| L-R: Former Miss Nigeria, Helen Ajayi; President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mrs. Abosede Debola Osibogun; Representative of the former first lady Lagos State, Mrs. Abiodun Opeifa; Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo and wife Mrs. Bolanle Oguntayo; Representative of the first lady Lagos State, Mrs. Azeezat Tijani and Executive Director, Legal and Corporate Service, Abimbola Izu at the official launch of Skye Pearl by Skye Bank at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos this weekend, 23rd October 2015. |
As part of its financial
inclusion drive, Skye Bank has launched the “Skye Pearl” initiative to help its
female customers unlock their potentials.
The initiative which was
unveiled at the weekend, is a platform that offers series of benefits to
sit-at-home mothers, professionals and women-owned SMEs, by offering them a
chance to grow and expand their wealth through partnership, relationship,
access to finance, information, networking, mentoring and empowerment
initiative.
| L-R: President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mrs. Abosede Debola Osibogun; Wife, Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs. Bolanle Oguntayo; Former Miss Nigeria, Helen Ajayi; Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo and Representative of the former first lady Lagos State Mrs. Abiodun Opeifa at the official launch of Skye Pearl by Skye Bank at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos this weekend, 23rd October 2015. |
Speaking at the launch of
the initiative, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bank
Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, described the Pearl product as a well-thought-out offering
conceived by women and birthed by women basically to cater for the needs of
Nigerian women. He said it was the bank’s way of ensuring that its customers,
especially the women customers enjoy fullness of our business.
“The initiative is for our
women, our Pearls, who own Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as
individual customers. They may be Professionals or Stay-at-home moms, or better
still, women entrepreneurs who are seeking to unleash their potential but have
not been empowered. Our research has shown that most of these ‘Pearls’ are
simply waiting to access capital to show what they can do. They need dedicated
financial and non-financial services support to bring out the latent power in
them and Skye Bank is positioned to provide the platform for this”, Oguntayo
said.
The Skye Bank boss said
for financial sustainability and participatory development involving women to
take place, conscious efforts must be made to enhance women’s access to
finance, adding that this realization prompted the bank to bring women on board
as national development partners through nurturing their entrepreneurial
spirit.
The guest speaker, who is
also the President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mrs.
Adebola Osibogun commended the bank for conceptualizing the Pearl initiative
which recognizes the needs and aspirations of women entrepreneurs.
“Women are powerful, they
are nation builders and for any nation or business to thrive, there must be a
space large enough to contain women and for me, that it what “Skye Pearl
initiative is bringing to the fore”, she said.
Also speaking, Executive
Director, South South/South East and Retail Banking, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs Ibiye
Ekong, said the six pillars of the Pearl initiative are: Capacity Building;
information; networking; empowerment; mentoring; access and finance”. This is
aimed to project Pearl Woman as someone who is "precious, informed,
connected, evolving and a role model” she hinted
She further disclosed that
an online platform, www.skyebankng.com/SkyePearl, had been created which
members of the public can log on to and explore endless possibilities. Part of
the activities that would be enjoyed on the “Skye Pearl” program include an
online platform, where members can participate in focused group sessions, and
also discuss issues that concern women. There would also be online trainings on
financial education, and access to mentors and role models.