Edward Collins Iwu
House 9b, Royalty Road,
Ikota Villa Estate, Ajah, Lagos- Nigeria
Mobile: -
Email:-Nationality: Nigerian
Personal Summary
Hard working, energetic business leader and top-rated sales, digital marketing, traditional marketing,
business development and financial services professional with more than 15+ years’ experience, leading
dynamic sales and marketing teams in fast-paced markets. Exceptional multi-tasker with extensive
experience in team management, direct sales management, telemarketing, business development,
customer relationship management, service quality assurance, accounting and financial management,
human resources management, financial services (including insurance, banking, finance and investment)
and digital technologies (including but not limited digital marketing and `online financial trading`). I hold a
BSc degree in finance/banking and MBA in marketing
Skills, Competencies, Personal Attributes and Career Objective
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Extensive business leadership experience at Director, CEO, Country Management, General
Management and Business Unit Management levels and 15+ years’ experience managing sales,
marketing, finance, operations, human resources and business development functions.
Technologically adept and understand the significant role information technology can play in
driving better services delivery
Excellent communicator with sound report writing and presentation skills and strong ability to
present to client and to executive management. English language fluent.
A financial management expert with strong sales, digital/ traditional marketing and business
development, tele-sales and remote teleworking experience.
An exceptional leader with expert organizational, people’s management, team building,
operations management, strategy planning, problem solving, negotiation and decision-making
skills
Strong ability to understand customers’ needs and requirements and translate these into
profitable solutions for both the customers and the company
Exceptional drive and dedication to ensure company goals are met and exceeded and with great
focus on customer satisfaction throughout all stages of the sales life cycle.
Mature, energetic, resourceful, proactive and result oriented
High level of professionalism, integrity and commitment to duty
Career Objective- Seeking long-term career opportunity with a company requiring bold and competent
leadership, bringing years of professional experience to facilitate operations, business development,
maximize revenue and productivity, and ensure strong future growth.
Employment History
July 2013 – Present: Chief Executive Office
Swifton Global Markets Ltd Road 5, Suite K161, Ikota Shopping Complex V.G.C Ajah, Lagos
Responsibilities:
• Swifton Global is an integrated financial consulting, marketing consulting and international business
development services firm and as the CEO, I drive the financial and strategic development of the
company.
• Employ strong leadership skills to ensure efficient and effective utilization of corporate resources;
provided the latest up-to-date market information to staff and members.
• Direct and assist the board in carrying out important functions such as strategic planning, and advised
board members on various matters; coordinated with other board members to establish various
company mission and vision statements, in addition to effective methods to achieve equilibrium
between both.
• Planned, directed and controlled all functions of the company; monitor and evaluate the performance
of different departments.
• Ensure that the firm develop a positive image in the market and offer the best products/services to the
general public; monitor different marketing procedures and ensure that they are profitable for the firm.
• Built and lead a team of finance, business development, marketing and advertising professionals in
providing tailor made solutions and services to our clients globally.
Achievements:
• I led the sales/ business development team to assist various international clients in developing their
global business. Notable include but not limited to;
• Managed senior level client relationships and created process to focus team efforts on highest
priority clients/fee opportunities, helping drive 80% increase in revenue and increasing fees from
23% in 2017 to nearly 40% in 2018
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Assisted www.binary.com a Malta FSA regulated global online financial broker with head office in
Malaysia; providing fast, efficient, advance and secure online forex, CFDs and commodities trading
system. Within the one-year contract period that ended September 2016, I attracted over $3.5m in
sales revenue and grew the affiliate partners number by over 300%
Recruited 6 direct sales agents and generated qualified lead for an Amsterdam based digital
technologies firm
Recruited 4 direct sales agents and have generated over 100 qualified lead for a Cayman Island
based international Life Assurance firm offer international investment solution to clients globally
Developed over 50 qualified leads for an Estonia based OEM and acted as their Nigeria sales
representative for their brand of high-tech flat-bed laminating machines/applicators.
Currently conducting market research/ due diligence for a Chinese company that is looking to invest
in infrastructure projects (healthcare and hydropower generation sectors) and establishment of
various machinery fabrication factories in Nigeria.
Currently also assisting a Chinese buyer in sourcing Lead and Zinc ore from Nigeria
Also adopted various cost saving strategies that led to reduction in transaction cost by 15% and 20%
respectively for financial years 2017 and 2018.
