Dalu Ajene is Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage for Africa at Standard Chartered. He is a seasoned financial services leader with over 24 years of international banking experience across Africa, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He brings a distinctive combination of global perspective, deep local market knowledge, strong cross-border networks, and a proven track record of execution across corporate and investment banking, as well as wealth and affluent banking.

Prior to his current role, Dalu served as CEO of Standard Chartered Nigeria, where he led a decisive turnaround from a pre-crisis environment to sustainable profitability within a short period. Under his leadership, the bank strengthened capital and liquidity, reorganised the Wealth and Retail Banking business, and scaled its market-leading Corporate and Investment Banking franchise. His tenure was marked by disciplined strategy execution, balance sheet resilience, and renewed franchise momentum.

Dalu’s career spans senior leadership roles across four continents at Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, and Bear Stearns. He played a pivotal role in the launch of Rand Merchant Bank in Nigeria, where he spent over a decade in senior local and group roles, ultimately serving as CEO. Across these roles, he has consistently driven innovation, complex transactions, and cross-border client growth in diverse and challenging markets.

Since joining Standard Chartered in 2024, Dalu has led the bank’s ambition to position Africa as a critical growth and connectivity hub within the global economy. He has championed the bank’s role in connecting African clients to global capital and opportunities—supporting governments and public sector institutions, multinational subsidiaries, large local corporates, financial institutions, and wealth and affluent clients—while delivering sustainable impact and long-term economic transformation.

Dalu holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), the Metropolitan Club, and various non-profit initiatives. Beyond his professional commitments, he is passionate about youth empowerment and community development. He is married with two sons and enjoys long-distance running and squash.