Linda Quaynor makes history as first female UBA Ghana board chair

Linda Naa Dzama Quaynor has made history at United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana after being appointed the bank’s first female Board Chair, marking a significant milestone in its governance and leadership journey.

Quaynor succeeds Kweku Andoh Awotwi, who completed his tenure and retired from the board after years of distinguished service and leadership that supported the bank’s growth.

Her appointment comes as UBA Ghana continues to strengthen its operations and pursue growth in an increasingly competitive financial services environment shaped by digital transformation, changing customer expectations, regulatory pressures, and the need for sustainable expansion.

Prior to becoming Board Chair, Quaynor served as Chair of UBA Ghana’s Technology and Information Security Committee, where she provided strategic oversight on resilience, risk management, and governance.

She brings more than 25 years of experience spanning management consulting, financial services, public policy advisory and corporate strategy across Africa and international markets.

Her career has involved leading transformation initiatives for governments, regulators, financial institutions, multinational corporations, and development organisations across Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.

Quaynor has held several senior leadership positions, including Programme Director for Nigeria at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Senior Partner at VirCan Capital, Partner at Deloitte Consulting West Africa, General Manager at EFInA, and Senior Executive at Accenture.

She currently serves as a partner and West Africa Strategy Leader at Deloitte Nigeria, where she has been involved in strategy and operations advisory across the region.

Before Deloitte, she served as General Manager of Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA), working with the board and management team to develop and execute its strategic plan for advancing financial inclusion in Nigeria.

Her professional experience covers corporate and business strategy, due diligence, post-merger integration, organisational enhancement, corporate governance, board performance improvement, project management, performance management, and government relations.

Quaynor also serves on other corporate and institutional boards, including as a Board Member of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund and as an independent non-executive director of Growth Investment Partners, a provider of growth capital to Ghanaian companies.

She holds an MBA from the University of Kent and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Finance from Middlesex University. She also completed executive education in Strategic Management at Harvard University.

UBA Ghana said her appointment reinforces its commitment to diversity, inclusion and progressive leadership within the financial services sector.

The bank also linked the appointment to broader leadership changes undertaken during the year, including the appointment of two Ghanaians as managing director/chief executive officer and Executive Director of the bank.

Oliver Alawuba, group managing director of UBA Plc, expressed appreciation to Awotwi for his dedicated leadership and contribution to the bank’s expansion.

He also welcomed Quaynor to the new role, expressing confidence that she would continue the bank’s growth trajectory.

The bank said Awotwi’s tenure was characterised by transformational growth across key performance metrics, while his leadership helped position UBA Ghana for its next phase of development.

The Board and Management of UBA Ghana expressed confidence that Quaynor’s extensive experience and leadership expertise would support the bank’s continued growth and strengthen its contribution to Ghana’s financial services sector.