Advisory Board Member

Folasade Femi-Lawal

Folasade Femi-Lawal, is a Senior Executive, Digital Payment expert with more than 25years experience spanning Retail Banking, Business Advisory Services and Telecoms. She is a fellow of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Institute of Taxation & Association of Enterprise Risk Managers of Nigeria. She joined FirstBank in 2012 and was appointed Head of Digital Banking Group in 2015.She is currently the Head of Card & Messaging Business in FirstBank where she manages over 11million Cards and coordinates Card Products Strategy in the Bank and its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.She is passionate about Financial Inclusion and led the team that launched digital payments to Rural Voluntary Workers in the northern region in partnership with UNICEF towards the eradication of Polio in Nigeria in 2014. She further demonstrated her commitment in the execution of FirstBank’s Partnership with Cherie Blair Foundation for the Empowerment of 2,500 Women in 2014. These achievements amongst others positioned FirstBank to win the coveted ‘Best Mobile Money Operator ‘award by Enhancing Financial Innovation &Access (EFINA). She has to her credit the successful launch of FirstBank Virtual Card ,an innovative digital payment card in 2021 as well as the Award winning integrated lifestyle Mobile Banking App, FirstMobile, the Product won both Global Finance award for ‘The best Digital Bank of Distinction for 2016 &2017 and the 2016 &2017 Asian Banker Award for the Best Mobile Payments &Best Digital Bank Awards during the West Africa International Banking

A Harvard Business School trained professional with verifiable year-on-year success achieving revenue, profit, and business growth objectives within start-up, turnaround, and rapid-change environments. Extensive experience with highly engineered systems, which require deep understanding of critical business drivers in multiple markets and industries; highly successful in building relationships with upper-level decision makers, seizing control of critical problem areas, and delivering on customer commitments. A sought-after International & Local Conference Speaker/Panelist on Finance Tech, Digital Transformation. Customer-focused and performance- driven.

She is an Associate and a Mentor with Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WimBiz). A mentor of Women Entrepreneurs in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General for the recently launched White House Initiative -Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE).

She is a Non-Executive Director at Anglo Africa Investments Ltd, A conglomerate based in Mauritius, Council Member for Gershom Lehman Consulting in USA and currently sits on the Executive Council of CeBIH (Committee of eBusiness Industry Heads)