Dashen Bank snatches back its long-serving employee, Shimelis Legesse, from Zemen Bank appointing him as a Vice President for Information System & E-Banking Services. His appointment became effective as of September 14, 2017, following the waiver from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE).
Before re-recruiting Shimelis, Dashen, which controls around 15pc of the private banking industry, had been struggling to find a candidate for the vacant post for the past two years since Abebe Girmay resigned in 2015. Abebe left along with Berhanu W. Sellasie, the former president of the Bank and Abebe Teklu, vice president for Resource & Facilities Management.
“It is hard to find skilled manpower in the banking industry,” said Mulugeta Alebachew, director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Dashen. “In our long-term process of recruitment, we finally appointed Shimelis, who is familiar with our work culture and experienced in the financial industry.”
Shimelis joined the banking industry as a system administrator at Dashen’s Jimma Branch 16 years ago. After working in different posts for 11 years, he was promoted as a Deputy Manager in the Information Technology department. A year later, in October 2012, he joined Zemen Bank.
Starting as a Department Manager for software development, core banking and applications, Shimelis has served Zemen in different positions for almost four years until he became a Vice President for information technology almost a year ago.
This is the second time in a year that Zemen has lost a high-level executive. Nine months ago, Tesfaye Boru, director of the Department of Knowledge & Innovation at Zemen, became the first vice-president of Debub Global Bank. It also lost its long-serving Vps Helaway Tadesse and Sebhat Belayneh after being alleged for violating the loan approval process of the Central Bank.
“The bigger the size, the more challenging the work could be. Therefore, Dashen is the best place for me to nurture out of challenges,” he said.
During his tenure at Zemen, he managed to introduce Internet banking, mobile banking and formed an in-house software development team.
“I can say, I had a great time with a great team at Zemen,” he added.
Shimelis, a father of three, graduated in Statistics from Addis Abeba University in 1998. Then, 12 years later, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Unity University. Finally, he completed his Master’s degree in Computer Science at Hilcoe School of Computer Science & Technology last year.
The appointment of the 41-year-old vice president, Shimelis, has raised the number of VPs at Dashen to four including the recently appointed Samuel Adnew, VP of Marketing & Business Development, Yared Mesfin, VP of Resource & Facilities Management and Henok Kebede, VP of Operational Management.
The assignment will enable him to oversee information technology, E-banking and modernisation, change & management departments of the Bank.
“My priority will be fastening the core banking upgrading project at the Bank,” he said. “Making the Bank a paperless institution is also my prime concern.”
As of now, the competition between banks to hire executives and managers is very stiff owing to shortage of skilled labour in the banking industry. Understanding the pros of managing human resources effectively, banks are hiring international consultants to fix their structure and management system.
A week ago, Dashen hired KPMG to design its management strategy, which cost the Bank around 40 million Br. The same company carried out similar works at Awash Bank, the closest peer of Dashen.
The 22-year-old Dashen has grossed a profit of little over one billion Birr from operations, whereas Awash registered 1.4 billion Br provisional profit in the past fiscal year.
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