Dalu Ajene, CEO standard Chartered Africa
Standard Chartered has appointed Dalu Ajene as its new Chief Executive Officer for Africa, with additional responsibilities as Head of Coverage for the continent, effective January 20, 2026.
Ajene takes over the role from Kariuki Ngari, who served as CEO for Africa, and Sarmad Lone, who previously oversaw the Bank’s Africa coverage portfolio. The appointment underscores Standard Chartered’s strategy of strengthening leadership across its key growth markets in Africa.
Prior to his elevation, Ajene was the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Nigeria, a position he assumed in April 2024. During his tenure, he led the bank to strong year-on-year financial performance and successfully guided it to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ₦200 billion recapitalisation requirement for national commercial banks well ahead of the March 2026 deadline. Before joining Standard Chartered, Ajene served as CEO of Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria.
With more than 25 years of experience in global financial services, Ajene brings extensive leadership expertise across corporate and investment banking. His appointment reflects Standard Chartered’s commitment to promoting internal talent and reinforcing confidence among its stakeholders across the African financial sector.
Commenting on his new role, Ajene said he was honoured to take on broader responsibilities across Africa after leading the Nigerian business through a period of significant change. He noted that Standard Chartered remains a key partner in trade finance, structured solutions and development finance across the region, leveraging technology to deliver client-centric services anchored on trust.
He added that he looks forward to working closely with teams across Africa to accelerate growth in the Bank’s Corporate & Investment Banking and Wealth & Retail businesses, mobilise catalytic capital and create sustainable value for clients, stakeholders and communities.
Ajene holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is widely regarded as a people-focused leader with a strong emphasis on building high-performance cultures to deliver best-in-class client service and robust financial outcomes.