Leadership Turnaround
by Ifie Sekibo

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Leadership Turnaround is part memoir, part leadership manual, and part call to action for leaders and institutions. It grew out of Dr. Ifie’s lived experience transforming the long-dormant Société Générale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) into Heritage Banking Limited, one of the most remarkable institutional resurrections in Nigerian financial history. Written over seven years of research and reflections, the book explores not just the mechanics of organizational recovery, but the deeper human and psychological dimensions of what it truly takes to turn things around. The core themes are: Why vision without the right mental framework is “hallucination,” and how leaders must cultivate a possibility mindset even when circumstances say otherwise. Secondly, moving beyond the “heroic individual” model toward building teams where leadership is shared and multiplied. Also, the human side of leading through crisis and how leaders can unlock potential in themselves and their teams. Finally, the last two themes are the role of inner belief in sustaining leaders through periods strategy cannot illuminate and legacy as what enduring leadership ultimately leaves behind. The book is grounded in the Heritage Bank turnaround story, including its eventual collapse and Dr. Ifie did not shy away from failure, calling it one of the book’s most important chapters. It features a foreword by John Adair, the world-renowned leadership authority and it is deeply rooted in the African context, yet universally applicable and written as a letter to the rising generation of African leaders. It blends rigorous frameworks with raw, personal experience. The book is for executives inheriting struggling organizations, young professionals in Africa seeking practical leadership guidance, students of leadership wanting theory tested in real life.

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Dr. Sekibo Ifiesimama Melvin Precious, FCA, FCIB, PhD, is a distinguished alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM 37) programme (2006–2008) and holds a PhD in Credit Management from the London Postgraduate School of Credit Management. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN, 2002) and a Fellow and Member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, with over two decades of professional experience spanning the financial services and energy sectors. A tenacious entrepreneur and passionate change-maker, Dr. Ifie has built a distinguished career at the forefront of leadership-driven turnaround management — identifying distressed institutions, mobilising strategic capital, and steering organisations back to sustained profitability. In 2003, he led the acquisition of Global Assurance Company Limited, previously under the technical management of the National Insurance Commission. Serving as Executive Vice Chairman, he transformed the institution into International Energy Insurance (IEI), a frontline Nigerian insurance company, successfully completing a capital raise and securing a listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In 2009, Dr. Ifie led a team of professionals in the rebirth of the erstwhile Société Générale Bank, establishing Heritage Banking Company Limited — an innovative commercial bank with regional authorisation — where he served as pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His leadership philosophy and commitment to institutional renewal were further demonstrated through the successful acquisition of Enterprise Bank Ltd, creating a stronger, consolidated Heritage Bank. He held the position of Managing Director/CEO until his retirement in 2022. Leadership Turnaround is the product of decades of lived experience at the highest levels of institutional leadership. Dr. Ifie brings both strategic rigour and hard-won wisdom to the question that defines this book: what does it truly take to lead an organisation — and its people— back from the brink? Dr. Ifie is a valued Fellow of several professional bodies, including the Institute of Directors, the Institute of Credit Administration, and the Nigerian Institute of Management. Now a private citizen, he continues to research the intersection of leadership, crisis, and organisational resilience. When not writing or conducting interviews, he is actively engaged in community service across Nigeria and beyond.

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Ifie Sekibo