002, he received The Business Day Newspaper award for the top 10 bankers in Nigeria and also Vanguard Newspaper’s award for 20 most outstanding CEO’s in corporate Nigeria. In recognition of his leadership role in Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia was awarded the Zik Award for professional leadership in April 1999.
• Jim Ovia was conferred with the AAI 2017 Business Leadership Award by The Africa-America Institute, New York. He was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in December 2017. He was earlier awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Finance by the Lagos State University in October 2005.

Previous Appointments

- Part-time Computer operator, Baton Rouge Bank and Trust Company;

- Clerical Officer, Union Bank (formerly Barclays Bank), 1973;

- Manager, Lion Bank;

- Financial Analyst (then Senior Manager), International Merchant Bank, 1987;

- Senior Manager, Corporate Finance Department of Merchant Bank of Africa, 1987-1990;

- CEO, Zenith Bank, 1990 - 2010;

- Member, Governing Council of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, 1999 - 2007;

- Member, board of American International School, Lagos, 2001 -2003;

- Member, National Economic Management Team of Nigeria.

Have you ever been a member of any political party?

N/A

Awards and Honours

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

- Zik Award for Professional Leadership;
- National Award of Member Federal Republic (MFR), 2000;
- National Award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), November, 2011;

Honourary Degrees and Awarding Institutions

HONOURARY DEGREE:
- Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Finance from the Lagos State University

Creative Work/Major Exhibitions

PUBLICATIONS:
"Africa Rise And Shine" (2018)

Other Relevant Information

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:

Under the leadership of Jim Ovia, Zenith bank received prestigious awards, some of which includes:

- The Most Respected Bank in Nigeria by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2005;
- Bank of the Year by The Banker Magazine in 2005;
- Named the most security friendly and conscious bank in Nigeria for 2005;
- Ranked the Fourth biggest bank in Nigeria by the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2005;
- African Bank of the Year in 2007 by African Investor Magazine;
- Named Quoted Company of the Year by the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2007;
- Socially Responsible Bank of the Year awarded by African Banker Magazine;
- Won the Web-Jurist award conducted by the website rating arm of Phillips Consulting.



An avid fan of iconic architecture, Jim Ovia developed the Civic Centre and Aquamarine Boat Club to exploit Nigeria’s burgeoning hospitality sector. Adjacent to this, he built the Civic Towers, a 15 story office block that colloquially is referred to as Nigeria’s “Empire State Building”.