Emebet Melese Zeleke (PhD) is the President of the Development Bank of Ethiopia, bringing over 22 years of distinguished experience in the banking sector. With an extensive background in business leadership and finance, she also serves as the CEO of NIB Bank and previously held the position of Vice President for Strategy, Planning, and Transformation at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
Dr. Emebet’s academic credentials include a PhD in Business Leadership from Addis Ababa University School of Commerce, along with an MSc and a BA in Accounting and Finance from the university’s Faculty of Business and Economics.
Her career at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has been marked by pivotal contributions to transformational initiatives over the past decade. She played a critical role in establishing the bank’s risk management and compliance framework, reengineering facilities management processes, streamlining credit operations, and implementing the Bank’s Service Excellence Model. Additionally, she led the revision of the bank-wide organizational structure and spearheaded its reform, transformation, and strategic design efforts.
A notable achievement includes her successful coordination of a World Bank-funded project, which involved a comprehensive institutional assessment and the development of a five-year strategic plan. Completed ahead of schedule and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, this project underscores her expertise in managing complex initiatives. Her strategic vision was further demonstrated in crafting the bank’s ten-year strategy and establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track the progress of transformation programs.
