Bolarin Okunowo is the MD/CEO at Chemical and Allied Products Plc (CAP Plc), Nigeria’s leading paint and coating company and a subsidiary of the UAC of Nigeria Plc (UACN) Group.
CAP Plc fully operates in the coatings business and fully provides a wide range of quality products and services. They operate within the premium and standard segments of the paints and coatings market with flagship brands such as Dulux, positioned in the premium segment, Sandtex, in the standard segment and Caplux, for surface preparation products and Hempel, for industrial coatings.
Bolarin assumed the role of MD/CEO at CAP Plc in December 2021 and in barely a year on the job, she has led the business to deliver significant top line and bottom-line growth.
According to the company’s unaudited financial statement for the period ended September 2022, Bolarin has led the business to grow revenues by over 40% compared to prior year period while growing operating profit by 160%. These stellar results are coming during current macroeconomic realties, particularly inflation, high interest rates and foreign exchange availability.
However, these are indeed a testament of her business leadership expertise and financial prowess, as she has almost two decades of experience in a range of roles spanning investment banking and financial services, manufacturing, oil and gas, real estate and hospitality.
Prior to joining CAP Plc as MD/CEO in December 2021, she served as the Managing Director of Portland Paints and Products Nigeria Plc, a member of the UACN Group, where she also led a turnaround of the business and the implementation of the successful merger with CAP Plc.
Prior to joining Portland Paints and Products Nigeria Plc, she had worked in reputable national and multinational brands, including but not limited to, UAC of Nigeria Plc, Stanbic IBTC Capital, ARM Investments Managers and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
While at UAC of Nigeria Plc, she served as the Group’s Investment Executive responsible for managing the Group’s investments in its paints, logistics and real estate businesses, where she worked closely with management teams to shape strategy and deliver commercial outcomes.
As the Head, Energy & Infrastructure Finance at Stanbic IBTC Capital, she was responsible for the oil and gas, power and infrastructure debt finance portfolio.
Bolarin is a qualified Chartered Accountant. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Birmingham UK and a Master’s degree in Information Systems from the prestigious London School of Economics. Bolarin Okunowo also serves as a Non-Executive Director at Wema Bank PLC. She is married and mother to three beautiful children.
