Maryann Oghenerukevwe Smatt-Oni

Maryann Oghenerukevwe Smatt-Oni is a seasoned professional, astute administrator, licensed human resources manager, certified leadership and transformational mentor and coach with over twenty years’ experience in the financial sector and has over fourteen years of public service experience. Her professional journey is anchored in Strategic Management, Human Resources Management, Mentoring & Coaching, Policy Development, Credit Resolution, Business Analysis, Data Analysis, Project Management and General Administration. She has a strong track record of enhancing operational efficiency, leading strategic initiatives, executing projects, driving technological improvements, effectively managing stakeholders and ensuring regulatory compliance. She is renowned for her exceptional problem-solving and negotiation abilities and has consistently excelled in developing and implementing effective human resources and credit resolution strategies.

She is currently an Assistant Vice President and serves as the Head, AMCON Lagos Office and Head, AMP Resolution Lagos at the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) which is a Federal Government Corporation set up in 2010 to be a key stabilizing and re-vitalizing tool aimed at resolving the non-performing loan assets in Nigeria. As the Head, AMCON Lagos Office, she currently provides leadership and administrative oversight for its Lagos office, ensuring all staff and activities align with corporate policies and standards while also serving as a key liaison for management. In her role as Head, AMP Resolution Lagos, she has supervised debt recovery and asset management partners and consistently achieved over 100% of her recovery target by managing credit resolution, enforcing legal actions, standardizing processes, and leading technological improvements (inclusive of initiating the development and implementation of an end-to-end resolution dashboard) to optimize loan recovery and team productivity. She has previously and successfully served as the Deputy Head, Human Resources and Head, Performance Management and Compensation where she played a pivotal role in the set-up of the AMCON Human Resources Department where she successfully administered an industry best practice performance management framework that increased process credibility and employee productivity. She has also successfully managed executive and staff severance programs which significantly reduced staff attrition rate amongst other initiatives. She has also actively contributed to the corporation’s Volunteer Mentoring Program for the past eight years, formally and informally mentoring many employees towards the achievement of their professional and personal objectives.

Prior to joining AMCON, Maryann has worked in several other companies including Zenith Bank Plc and Oceanic Bank International Plc (now EcoBank Plc). In her roles at Oceanic Bank Plc, she effectively recruited and onboarded new hires during the bank’s mass recruitment exercise, proactively benchmarked external compensation data, developed a competitive reward structure and managed exit processes with staff retention rate of over 95%. At Zenith Bank Plc, she served as a Recruitment and Confirmation Senior Executive Assistant where she coordinated the recruitment and onboarding process during the bank’s mass recruitment exercise, managed recruitment records, verified candidates’ qualifications and work history.

Additionally, she has also been at the fore of the Quest Young Leaders Programme, a flagship initiative by The Quest Centre, which has already empowered 40 youths aged 18-35 years as of September 2025 with leadership, employability, career acceleration and entrepreneurship development skills aimed at reducing youth unemployment in Lagos, Nigeria. Her mentoring and coaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that every young leader and professional possesses unique potential which can be unlocked through effective mentoring and coaching. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member for the Quest Leaders Executive MBA Programme. She is deeply purpose-driven and committed to making a positive impact through leadership and entrepreneurship development.

Maryann is a graduate of Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom with an M.Sc. in International Human Resources Management and Comparative Industrial Relations. She obtained her first degree in Biology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. She is currently undertaking her Global MBA, Business Administration at the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship, Switzerland. She is a Fellow Professional Mentor & Coach (FPMC), Certified Leadership Coach & Mentor (CLCM), and Certified Transformational & Productivity Coach (CTPC) from the Chartered Institute of Mentoring & Coaching Nigeria. She is a Licensed Human Resources Professional and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria. She is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) and a Certified ACCA Data Analyst from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). She has also attended various human resources management and leadership programs from renowned institutions like the Homerton College, University of Cambridge, IIR Middle East (Informa Middle East), Lagos Business School and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria.

In her spare time, she enjoys reflecting on her activities to identify her strengths and areas for improvement. She also loves spending time with her family and participating in extracurricular activities such as walking and swimming. Drawing from her faith, she operates with a strong sense of integrity, empathy, and ethical responsibility in her professional and personal relationships.