Organized three investors relation events and various advocacy campaigns on sustainable,
responsible and impact investing (SRI)
Successfully closed 44 capital raising transactions valued in excess of $3.8m within the last three
years for SMEs in Nigeria and Ghana; 20 in cottage industry and agro-allied sector, 10 in education
sectors 6 in clean energy sector and 4 each in transportation and healthcare respectively.
May 2012- July 2013: Country Manager- Nigeria
The Profin Group
The Profin Group www.theprofingroup.com a Nigeria SEC regulated; Africa focused international
investment advisory group with a network of offices in all major Anglophone African countries.
Responsibilities:
• Pioneer Country Manager who setup business operation in Nigeria.
• Oversaw the business units and report to the group CEO
• Directed and coordinated business development, sales, operational support, financial management,
human resources / administration and was responsible for performance standard setting and staff/
consultant’s appraisal
• Led a team of over 15 financial consultants and business development professional from her Lagos
and Abuja offices in meeting client’s needs. We offer our affluent clients, HNWI & UHNWI bespoke
international investment solutions e.g. Life assurance and offshore retirement planning, children
education fund planning, international banking, trust and estate planning, tax planning, from world
class product providers e.g. Generali International & Investors Trust SPC
• Make recommendations on the financial and strategic direction of the company
• Advised on financial management issues
• Trained administration and sales staff
Achievements:
• Developed Profin business and position her as a choice brand within the international investment
sales space in Nigeria within six months
• Built and mentored a high performing team of consultants that closed over 200 deals within 6 months
and grow funds under management to $20million from scratch
• Developed new offices in the Northern Territory- Abuja
• I drove the country performance in an entrepreneurial style taking personal ownership of the
performance and met all company financial budget requirements
• Adopted various operational cost reduction strategies that resulted in 20 per cent in cost savings
Nov 2011- May 2012: Regional Manager- Africa
www.GKFXprime.com is a BVI FSC regulated global online financial broker with head office in Istanbul
providing fast, efficient, advance and secure online forex, CFDs and commodities trading system.
Responsibilities:
• Pioneer Country Manager who coordinated the creation of a new Country office in Lagos
• Recruit and managed the local team, managed business development
• I directed and coordinated business development, sales, marketing, operational support, recruitment,
customers services, finance and performance management.
• Organized local promotional and training events and manage local marketing and advertising
campaigns. Deployed a direct sales, telesales and digital marketing strategies to develop and sustain
the business
• Ensured sound financial management, local regulatory compliance and maintain cordial relationship
with financial partners which included local banks and payment processors
• Rendered periodic country activity and performance reports to the head office.
Achievements
• Successfully set up and managed new country office
• I led a team that positioned GKFX as a choice brand amongst online financial market traders and
investors in Nigeria
• Developed a 2000-strong client base from scratch
• Had new office running at a profit within 6 months of creation
• Created a 2000-strong client base from scratch Initiated, designed and drove adoption of Salesforce
for managing client relationships
• Managed cross-functional team in implementation of Salesforce CRM system
• Created process to focus team efforts on highest priority clients/fee opportunities
• Partnered with HR to create intern program and analyst pipeline, led intern/analyst recruiting
May 2010 - Dec 2010: General Manager- Strategy and Investment
DEAP Venture Capital Fund PLC-a Nigeria SEC regulated Venture Capital Fund
Responsibilities:
• General management, strategy planning, business development and investment management
• Led the day-to-day execution deal teams on corporate advisory assignments
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Managed the internal relationship between junior and senior professionals and the external
relationship with clients and performed due diligence on investee companies
• Produced information memoranda, sales force memoranda, rating agency presentations and client
advisory presentations
• Managed the deal flow process including presenting to board investment committee and managed
key investors relationship
• Coordinated with various third-parties such as market consultants, independent engineers, and
lawyers on appropriate documentation
Achievements:
• Led a successful project management, process re-engineering and turnaround of two major
downstream oil & gas companies and an Independent Power Plant Investee Company.
• Led a team that structured a $4million equipment finance line to facilitate the importation of waste
cleaning equipment for a client that was awarded 2 years waste cleaning contract with Agip oil.
