Dratech International is proud to announce Mr. Chikaome Chimara Imediegwu as the recipient of the Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award 2022, conferred during the recently concluded Dratech International Conference 2022. The recognition places him among a select group of African professionals who are not only fluent in the language of finance, but who also understand how data, people, and real-world banking operations must come together for true impact.
This award celebrates a professional who has proved, day after day, that financial innovation is not abstract. It lives in credit decisions, service experiences, field visits with small business owners, and in the dashboards that reveal what is really happening inside a financial institution.
Chikaome’s journey in finance began with a solid academic base. He studied Business Administration at the University of Lagos, building an understanding of core business principles that would later support his work in credit systems, customer relationship management, and growth strategy.
From the outset, he chose a path that kept him close to real customers, not just spreadsheets. He started his career in the microfinance sector as a client-facing professional, working with micro and small business owners who needed more than theory. They needed working point of sale tools, reliable mobile banking platforms, and a trusted guide who could help them transition from cash-heavy operations into structured digital transactions.
Day after day, he listened to their concerns about transaction charges, downtimes, reconciliation, and cash flow. That experience shaped his belief that inclusive finance only works when products reflect the realities of market women, street retailers, artisans, and small manufacturers trying to keep their businesses afloat.
“If a financial product does not solve a real problem for the customer, then it is only a concept, not a solution.”
In microfinance operations, he supported digital onboarding, promoted POS usage, and generated basic customer usage reports that helped management see where adoption was growing and where more education was needed. Those early reports were simple, but they reflected a pattern that would define his career: using data as a practical tool, not as decoration.
Moving into Mainstream Banking, Keeping the Customer at the Center
From microfinance, Chikaome transitioned into mainstream banking, where the scale and complexity of his responsibilities expanded significantly. As a business development professional in a leading Nigerian bank, he managed a multimillion dollar portfolio that covered diverse customer segments.
He worked with internal teams to strengthen card and mobile service platforms, aligning frontline feedback with technology upgrades. When customers complained about transaction failures or delays, he did not treat those issues as isolated incidents. Instead, he saw them as data points that could guide improvements across the system.
Within the bank, he contributed to the implementation of CRM based sales pipelines that improved visibility on the customer lifecycle. His work supported better tracking of leads, clearer prioritization of opportunities, and structured follow up that translated into stronger customer engagement and revenue growth.
He also ran training sessions for colleagues, focusing on how to embed data in everyday decision making. These sessions covered topics such as reading dashboards, using customer behavior data to guide outreach, and translating performance metrics into clear next steps for sales and service teams.
“Data is not there to intimidate people on the frontline. It should give them confidence, because it shows where to focus their energy.”
In a sector where targets can easily overshadow people, his approach consistently pushed for a balance between performance and empathy. Targets matter, but so does the customer’s experience and long-term trust in the institution.
Research and Writing at the Heart of his Practice
Beyond his operational roles, Chikaome has invested heavily in research, writing, and thought leadership. He has co-authored several academic papers that explore how financial institutions can use data to improve customer retention, strengthen product adoption, allocate resources more intelligently, and reduce operational waste.
These publications cut across themes such as:
- Predictive analytics for customer retention in African retail banking
- Behavioral segmentation for improved mobile banking uptake in underserved markets
- Data driven budget allocation in microfinance institutions
- KPI integration models for small scale financial institutions using common tools such as Excel and Power BI
- Process flow mapping and CRM based sales optimization in branch banking networks
While the language of academic journals can be technical, the intent behind his work is very practical. He is interested in models that can be applied in real institutions, using tools that many banks already have but may not be using to their full potential.
His research portfolio also extends into credit scoring for micro, small, and medium enterprises, campaign effectiveness monitoring for digital banking, and customer experience modeling using CRM and business intelligence platforms.
Taken together, these works position him as a practitioner who does not rely solely on intuition. He tests hypotheses, builds models, and documents frameworks that other institutions can adapt.
Building a Profile of Continuous Learning and Professional Recognition
Alongside his work in banking and research, Chikaome has pursued certifications that deepen his understanding of analytics, process improvement, and business analysis. His credentials span Microsoft business analytics, advanced Excel, Lean Six Sigma at Yellow Belt level, business analysis fundamentals, SQL, data modeling, and process mapping.
He is also associated with professional bodies that reflect his growth as a finance and management professional, including the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and institutes focused on management consulting and business diplomacy.
