Absa has poached Standard Bank senior manager Leon Barnard to head its Pan-Africa business banking proposition, adding to a series of new executive appointments, in a major leadership reset as the lender looks to up the ante and not leave money on the table.On Wednesday, the group said Barnard will assume the role next week, highlighting his experience in leading “large‑scale” banking businesses across multiple markets.“Leon is recognised for his ability to connect strategy to execution, building integrated banking platforms that support business clients, entrepreneurs and growing enterprises across the continent,” the group said.“He has held a number of senior leadership roles at Standard Bank Group, including leading personal and business banking operations across African regions, as well as roles in customer offerings and regional business leadership, giving him extensive exposure to diverse and complex African markets and client segments.”Absa has taken a liking to Standard Bank executives who helped build the bank’s corporate and investment banking (CIB) and business banking units into Pan-African majors. Barnard joins a litany of former Standard Bank executives to join Absa over the past year — a raid that followed the appointment of Kenny Fihla as group CEO in June.Last year, Absa appointed Zaid Moola as the CEO of its CIB businesses. Moola spent much of his career at Standard Bank, rising to the role of head of its global markets business, an indispensable cog in Standard Bank’s CIB business.Absa appointed Musa Motloung as group strategic risk officer, also joining from Standard Bank, where he was chief risk officer in the CIB business. Avikaar Ramphal also joined Absa as its head of strategic risk from Standard Bank, where he was portfolio head, strategy enablement, in the CIB business.Clive Potter, erstwhile head of client coverage in South Africa for Standard Bank CIB, has also joined Absa as the managing executive for client coverage in its CIB business. Absa has also prised away the head of legal at Standard Bank’s CIB franchise, Francisco Khoza, as its deputy general group counsel.To get the group’s personal and private banking performing optimally, Fihla appointed M-Pesa’s Sitoyo Lopokoiyit to head the business. The Kenyan-born executive assumed the role in April.In December, Fihla outlined the group’s growth blueprint, predicated on four pillars: customer-led growth, building a diversified pan-African business, driving excellence and pursuing new growth opportunities.At the heart of the strategy rejig is the lender’s need to wean itself off dependence on South Africa, Kenya and Ghana for earnings.Fihla said Barnard’s appointment was in furtherance of the group’s growth strategy. “We are building a leadership team that combines deep experience with the ability to execute at pace. Strengthening our business banking franchise is a strategic priority for Absa, and this appointment ensures we have the right capability in place to drive relevance, competitiveness, and long‑term value for our clients,” he said.Business Day reported last month that Absa shareholders had urged the deepening of the group’s executive talent pool and that Fihla had the mandate and sufficient latitude regarding the group’s strategy and setting the appropriate performance objectives.