Raquel Serra serves as Chief Financial Officer of Standard Bank Angola, a position she has held with distinction for over five years. With a career spanning more than two decades in finance, accounting, and strategic financial management, she has established herself as one of the most accomplished financial leaders in the Angolan banking sector.
In her current role, Raquel oversees the entire financial operation of one of Angola’s leading banks. She is responsible for the integrity of financial reporting, rigorous adherence to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), tax compliance, treasury and payment controls, capital expenditure oversight, and the preparation of comprehensive annual and monthly reports for the Board and the Standard Bank Group.
Under her stewardship, the bank maintains robust financial planning and budgeting processes, with continuous monitoring of performance against targets and detailed profitability analysis across all business units.
Before she was appointed CFO, Raquel spent three years as Head of Finance at Standard Bank Angola, where she implemented stringent controls over payments, accounting close processes, balance sheet substantiation, and tax obligations while leading the annual budgeting cycle and delivering insightful financial reporting to senior leadership.
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Her earlier roles within the bank further deepened her institutional expertise. As Manager of Financial Reporting for the Retail Banking division, she spearheaded budget preparation, tracked variances, advised business units on product profitability, and presented monthly performance results. She also served as Credit MIS and Portfolio Manager, contributing to credit portfolio monitoring, the implementation of IAS 39, the definition of the bank’s risk appetite framework, and regulatory reporting to the central bank.
Before joining Standard Bank, Raquel held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Fundo de Investimento Privado de Angola, managed financial analysis at Banco Espírito Santo (now Novo Banco), and worked in private equity at Banco Privado Português, where she analyzed and valued investment opportunities and oversaw a €1 billion portfolio for an operation twice recognized by Euromoney as Portugal’s Best Private Equity House.
Raquel began her professional journey as an auditor with Deloitte, where she honed her technical accounting and assurance skills across diverse industries.
