BusinessDay Media Limited, in collaboration with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), is hosting its sixth annual Top CEOs & Next Bulls Awards on September 5, 2020.
The theme of the event is “Advancing Against All Odds” and will celebrate chief executives of quoted companies that have demonstrated the most impressive gains in both share price and profit-after-tax over the course of 2019.
The award was introduced in 2014 to celebrate chief executives who through sound strategy, disciplined execution, world-class governance and adoption of a customer-first ethos have delivered alpha, thereby creating competitive shareholder value.
Since inception, the annual awards have become the capital market pacesetter used by investors to identify the best performing chief executive officers and the most resilient stocks on the NSE.
The winners of the award are selected by a proprietary survey carried out by the BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit (BRIU). Respondents include equity analysts, retail and institutional investors, financial journalists, sectoral experts, and professional advisers.
Nomination of shortlisted companies follows the impressive growth, market reputation, regulatory compliance, and world-class corporate values of these organisations, under visionary leadership, and stead growth of these companies, attracting broad positive interest from sector watchers.
Winners of the 25 CEO awards in 2019 included renowned CEOs Herbert Wigwe, group managing director of Access Bank as well as Edwin Igbiti, the managing director of AllCO Insurance, and a host of others.
In 2019, Access Bank won the special category award as best media communicator on the NSE and E-Tranzact International plc also bagged the award of the best transformation and turnaround company on the NSE.
Past winners of Next Bulls Awards have included iconic companies like Airtel, Caverton Group, Enyo Retail & Supply, Halogen Security, Innoson Group, Mojec International, SystemSpecs, and Tolaram Group.
This year, some of shortlisted for the Next Bulls are Bimbo Abidoye (Fintrak Software Co Ltd), Saleem Adegunwa (Rite Foods Ltd), Akinwande Ademosu (Credit Direct Ltd), Titi Adeoye (Sankore Investments Ltd), Fejiro Hanu Agbodje (Patricia Technologies Ltd), Esigie Aguele (VerifyMe Nigeria Ltd), Patrick Anegbe (Intercontinental Distillers Ltd) and Don Ebubeogu (Tiger Foods Ltd).
Others are: Valentine Chime (inq. Digital Nigeria ltd), Obi Ezeude (Beloxxi Group), Ahmad Farroukh (Smile Communications Ltd), Patrick McMichael (Eat ‘N’ GO Ltd), Paul Odunnaiya (Wemy Industries Ltd), Olatunde Ogungbade (Global Accelerex Ltd) and Adebola Sheidu (Brains and Hammers Ltd).
The shortlisted Next Top CEOs for the 2020 awards are Ademola Adebise (Wema Bank Plc), Oyeyimika Adeboye (Cadbury Nigeria Plc), Adeyinka Adekoya (Wapic Insurance Plc), Kunle Ahmed (AXA Mansard Insurance Plc), Folasope Aiyesimoju (UACN Property Development company), Adebola Akindele (Courteville Business Solutions Plc), Roger Brown (Seplat Petroleum Devt.Co.Plc), Carl Raymond R. Cruz (Unilever Nigeria Plc), Khaled Abdelaziz El Dokani (Lafarge Africa Plc) and Emeka Emuwa (Union Bank Plc).
The list also includes Christopher Ezeh (John Holt Plc), Babatunde Fajemirokun (AIICO Insurance Plc), Ayedun Fasina (Multiverse Mining and Exploration Plc), Patrick Ilodianya (The Skye Shelter Fund Plc), Obong Idiong (African Prudential Plc), Lanre Jaiyeola (Honeywell Flour Mills Plc), Olabode Makanjuola (Caverton Offshore Plc), Ferdinand Moolman (MTN Nigeria Communications Plc), Ganiyu Musa (Cornerstone Insurance Plc), Deji Mustapha (Morison Industries Plc).
Other shortlisted Next Top CEOs are Peter Olusola Obabori (Red Star Express Plc), Samuel Ogbodu (SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc), Andrew Otike Odibi (C & I Leasing Plc), Nnamdi Okonkwo (Fidelity Bank Plc), Owen Omogiafo (Transcorp Plc), Ayodeji Oseni (BOC Gases Plc), Oluwole Oshin (Custodian Investment Plc), Lars Richter (Julius Berger Nigeria Plc), Sarbeswar Sahoo (Prestige Assurance Plc), Abubakar Sulieman (Sterling Bank Plc), Priscilla Thorpe-Monclus (MRS Oil Nigeria Plc), Hassan Usman (Jaiz Bank Plc), Herbert Wigwe (Access Bank Plc), Gavin Young (Chams Plc) and Christiana Yisa (NCR Corporation Plc).
BusinessDay, as the organizer of the Top CEOs & Next Bulls Awards, decided to hold the event knowing that there is no better time than now to give recognition to companies that are thriving in spite of challenges, as businesses are trying to navigate the disruption brought about the recent crisis.
The event will be taking place virtually in adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines.
This award will demonstrate that that it is not all doom and gloom as real business heroes are revealed when they come against big odds.
The celebration of the Top CEOs & Next Bulls Awards is worthwhile because these companies defied the odds in 2019 before ending the year as outperformers.
Asides the economic contribution and employment opportunities created by these companies; Nigeria dearly needs such success stories to inspire young Nigerian entrepreneurs who are growing up in a society with far too few role models.
This country benefits when such companies are celebrated because they represent a different narrative, a positive one.