His commitment to growth has not gone unnoticed. He has previously been recognized as Tech Products Growth and Strategy Personality of the Year, a testament to his contributions at the intersection of technology, product growth, and strategy in financial services.
“Chikaome stands at the intersection of practice and insight, turning raw transaction streams into clearer decisions for banks and customers alike.”
This mix of field experience, structured learning, and professional recognition forms the foundation that made him a compelling choice for the Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award 2022.
Why Chikaome Earned the Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award 2022
The Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award recognizes professionals who use data not as an afterthought, but as a core engine for better financial services. Recipients are individuals whose work shows clear links between data, business outcomes, and customer impact.
In reviewing Chikaome’s profile, several elements stood out:
- Frontline understanding of inclusive finance
His early work in microfinance and small business outreach gave him practical insight into what financial inclusion means in real terms. He has seen firsthand how transaction failures, complex onboarding processes, and poor communication can push people away from formal financial systems. - Proven impact in mainstream banking operations
In his role as a business development manager, he has managed a sizable portfolio and supported CRM based sales pipelines, customer engagement strategies, and digital channel adoption. His contributions have helped improve the quality of customer interactions while supporting revenue growth. - Thought leadership grounded in practice
His co-authored academic papers are not detached from reality. They arise from real questions in banking halls, boardrooms, and strategy sessions: How do we retain customers more effectively? How do we allocate limited resources without guesswork? How do we use behavioral data to build products that people actually use? - Commitment to continuous learning and professional standards
Through certifications, professional associations, and structured development, he has built a toolkit that covers analytics, process mapping, business analysis, and governance. This gives him the ability to move comfortably between technical teams, executive leadership, and frontline staff.
These strengths align tightly with the spirit of the Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award. Chikaome does not treat data as a buzzword. For him, data is a bridge between the bank’s strategy and the customer’s lived experience.
The Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award is one of the flagship recognitions presented at the Dratech International Conference. It is designed to spotlight professionals who are advancing how financial institutions collect, interpret, and apply data in ways that create measurable value.
Key considerations for the award include:
- Demonstrated use of data to improve customer retention, satisfaction, or product adoption
- Documented contributions to process improvement, risk management, or resource allocation using analytics
- Clear evidence that insights from data have been converted into real operational or strategic changes
- A track record of ethical, responsible use of financial data, with attention to fairness and transparency
The award reflects Dratech’s commitment to a future where African financial institutions are not only competitive, but also thoughtful about how they use information to serve communities and economies.
By conferring the 2022 edition of this award on Chikaome Chimara Imediegwu, Dratech recognizes a professional who embodies these values in his daily work.
Looking Ahead: A Call to the Next Wave of Innovators
Chikaome’s story sends a clear message to professionals across Africa’s financial ecosystem. Innovation is not limited to people writing code in back offices or to those sitting in strategy units. It also belongs to the relationship officer who understands the nuance of a customer’s business, the analyst who refuses to accept incomplete data, and the manager who insists that dashboards must lead to better decisions, not just colorful charts.
As Dratech International closes the chapter on the 2022 conference, the focus already turns to the next edition. The financial sector is evolving, from digital payments to embedded finance, alternative credit scoring, and real time analytics. There is room for more innovators who are ready to do what Chikaome has done: combine field experience, structured analysis, and a strong sense of responsibility to both institutions and customers.
Dratech invites bankers, product managers, data analysts, researchers, regulators, and technology builders to join the conversation at the next Dratech International Conference. Whether you are working on predictive models for credit risk, new frameworks for financial inclusion, smarter customer experience tools, or better data governance in your institution, there is a place for your work on this platform.
The recognition of Mr. Chikaome Chimara Imediegwu as the winner of the Dratech Financial Data Innovation Excellence Award 2022 is both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates a professional who has shown what is possible when data and financial practice work together. It challenges the wider ecosystem to push further, think deeper, and build solutions that truly serve people.
Dratech looks forward to welcoming the next set of trailblazers, sharing their stories, and continuing to spotlight the individuals and teams who are quietly transforming finance across the continent.
To innovators, industry professionals, and institutions across Africa and beyond, this is your invitation: bring your ideas, your experiments, your models, and your stories to the next Dratech International Conference. The future of financial data innovation is being written now, and your work deserves a place in that conversation.
