About Afrexim
Afreximbank: Director Digital Banking, Cairo, Egypt
Afreximbank is seeking to redefine digital banking and establish the premier marketplace for financial services across Africa and globally. We are seeking a dynamic leader to lead the digital innovation teams and digital business units in order to drive our digital business strategy and spearhead the development, growth and commercial success of the bank’s innovative digital platforms and products.
The Global Head of Digital Business will lead the strategic direction of Afreximbank in today’s rapidly evolving digital economy and will be responsible for executing our vision to transform our digital products MANSA, ATEX, TRADAR, ATG-CONNECT and integrate PAPSS into the driving force behind “Afrexim Digital Marketplace”. This key position will play a pivotal role in integrating advanced digital platforms into the core business processes and offerings of the bank; ensuring that these platforms serve as catalysts in transforming traditional banking models, making financial services more accessible and tailored to the needs of our member banks and their customers across various markets. You will be responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive digital strategy that not only enhances the efficiency and reach of our banking services but also solidifies our position as a leader in the digital financial marketplace in Africa. You will advocate for a culture of innovation within the bank, influencing policies and practices that support transformative projects and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, as well as forging and enhancing strategic partnerships with leading technology firms, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies.
Core Responsibilities
- Orchestrate the strategic expansion of digital platforms to position Afreximbank as a pioneer in delivering comprehensive digital financial solutions and services and foster a culture of continuous improvement and technological advancement.
- Develop and implement a digital transformation strategy focused on expanding the use of digital platforms to support member banks and assist them in providing value-added trade, payments, and financing solutions to their customers.
- Drive the digital product development lifecycle from ideation to market launch, ensuring alignment and prioritization of capability building with business needs.
- Lead the scaling and commercialization of ATG’s proposition, comprising MANSA, ATEX, TRADAR, ATG-CONNECT and PAPSS platforms; while ensuring that they are integrated with a seamless referral system to drive sales growth for core trade and payments solutions to member banks.
- Monitor industry trends and advancements in digital banking and leverage this knowledge to drive innovation and continuous improvement in Afreximbank’s digital trade, payments and financing solutions.
- Expand and deepen strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the digital ecosystem to advance the bank’s digital capabilities and offerings and address the evolving needs of the global financial landscape.
- Oversee the digital customer journey, prioritizing excellence in customer experience, satisfaction, and retention; and champion the integration of customer feedback into the development and refinement of digital services, ensuring alignment with user expectations and business objectives.
- Drive collaboration between Commercialization and Delivery Teams, and the Innovation teams to ensure seamless integration and deployment of digital solutions and working closely with clients and member banks to understand and address their specific digital needs.
- Direct the development and execution of advanced monetization strategies and optimize the revenue generation across all digital platforms, aiming for indirect revenue through referrals and e-Sales of core products (e.g., Trade Finance & Correspondent Banking, Guarantees and Specialized Finance) as well as direct revenue from platform subscriptions.
- Establish and nurture multi-bank consortiums, fostering collaboration and shared innovation among member banks to drive collective growth and amplify the impact of digital initiatives.
- Champion the Digital Sales Planning and Strategy and develop the annual business plans, pricing strategies, and go-to-market plans for all digital platforms to achieve customer base expansion, growth, revenue and profitability across all paid, owned and earned digital channels.
- Develop the Digital Marketing Strategy, to be implemented by DBUs, in order to initiate, drive and implement marketing initiatives to accelerate lead generation and product adoption while also improving digital brand presence.
- Develop high-level business plans and value propositions for all innovation concepts, new products and businesses; with periodic reviews of existing products and businesses to ensure continuous alignment while maintaining value creation.
- Supervise the utilization of data-driven insights and analysis of performance metrics and market trends to guide strategic decisions, improve service offerings and continually refine digital strategies and operations.
- Negotiate high-level contracts and foster relationships with third parties/vendors, international partners, governing bodies, and key industry players.
- Lead the Digital Business Units to ensure delivery of the annual digital sales and digital revenue and profitability targets for all digital platforms; and oversee the business reviews for the DBUs, chaired by Executive Vice President (EVP-Global Trade Bank) “EVP GTBA”, to review progress against digital sales plans including performance of digital campaigns/offers as well as insights on platform utilization and customer feedback.
