CIO & C-Suite Awards will promote healthy competition in business, tech leaders - Adesina

The Head of Digital Transformation and Technology at First City Monument Bank, Akeem Adesina, has commended the organisers of the CIO & C-Suite Awards, noting that the awards will drive healthy competition among tech and business leaders in Nigeria.
The award was born in 2020 by Edniesal Consulting and has grown to be one of the leading events that recognises excellence among CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, and other C-Suite leaders.

Founded by Abiola Laseinde, CEO of Edniesal Consulting, the award has evolved since its inception into a pan-African platform promoting collaboration among technology and business leaders. The event honours chief information officers, chief digital officers, and other senior executives who have driven measurable change within their organisations through innovation and strategic leadership.

“The CIO Awards stand out because they combine transparency, expertise, and impact,” Adesina said. “It’s not just about celebrating technology for its own sake, but about spotlighting leaders and initiatives that are redefining how organisations deliver value to customers and communities.”

Akeem Adesina, the tech and digital transformation czar at FCMB, was among the respected technology executives whose expertise helped shape the evaluation process that determined some of the continent’s most deserving honorees.

Adesina, who has held senior leadership roles as Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and Chief Information Officer in the banking and capital markets sector, served as a member of the evaluation committee that reviewed nominations and assessed projects across multiple industries. His technical insight and strategic perspective were instrumental in ensuring that the awards recognised projects with genuine impact on business growth and digital transformation.

According to Laseinde, the awards were conceived to “recognise excellence and build a community of visionary leaders who are reshaping Africa’s technology and business landscape.” Supported by global partners such as Deloitte and KPMG, the programme’s evaluation framework involves multiple stages of technical and strategic assessment to guarantee fairness and credibility.

In 2021, the awards attracted nominations from over a dozen African countries, with categories highlighting digital transformation in banking, telecommunications, logistics, energy, and healthcare.

Adesina’s involvement in the technical review process added significant credibility, especially given his background in leading digital transformation projects and optimising operational efficiency within financial institutions.

His work on the committee, colleagues said, reflected both his passion for technology and his conviction in the power of collaboration as a catalyst for growth.
“Africa’s growth story is being rewritten through innovation,” Adesina remarked.

“Platforms like the CIO Awards help sustain that momentum by recognising those who are leading the charge.”
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After the awards, Laseinde praised Adesina in a letter sent to him for his “expertise, diligence, and professionalism you have brought to this critical process.”
She insisted that Adesina’s “insights and objective assessment have been instrumental in ensuring the integrity and credibility of our awards.”