• Led a team that structured a $1million venture capital investment in a Gas to Power project in Nigeria
• Led a team that originated and executed a $5million venture investment in various start-ups and
growth stage SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa
Aug. 2008 - Jan. 2009: Branch Manager
Afribank of Nigeria PLC (Now Skye Bank PLC),
Responsibilities:
• Manage daily operations of the branch, directly supervision the various business units- operations,
credit, marketing and IT
• Strategic leadership, planning, budgeting and financial management
• Managed the sales and business development process
• Setting KPI and performance management
• Attended strategy and other meetings in the head office
• Rendered periodic branch activity and performance reports to the head office
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Solicited new clients either domestically or overseas to achieve the yearly targets and assets under
management and achieved sales targets with respect to identified banking products.
Achievements:
• Created and implemented process to increase response times for credit commitments, reducing
approval time for large commitments by 60%
• Developed and delivered pitches across a spectrum of debt and risk management products to clients
in the Victoria Island- Lagos region
• Collaborated with product groups across the firm to provide solutions for capital raising, risk
management and liquidity management needs
• Negotiated pricing and contracts with systems vendors, achieved 10% reduction in spend
• Managed relationships with mid cap companies in the Oil & Gas and Telecommunication sectors.
Dec. 2006 - Aug. 2008: Branch Manager
First Bank of Nigeria PLC,
Responsibilities:
• Manage daily operations of the branch, directly supervision the various business units- operations,
credit, marketing and IT
• Strategic leadership, planning, budgeting and financial management
• Managed the sales and business development process
• Setting KPI and performance management
• Attended strategy and other meetings in the head office
• Rendered periodic branch activity and performance reports to the head office
• Interacted with customers to develop long-term client relationships
Achievements:
• I led a change management team that resulted in growth of balance sheet size of my SBU by 40%
within 5 months as a result of aggressive sales and marketing activities.
• Improved deposit mix and risk asset quality thus diluted cost of funds to 5% per annum in 5 months
and reduced non- performing risk asset by 20%.
• Increased branch profits by 60 per cent within one year of branch leadership
• Introduction of training and retention programs – decreased staff turnover by 20 per cent and
increased job satisfaction according to results of staff surveys
May 2006 – Aug. 2006: Senior Relationship Manager
Diamond Bank PLC
Responsibilities:
• Business development, sales and marketing of the bank’s products and services.
• Managed and deepened the Bank's relationships with energy related clients
• Client’s financial statement review and risk analysis.
• Proactively identified client needs, reacted to expressed needs and developed appropriate solutions
to identify financial needs
• Negotiated and concluded deals, appraised credit requests, sought appropriate approvals and
collection of relevant documentation.
• Asset and Liability generation and accounts management.
Achievements:
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Achieved business development target
Sept. 1991 - Mar. 2004: Branch Manager/ Various Positions
Intercontinental Bank PLC
Responsibilities:
• Branch manager of Aba Branch (June 2003- March 2004) who managed daily operations of the
branch, restructured and turned around the branch.
• Branch manager of Akwa Branch (Jan 2001- June 2003), who setup and managed the daily
operations of the branch
• Head of Operations- Onitsha Branch (Jan 1996- Dec 2000).
• Managed various key client relationships and job functions while working in the Head office Corporate and Investment Banking division (May 1994- Dec 1996)
• Executive trainee- kano Branch (Sept1992- May 1994)
• National Youth Service Corp- Kano (Sept 1991- Aug1992)
Achievements:
• I spent first 12 years of my career with the then Intercontinental Bank PLC; and during this period, I
acquired valuable skill set, expertise and business development experience and I contributed toward
to strategic growth of the bank.
• I gained hands-on experiences in customer support, client relationship management, sales and
marketing management and service quality management
• I also acquired expertise in areas of new business setup, process –reengineering, turnaround, project
management and business operational management
• I further gained extensive products/ services knowledge in key areas like commercial banking;
corporate and investment banking; and international trade.
• I led a team that turned around the Aba branch 2004, from loss making to profitable, within six
months of leadership.
• I leveraged on my leadership, business development, selling, financial management and operations
management skills to steer the new Awka branch to profitability after two months of operation, an
exceptional performance that was applauded by the bank’s executive management. I was awarded
the best branch manager of the year in 2001
Educational/ Professional Certifications
Institutions
Date
Qualifications
Imo State University- Nigeria
University of Port Harcourt- Nigeria
Emmanuel College Owerri- Nigeria
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MBA degree in Marketing
BSc degree in Banking & Finance
General Certificate of Education
Professional Affiliation
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK – Final/ Strategy Level Student
Member
References
Available upon request
