Mr Essoka is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Sanlam and member of the Customer Interest Committee and the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee.
Mr Essoka has extensive experience spanning financial markets, audit, risk, investments, and international business. He is a former Senior Advisor to the President of the African Development Bank, Former Chairman (NED) of SCB Côte d’Ivoire, Former Chairman (NED) of SCB Cameroon, Former NED and Chairman of the Audit Committee of SCB Mauritius. He has served on the boards of companies in other jurisdictions including Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia and Uganda. Mr Essoka was a member of the Global Advisory Council of the London Business School (2000-2016). He held several senior leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Group as Vice Chairman for Africa, CEO South Africa, and Southern Africa and CEO Central and West Africa.
Mr Essoka serves as the Executive Chairman of IBURU, an advisory firm focused on economic development across Sub-Saharan Africa. He also serves as the Chairman, Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) of MTN Cameroon, and Chairman (INED) for United Bank for Africa, Cameroon SA. He is the former Chairman (INED) of COGEBANQUE, Rwanda, former INED of Mobile Money Corporation of Cameroon where he Chaired the Audit, Risk and Compliance sub-committee of the Board. He also holds positions on various other boards and governance forums.
Mr Essoka holds a BS degree in Finance, an MBA in Finance and a Diploma in International Business from Seton Hall University. He has attended Senior Executive Development programs at INSEAD, London Business School, Templeton College, Oxford University and Cambridge University.