2026 Women in Commerce Luncheon date & speaker announced. The Greater Florence Chamber will again host the Women in Commerce Luncheon on Thursday, August 27th at the Florence Center. The luncheon program will focus on celebrating successes and promoting opportunities for women's career growth. The program agenda will offer networking ideas helping to create friendships and business relationships that can support growing your career and reaching personal goals. The keynote speaker for the 2026 Women in Commerce Luncheon will be Elizabeth Bostian, Chief Financial Officer at First Bank. The event will begin at 11:30 am with a mingle and mocktails. The lunch and program will be starting at noon. A special thanks to this year's sponsor First Bank and to McLeod Health and MUSC of Florence for their continued support of the program.

FirstBank appoints Dr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga as Executive Director. Published by: Editor on May 15, 2026. By Trek Africa Newspaper This is to notify Nigerian Exchange Limited ("NGX") and the investing public that First Bank of Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of First HoldCo Plc (the Company), has appointed Dr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga (Dr. JB) as an Executive Director, effective 13 May 2026, further strengthening the Bank's leadership capacity across strategic finance, governance, risk management, and institutional transformation. Dr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga brings twenty-four (24) years of experience spanning banking and financial services, infrastructure finance, power, oil & gas, and audit and consulting. His appointment reflects the Bank's continued commitment to strong governance, disciplined execution, financial resilience, and sustainable long-term growth. Prior to this appointment, he served on the Board of First HoldCo Plc as a Non-Executive Director, between 2021 and 2026. He most recently served as Deputy Chief Executive of Geregu Power Plc, Nigeria's first listed power generation company, where he played a pivotal role in institutional transformation, governance strengthening, capital market positioning, operational optimisation, and major financing initiatives, including the company's landmark listing on NGX. Dr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga previously served as Group Executive Director, Finance & Risk Management at Forte Oil Plc (Now Ardova Plc), where he was instrumental in the company's financial and operational transformation, leading strategic restructuring, capital raising, treasury optimisation, enterprise risk management, and governance improvement initiatives that strengthened long-term shareholder value. His professional career also includes roles at Africa Finance Corporation, Standard Chartered Bank, KPMG Professional Services and MBC International Bank (Now First Bank Nigeria Limited), providing him with deep experience in institutional finance, treasury management, financial controls, regulatory engagement, and corporate advisory. Dr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga is a CFA Charter Holder, KPMG-trained Accountant, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and the Institute of Credit Administration. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria and a Certified Management Accountant. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master's in Business Administration and Bachelor's degree in Accounting. He is an alumnus of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, IE Business School, Geneva Business School, and The University of Lagos. This appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria. For: FIRST HOLDCO PLC ABIOLA BARUWA GROUP COMPANY SECRETARY