LET  THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!

CROS RIVER STATE GUBER ASPIRANTS (1)

Francis Bullem

COMPREHENSIVE CAREER PROFILE

Francis Bullem is an alumnus of the University of Calabar, Born 49 years ago, he is Currently the Executive Chairman/CEO of WOPEF Nigeria Limited, a Finance Consultant, Economist, Entrepreneur and Chairman Supervisory Board of the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service after voluntarily resigning as Divisional Executive Public Sector Business Group, South-South, Keystone Bank Ltd, where he had served from August, 2010 to July, 2012.

As supervisory Board Chairman of Internal Revenue Service since January 2012, the responsibilities include: Board Governance of the revenue Parastatal of the state, Commitment to looking constantly for ways of improving how the Board is governed through formal and informal channels, Regular Constructive Consultations between the Executive Board and Supervisory Board and reporting to effective and wider  partner critically also, the Executive board when appropriate, teeming up Supervisory Board members with Executive Board members for informal input on strategic developments and holding the Executive Board to account and represent the interest of Government.

  BANKING CAREER

Chief Bullem actually began his banking career at the defunct Mercantile Bank Plc, Aba Branch as a Trainee Operations Officer in February, 1992, where he served till July 1993. He was transferred to the bank’s head office in Calabar to serve in the capacity of Inspector (Auditor), a position he held until August 1994. He was Responsible for leading and conducting Audit management to evaluate the adequacy of the account systems, reviewing the operations of departments and branches in compliance with policies, procedures, guidelines and statutory requirements. He was appointed the Bank’s Head, Branch Operations and transferred to Abak in Akwa Ibom State to assist the Branch manager supervise the counter services and daily branch operations and Perform cross selling of bank product activities. 

His character attributes of taking challenges by being courageous at all times and move on with his career pursuits propelled him to resign from the then Mercantile Bank to return to school when the bank future held no more even with a young family to take care of.

Between August 1997 and March 1998, this man of acumen was Coordinator of Enterprise Business in Pannex Associates, Calabar/Port Harcourt where he was responsible for LPO Sourcing, Financing and Human Resource Management for the young enterprise, assisting in handling human resource management systems and functions including recruitment, employee services and staff related activities.

Later in the same year he returned to banking by joining Equitorial Trust Bank as Cash Management Officer Operations and later Relationship Management Group at the Port Harcourt Branch office.  He resigned from Equitorial Bank to join Lead Bank in 2002.  A situation many people thought was a bad gamble of moving from the known to the unknown. This move shaped his progression in the banking sector.

 In a further quest for growth and opportunism, in 2003, Francis Bullem resigned from Lead Bank to join hands to start a new bank (BOND BANK) as a Pioneer Management Staff (Manager). The greatest risk ever contemplated by all his friends, colleagues and family.  After establishing the new Bank in Port Harcourt, he was moved to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State in the same year to start a new business in a town and location that had only one road access at the time and evolving with very few banking opportunities.

During the banking consolidation exercise of 2006, Bond Bank became a merging entity with other partners which included; Prudent Bank, Eko International and Cooperative Bank Ibadan. All the Senior Management Staff of the Merging entities sat for Examination conducted by a team of consultants to determine retention and placements. His performance was responsible for him being returned from Yenagoa in 2006 to Port Harcourt to head the biggest branch of the Merging entities in the South-South situated in Port Harcourt as Senior Business Development manager whose responsibility apart from business development also included specific job roles such as  Evaluation of Credit Proposals on Commercial lending and other credit related matters, Monitoring compliance of the various credit operations and ensuring full compliance were highlighted. Finally reviewing and recommending changes to existing system with the objective of enhancing control.

Later that year he was moved again after stabilizing the merging entities in Port Harcourt to Calabar to start a new branch in Calabar, because of his skills in branch Management/ new business development,  and elevated the business office to an Area Office covering Uyo and Calabar.

He was promoted to the level of Assistant General Manager, with effect from November 1, 2007, and that started his journey back home to participate fully in the emerging transition at the time that heralded the coming onboard of His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke, Executive Governor, and Cross River State.

Given the successes recorded in growing the business, He was offered a   new placement with Bank PHB in early 2009 as Assistant Vice President/ Regional Executive for South- South 2 Region where he later became the Divisional Executive Public Sector Business Group for the entire South-south covering six (6) States of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River at the period of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intervention in Seven (7) commercial banks. A position he held until October 2012 when he voluntarily resigned to pursue other endeavours. His detailed job functions at the level of Senior Management (Assistant General Manager and above) included but not limited to the following:

• Identifying trendsetter ideas by researching industry and related events, publications, and announcements; tracking individual contributors and their accomplishments.
  
  
• Locating or proposing potential business deals by contacting potential partners; discovering and exploring opportunities.
  
  
• Screening potential business deals by analyzing market strategies, deal requirements, potential, and financials; evaluating options; resolving internal priorities; recommending equity investments.
  
  
• Developing negotiating strategies and positions by studying integration of new venture with company strategies and operations; examining risks and potentials; estimating partners' needs and goals.
  
  
• Closing new business deals by coordinating requirements; developing and negotiating contracts; integrating contract requirements with business operations.
  
  
• Protecting organization's value by keeping information confidential.
  
  
• Updating job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
  
  
• Enhancing organization’s reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

His career in Banking also took him to the key commercial nerve centres of Lagos, Abuja, and Kano among other places on special assignments, a development that exposed him to the diversity of Nigeria, opportunism and growth potentials.

Francis Bullem’s career in Banking has seen him through all the key areas such as Operations, Audit, Corporate and Commercial Banking, Credit and Credit Administration, Strategy, General Management, Business Generation and Growth, Branch Management and administration at various times and Relationship Management at very senior levels

His key attributes are Courage, Humility, Integrity and Professionalism. He is People-oriented with good interpersonal skills and drive for excellent services, very sound ability to work under pressure, outgoing, self motivated, with strong communication skills.

This accomplished son of Cross River State of Ogoja, Mbube extraction is also engaged in philanthropy and has recorded unequalled strides in this direction in the giving of support as well as rendering selfless service to individuals, community and humanity in general. 

Currently, Bullem is building an integrated academic block of three Science Laboratories, an examination hall, a library and offices measuring over sixty metres at the Community Secondary School Idum-Mbube, in Ogoja Local Government Area as  contribution to educational advancement in Science and Technology.

He is an employer of labour through his Business Concerns in hospitality, Oil & Gas (Downstream) and Large-scale commercial farming all in support of the hydra headed unemployment challenge in the State and the Nation’s economy.  He is a recipient of so many leadership and professional awards ranging from Banking to entrepreneurship from several groups in recognition of his selfless contribution to the society.

Our man of the people, often referred to as the BRIDGE is highly liberated and he is also well travelled with very rich and vast network of friends, colleagues, associates and mentors across the globe and also with a capacity and Pedigree of delivering against all odds in the most Professional manner.  

Today, this astute Banker, Economist, Entrepreneur, farmer and Community Leader would best be likened to a vessel that is willing to be used by the people, whom one time President of United States, “Abraham Lincoln said power belongs to…” in determining their leader and transforming lives and the environment.

He is also a man of love, whose hobbies include sport, travelling and meeting people. He is married with four children.

A faithful friend and a dependable leader.