Underwriting firm, KBL Insurance Limited, has announced the appointment of Lawal Mijinyawa, as the new managing director/CEO following the retirement of Ukachi Orji, the former managing director.
The company in a statement said the underwriting firm confirmed that the regulatory authorities, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has given approval for the appointment of Mijinyawa as new MD/CEO.
The board had met in November 2023 after Orji notified it of her intention to retire after over 25 years of service, with 10 years as MD/CEO), considered and approved Orji’s retirement and resignation as MD effective January 1st, 2024.
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Lawal Mijinyawa, the new CEO is an avid insurance practitioner, with over 25 years in the insurance industry at various insurance companies, in Nigeria. A sound technical underwriter and marketer, his experience spans from actuary, Oil and Gas, and Marketing to management.
A hands-on insurance professional, his years in the industry, have seen him deeply involved in policy evaluation, pension administration, policy implementation, marketing and strategic policy formulation, product designs and business executions while supervising various technical and marketing directorates.
Mijinyawa’s relevant contributions to the development of insurance in Nigeria are known in areas such as group life assurance, public sector marketing, privatisation and commercialisation of public enterprises, as well as branch management, through various academic journals, publications, and presentations.
Mijinyawa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, from the University of Jos, Nigeria, and a master’s degree in business administration from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. He is an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Nigerian Institute of Marketing, and the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN)
He served as a board member, representing Niger Insurance Plc on Montgomery Security Vaults Nigeria Limited Board. Subsequently, he joined the Board of KBL Insurance Limited, initially as a non-executive director, where he served for about 2 years before his current appointment as MD/CEO.
Meanwhile, at a send-forth dinner organised in honour of the outgoing Chief Executive in Lagos, Simpson Eimiakhena, chairman on behalf of the Board and Management, thanked Orji and commended her for the level and manner she had turned around the affairs of the company, citing where KBL Insurance was at her appointment.
He noted that Orji had raised the bar, moving the company’s premium income to N5 billion to become one of the foremost insurance companies in Nigeria.
Eimiakhena said: “For the number of years, I have worked with Orji on the board of KBL Insurance; I can boldly say she is a woman of integrity and accountability, who is not shy to take responsibility in everything she does. When it comes to people’s skills, she is very endowed. A very transparent person and as a technical and underwriting expert, is highly risk averse, her management capacity is second to none. Her corporate governance acumen is unimaginable, and I say I have very much enjoyed working with her”, the board chairman, submitted.
