Yehuala Gessesse Gelaye: Roles, Education, and Professional Achievements

Yehuala Gessesse brings more than two decades of deep banking experience, grounded in strong academic credentials and a proven record of leadership in Ethiopia’s financial sector. With a BA in Management and Public Administration and an MBA in International Business from Greenwich University (2011), he combines academic insight with real-world operational excellence.

His career in banking began in 1999 as a Management Trainee at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), where he gained hands-on exposure across core banking operations. He later advanced to Credit Monitoring Officer, building a strong foundation in loan review and credit risk oversight. By 2005, he was entrusted with leading the Internal Audit team within CBE’s Credit Audit Department, strengthening the bank’s internal control systems.

In 2007, he took on a pivotal role as Team Leader for Credit Business Process Reengineering, contributing to major organizational transformation initiatives. His expertise in credit management and strategic process improvement later earned him appointment as Vice President for Credit Appraisal and Portfolio Management at CBE, a position he held for several years with significant impact.

Since August 17, 2015, he has been serving as the President (CEO) of Abay Bank S.C., guiding the bank through strategic growth, strengthening risk management frameworks, and positioning Abay Bank as one of Ethiopia’s steadily advancing financial institutions.

Areas of Expertise

His professional strength lies primarily in:

• Credit management

• Credit risk management

• Loan evaluation and portfolio management

• Internal audit and process reengineering

• Strategic leadership within the banking industry

With an extensive background in Ethiopia’s largest bank and nearly a decade of executive leadership at Abay Bank, he continues to play a key role in shaping the country’s modern banking landscape.