The Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) has appointed Nana Dwemoh Benneh as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following approval from the Bank of Ghana.

He took over from Mr Benjamin Amenumey, who completed his tenure after five years of dedicated and growth-oriented service.

Nana Dwemoh Benneh, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, said he was truly honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Board to lead a strong legacy brand like UMB as its CEO and promised to continue to build on the successes of his predecessors to forge a new frontier for posterity.

He joins the UMB with considerable local and international expertise in banking, spanning over 15 years.

Having worked briefly with Merchant Bank Limited after his graduate studies, he joined Barclays Bank on Barclays Plc's International Business Leadership Programme, designed to develop business leaders with global and significant Pan African experience.

Nana Dwemoh holds an Executive MBA from London Business School and a member of the International Academy of Retail Banking.

"Working with a team of dedicated and passionate individuals over the past three years as Chief Operating Officer and then ultimately as the CEO for the past two years has been an absolute honour and pleasure," Mr Amenumey said.

"Together, we have chalked many successes that have propelled our bank into the hallmark of the Ghanaian financial sector, thereby reaffirming our commitment to delivering unrivalled banking excellence to all our wonderful clients through our innovative products and services."

Since joining the Bank in 2016, Mr Amenumey is said to have initiated and implemented many successful growth strategies with the Bank's SME banking portfolio and in the Bank's digital infrastructure, including the introduction of its mobile banking application, the UMB SpeedApp.

The Bank attained its ISO 27001 and PCI DSS certifications, a testament to UMB's continuous commitment to enhancing the experience of the customer with new and efficient banking technologies.

Mr Ras Boateng, the Board Chairman of UMB, commended the outgoing CEO for his ability to lead and boost staff morale to give off their best.

He said: "The choice of Nana Dwemoh as the next CEO is a step in the right direction in propelling the Bank to the next level of success."

Mr Boateng said his wealth of experience would serve in the best interest of the Bank in achieving its vision.