The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has inaugurated Bisi Adeyemi as its 17th and second female president in the over 40 years of the Chamber’s existence.
The inauguration dinner which took place recently is the premier event of the NBCC held to celebrate excellence in the Nigerian business sector and to promote Anglo-Nigerian business relationships.
This year’s dinner event was a riveting experience with Olayemi Cardoso, chairman of Citibank Nigeria Limited, as the Chairman of the Day, and Omobola Johnson, chairman, Guiness Nigeria Plc, as the Guest Speaker.
While delivering her acceptance speech, Adeyemi said that she was very proud to be leading the NBCC at a time when the world is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the pandemic struck in March 2020, the last administration was just settling in, having set a clear tone of a new dawn at the NBCC. There was justifiable concern as to how we would sustain our visibility and more importantly our relevance and impact,” Adeyemi said.
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“However, we not only exceeded our own expectations, but raised the bar several rungs higher. We went fully virtual and technology enabled us to continue to deliver value and indeed expand our reach. We have continued on this trajectory and are without a doubt the Chamber of Commerce to beat,” she said.
She also paid tribute to the body of Past Presidents for the sacrifices they have made in promoting the Chamber to a premium position.
The new president is a law graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with varied experience in corporate and commercial law practice and has worked on various assignments spanning corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, board evaluation, director up-skilling and other governance engagements.
The event also saw the launch of the two initiatives, namely, the NBCC Next Generation Leaders Programme (an executive mentoring programme creating impact with the younger demography) as well as the Programming Academy & Incubator for young women. These programmes are meant to support the succession and grooming of the next generation of leaders.
“We have an army of successful young men and women all over the world leading successful enterprises and creating value. We have our own fair share here in Nigeria,” Adeyemi said.
She further said that young men and women are attracting investment and making a difference.
“We have to do our bit to equip them with the skills required to thrive and stay the course,” she said.
