Banking Sector:

Cameroonian Heads UBA Group in CEMAC

By Innocent Kum in Yaounde

Martin Che

A renowned Cameroonian banker, Martin Che has been appointed Regional Director in charge of four subsidiaries of the United Bank for Africa, UBA, in the CEMAC zone.

            He was elevated to the enviable position in March 2018 when the group began restructuring its subsidiaries.

            In a comment after his promotion, Martin Che who hails from the North West region noted: "It is an honour to serve CEMAC and it is my greatest wish that the four subsidiaries I have the responsibility of leading can develop in no distant time.”

            Some of the challenges awaiting the regional UBA boss include raising the continental bank to new heights, satisfying customer expectations with better services and placing greater emphasis on the core values of UBA including entrepreneurship and excellence.

            Aware of the tasks that lie ahead of him, Martin Che was quoted as saying: "In line with UBA's goal of ranking among the top three systemically important banks in each of the countries where it is present in Africa, I look forward to working with various stakeholders in Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Chad and everywhere else to add value and hold up the torch of UBA's activities in Africa.”

            With over 20 years of experience in the banking sector, Martin Che is said to have achieved important milestones within the UBA group. The impact of his leadership at UBA Congo was remarkable.

            Between 2013 and 2015 when he served in Congo, returns on equity increased by about 100%, from 8% in 2013 to 36% in 2015. The trend however slowed between 2016 and 2017, averaging 27%.

            Between 2013 and 2015 the cost/income ratio went from 86% to 45%.

            For the past three years (2015, 2016 and 2017), UBA Congo was voted first among the 11 French-speaking subsidiaries in terms of pre-tax income. For two consecutive years (2016 and 2017) the bank was rated as the best Bank in Congo by the London magazine, The Banker of the Financial Times. The award honours the financial performance of the institution, its long-term growth and the significant performance in terms of gross revenue growth and customer deposits.

            Until his appointment as Regional Director in charge of the CEMAC zone, Martin CHE led the bank's operations as Chief Executive Officer of UBA Congo since 2013.

            He had previously held the positions of Director of the Institutional Bank & Project Financing, Regional Director of the Institutional and Retail Bank of UBA Cameroon (covering the Littoral, South-West, North-West and West regions of Cameroon), Head of Large Multinational and Regional Enterprises at Ecobank Cameroun and Director of Agency and Credit Analyst at Union Bank of Cameroon Ltd.

            A workaholic and an astute manager, Martin Che is said to be skilled in credit risk, financial risk, business relationship management and banking. A strong business development professional, he is equipped with an MBA in Banking & Finance from Bangor University.