- Oversee the performance of the Operator management contract for ATEX, on behalf of the EVP GTBA, ensuring key performance measures of the B2B e-Commerce business are achieved by the Operator, and recommending to the EVP timely strategic marketing approaches to accelerate the growth of the e-Commerce business.
- Represent EVP in external and internal forums and lead executive level discussions serving as the principal digital strategy advisor to the bank’s highest-level stakeholders and an influential external face of Afreximbank’s digital initiatives in global forums.
- Develop effective relationships with both external and internal stakeholders to understand and address specific customer needs related to digital trade, payments and financing solutions.
- Foster a collaborative culture to promote high performance and achievement of goals and Key Performance Indicators at the departmental and individual level.
Qualifications and Experience:
Minimum Qualifications:
- This position is suited for a visionary leader who possesses strong experience in the Banking or Financial Services industry as a senior-level executive with expert knowledge in digital and traditional payments, trade and corporate financing solutions.
- Proven track record in managing large scale digital transformation projects or technology-driven innovation projects within the banking sector and leading the development of market-leading digital corporate channels.
- Prior experience in leading diverse product development and business teams to achieve exceptional outcomes in commercializing digital payments and trade finance solutions.
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, or Business and Finance, Economics, or a closely related field. MBA degree or other relevant postgraduate qualification is required.
- Prior experience with multinational and regional banks, showcasing a deep understanding of regional markets with demonstrated expertise in developing strategic partnerships with platform providers and financial institutions.
- A track record of thought leadership in the banking sector, as evidenced by public speaking engagements at regional conferences or published works.
- Prior experience in leading digital strategy and the establishment of digital factories using project delivery environments (such as Scrum, Agile, and Waterfall) is advantageous.
- Experience in nurturing new ideas and leading-edge technologies within a dynamic corporate banking environment, preferably with Omni-channel experience.
- Strong leadership qualities with an ability to influence and drive strategic visions across all levels of the organization.
- Proactive, innovative mindset with a strong analytical capability and problem-solving approach.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English are essential.
- Knowledge of the Bank’s other working languages (French, Arabic, Portuguese) is an added advantage, enabling broader regional engagement and facilitation.
Years & Nature of Experience
- Minimum of 12 years of product development experience, including hands-on involvement in transforming ideas and concepts into successful market launches with widespread customer adoption.
Technical Competencies
- Business Performance Management
- Data Collection & Analysis
- Emerging Technology
- First Principle & Design Thinking
- Industry Networking
- Market Intelligence
- Operational/Process Excellence
- Product Design and Development
- Project Management
- Quality Management
- Quant Modelling
- Requirement Gathering
- Stakeholder Management
- Strategy & Planning
Behavioral Competencies
Leadership Skills
- Uses exemplary leadership, integrity, empathy and sensitivity to drive and motivate others to achieve required results.
- Sets and implements functional strategy and leads through multiple teams of managers and professional specialists.
- Provides technical leadership and direction
- May lead major projects, initiatives or training programs and have line management responsibilities over a limited number of technical specialists.
Interpersonal Skills
- Initiates and oversees executive level interactions with a range of internal and (where relevant) external stakeholders, establishing effective working relationships with other functions and managing conflicts.
- Leads negotiations with firm-wide impact and represents Afreximbank Group entities at third party events and meetings.
- Regularly champions technical or innovative concepts to gain executive approval.
Problem Solving & Business Impact
- Proactively identifies and resolves complex problems and key business challenges with flexibility, while
- relying on deep technical expertise to lead others in the development of innovative solutions.
- Has business-wide impact through the leadership of a key function or the technical leadership of an area which is key to the success of the business. Own planning, decisions and advice have significant long-term impact on Afreximbank Group’s strategy, operations and success.
Supporting the Afreximbank Group Mandate
- Has a comprehensive knowledge of all functions within Afreximbank and how they contribute to the achievement of Afreximbank Group’s mandate.
- Has a thorough knowledge of the Continent and African Diaspora’s political, economic and trade landscape and is able to discuss it in a confident and authoritative manner with a range of senior external stakeholders.
- Champions Afreximbank Group’s values and mission across the organisation and externally.
Contractual information:
- Permanent
- Willing and able to relocate to Cairo, Egypt
- Suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply
If you wish to apply for the position, please send your CV to Jamie Adams at jadams@caglobalint.com