AYV News, May 13, 2025
In the evolving landscape of African banking, few names stand as tall and resolute as Dr. Walton Ekundayo Gilpin, Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB). With over three decades of financial and development experience across Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States, Dr. Walton Gilpin is not just steering a bank; he is architecting a revolution in trust, inclusion and innovation within Sierra Leone’s financial ecosystem.
When Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin first took the helm at Rokel Commercial Bank, he met an institution rich in potential but lacking in purposeful direction. Much like Coleridge’s ancient mariner, the bank stood amid a sea of opportunity but without a clear compass. What followed under his leadership was not mere reform, but a resurrection. He introduced strategic clarity, cutting-edge technology, marketing dynamism and a human-centered operational philosophy.
Today, RCB is not only profitable but purposeful. It has redefined what it means to be a bank in a developing economy; transforming into an institution where inclusion, responsibility, and growth go hand in hand.
For Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin, leadership is not a solitary pursuit; it is a mosaic of vision, alignment, customer focus, communication and authenticity. He sees himself as the nucleus of a collective energy where his role is to inspire, guide and elevate his team. His leadership ethos has cultivated trust, reduced staff turnover and fostered a corporate culture of joy, clarity and excellence.
He is both strategist and steward, an agile communicator and an effective collaborator. His team members are not just employees; they are torchbearers of a shared mission.
Under Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin’s watch, RCB has weathered crises that toppled many financial institutions. From the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic to the reverberations of the Russia-Ukraine war, he navigated through these turbulent times with resilience and foresight. Revenue diversification, robust risk management and a deep-seated culture of corporate governance helped insulate the bank from operational and reputational risks.
Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin believes that banking is not a privilege but a right. That belief materialized in the launch of the Rokel Sim Korpor App, a user-friendly mobile banking platform aimed at extending financial services to the underbanked and underserved populations. The app became a bridge connecting rural Sierra Leoneans to modern financial infrastructure and empowering small traders, women-led businesses and marginalized communities.
This was more than a digital initiative it was a manifesto of access and equity. It signaled a belief that transformation begins with inclusion.
RCB, under Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin, integrates Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles deep into its operations. Lending decisions, governance structures and corporate social responsibility programs all reflect a new sustainability mindset. Green banking is not a buzzword it’s embedded in the bank’s DNA. Dr. Gilpin’s commitment ensures that RCB does not merely do business, but does it responsibly and ethically.
Dr. Gilpin strongly believes that youth development is not just a line item in CSR reports it is a living legacy. From university partnerships to international training programs and rooted in the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement, he is cultivating a generation that will not just inherit success, but build it.
As Africa prepares for a transformative leap in fintech; driven by AI, cloud computing, USSD innovations and generative intelligence, Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin sees a giant awakening. He champions a bold vision: to make Africa not just a participant in the global economy, but a cornerstone of its future.
While he has received Sierra Leone’s prestigious Order of Rokel (COR), perhaps Dr. Ekundayo Gilpin’s greatest honor lies in the lives changed by his work: women-led businesses gaining traction, rural entrepreneurs entering the financial mainstream, and young bankers daring to dream.
Dr. Walton Ekundayo Gilpin isn’t just rebuilding a bank—he’s rebuilding trust in African finance, one inspired decision at a time.
