Mrs. Cornelia George Utuk is highly experienced in commercial banking, retail, corporate, investment banking and capital market-regulated businesses. She has over 14 years of experience as a Company Secretary/Legal Adviser of a Bank, a Discount House and a Capital Market Operator (CMO).

Cornelia started her career in 1999 as a Credit Risk Management Officer at the defunct Standard Trust Bank Limited and later, United Bank for Africa PLC. She transitioned to the Capital Markets when she joined, Marina Securities Ltd (a former subsidiary of Access Bank PLC) in 2007 as the Group Head of Corporate Services overseeing Administration/Facilities Management and Human Resources Departments in addition to being the Group Company Secretary/Legal Adviser for the Marina Securities and its subsidiaries, Marina Securities Stockbroking Services Limited and Pamcon Global Services Limited. In 2013, Cornelia joined Associated Discount House Limited and was part of the team that repositioned the Company for conversion to a merchant Bank. She served as the pioneer Company Secretary/Legal Adviser and Non-Executive Director in subsidiaries of the Bank and the CMO where she worked over a period of twelve years.

She has over the years developed cognate experience in corporate and board governance practice covering corporate secretariat administration, legal documentation and advisory, regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, human resources management, conflict management, change management and strategy.

Cornelia holds an LLB in Law from the University of Uyo, a BL from the Nigerian Law School, and an MBA in Management from the University of Calabar. She holds a Certificate in Leadership from Dale Carnegie Nigeria/University of Central Missouri U.S.A. She has also attended short courses and obtained certificates of attendance from Euromoney 24th Summer School for International Financial Law, Executive Leadership Experience organized by McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and a Corporate Governance course at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. She also attended WIMBIZ Women in Boards Training Institute 2022 amongst several other courses.

She is a fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria, a member of the Section on Business Law of the Nigerian Bar Association, Society of Corporate Governance in Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, the immediate past Secretary General of the Association of Bank’s Legal Advisers and Company Secretaries and a member of Women in Management, Business and Public Service, a Nigerian non-profit organization working to inspire and empower women into leadership roles.