As part of efforts to strengthen its board and deepen corporate governance practices, GPC Energy & Logistics, a fast-growing logistics company in Nigeria, has appointed three new board members.
According to the management of the company, the three new board members, all females, are aimed to bring more diversity and inclusivity to the Board. They are Lolade Ayo-Braimoh, a non-executive director; Rakiya Abdulkadir, a non-executive director, and Hadiza Kubura Abdullahi, also a non-executive director.
The company has also been awarded three ISO Certifications as it marks World Logistics Day today—June 28, 2023. Elvis Okonji, the company’s MD/CEO, listed the three certifications as ISO 14001:2015; ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 plus an ‘A’ rating by DataPro.
“These are testaments of how far we have come and will energize us to do more, while the appointment of 3 additional female directors will drive our growth,” he said.
Suzanne Erhimedafe, the company secretary, confirmed the appointments in a statement in Lagos on Monday, saying that the appointments which were with immediate effect, brought the number of directors in the company to nine with Mike Asekome, a Professor, as chairman.
She described Lolade Ayo-Braimoh as a consummate banker with a career that spanned over 13 years. She has a 1996 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin and Masters of Science degree in Global Marketing Management, from the University of Liverpool.
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“Before her appointment as the Group Head Commercial – Lagos Mainland at Union Bank of Nigeria Plc in 2015, Ayo- Braimoh rose through the ranks in various managerial capacities at United Bank for Africa Plc from where she took a bow in 2017 and ventured into education. She’s the founder, Memory Lane School (Nursery & Primary) in Lagos, where she operates as Proprietor,” Erhimedafe said.
Rakiya Abdulkadir, before joining the board of GPC, was the MD of Purple Magenta Limited, an Enterprise Solution Management Organization. She is a top performing, result-oriented and accomplished professional with over 15 years of multi-sectoral experience.
According to the company secretary, Abdullahi started her career with UACN Plc in April 1994 as a management trainee post-graduation from University of Maiduguri in 1992 with B.Sc Economics. “Her 29 years’ experience saw her serve in various divisions/subsidiaries such as GBO/MDS Limited, Grand Cereals & Oil Mills Limited, UAC Restaurant, CAP Plc and UAC Foods Limited,” she said.
Okonji explained that World Logistics Day is celebrated on June 28 every year to honour the work of the hardworking professionals in the logistics sector, adding that it played a huge role in the progress of the economy, especially in a country as large as Nigeria.
“Everything that you order online reaches you through a vast network of distributors, shippers, and transporters who take care that you receive the right item on time and in perfect condition, regardless of the distance or weather,” he said.
“Though the first World Logistics Day was celebrated in the year 2019, the links that make up the modern world of logistics have been in place for centuries for as long as people began trading with one another,” he explained further.
