Meet female members of top Nigerian firms

A recent report by Agusto Consulting showed that the share of women on boards of top Nigerian firms surged to an all-time high in 2022.

It listed the United Bank for Africa Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc as the listed firms with the largest proportions of female members on their boards.

Below are the women on their boards.

UBA

Owanari Duke

Duke is the managing partner at Duke and Bobmanuel, a law firm based in Lagos. She is a certified mediation/dispute resolution consultant and also the former first lady of Cross River State.

She currently serves as the country director of Empretec Nigeria Foundation, a United Nations Centre for Trade and Development’s private sector support initiative that aims to assist Nigerians to achieve high levels of productivity and competitiveness among small and medium enterprises.

Aisha Hassan-Baba

Hassan-Baba is the founding and managing partner at Ebo Hassan Baba & Co, Abuja. She has served in very senior and sensitive positions in both federal and state public service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

She was conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit Award in 2001 and the Officer of the Order of the Niger in 2005.

Angela Aneke

Aneke is the CEO of Angela Aneke & Co, board governance consulting firm based in Lagos.

She became an international associate of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1985 and has held executive management and board positions in several international and regional institutions, including Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Citigroup and the United Bank for Africa.

Erelu Adebayo

Adebayo is the founder of Erelu Adebayo Foundation and Erelu Adebayo Children’s Home. She was previously the first lady of Ekiti State and the first female chairman of the board of Wemabod estates.

Caroline Anyanwu

Anyanwu is the founder/principal consultant at Fineline Business Advisory Limited. She is a first class graduate of statistics and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

She has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, covering strategic planning, financial control, retail and commercial banking, banking operations and risk management.

Abiola Bawuah

Bawuah is the first-ever female CEO of UBA Africa. Prior to her current role, she was the regional CEO, West Africa, supervising operations in nine subsidiaries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

Sola Yomi-Ajayi

Yomi-Ajayi, the CEO of UBA America, is a highly experienced banker with over 25 years of banking experience managing corporate and institutional relationships.

She has significant experience in structured lending, transaction banking, risk management, financial inclusion, correspondent banking, and operations.

Emem Usoro

Usoro is UBA’s executive director, Nigerian North Bank with over 20 years’ banking experience in customer service, retail, commercial, corporate banking and public sector, covering all the regions in the country.

She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Lafarge Africa

Adewale Oyinkan

Oyinkan is a retired executive director and chief financial officer of Union Bank Nigeria Plc with over 30 years track record in chief financial officer roles.

She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

Elenda Giwa-Amu

Giwa-Amu is the CEO of Chandrea Lifestyle Limited. She successfully organised Carnival Calabar, the famous street party with over 19,000 participants for five years.

Adenike Ogunlesi

Ogunlesi is the founder and creative director at Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, a premium children clothing line. She has over 35 years of experience in the fashion and retail business and is a founding member and first president of the Network of Entrepreneurial Women at the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association.

Karine Mercie

Mercie is the group head of tax at LafargeHolcim. She is also a lawyer and member of the Paris Bar.

Prior to joining the company in 2017, she occupied different positions including vice-president tax & VP corporate initiatives, vice-president tax Europe and VP projects finance, vice-president public affairs and communication, France at Coca-Cola enterprises INC in Atlanta, USA.

Sonal Shrivastava

Shrivastava is the chief financial officer at APAC Region of Holcim Group. Prior to her current role, she was the chief financial officer at Ambuja Cements Limited, India.

Her experiences include roles in mergers and acquisitions, audit, strategy and business development, supply chain, and finance.

Adewunmi Alode

Alode is Lafarge Africa’s general counsel and company secretary. She has over 13 years experience in company secretariat, core legal, project management in onshore and off-shore contracts, legal advisory, claims and litigation management.

Guinness Nigeria

Omobola Johnson

Johnson is the first female to hold the position of board chair of Guinness Nigeria.

In 2011, she was appointed as Nigeria’s pioneer Minister of Communication Technology where she oversaw the launch and execution of the National Broadband Plan and the pioneering involvement of the government in a local VC fund and a network of start-up incubators.

Ngozi Edozien

Edozien is the founder and managing director at Invivo Partners Limited and Physio Centers of Africa Limited. She has over 25 years’ experience in finance/private equity, general management and strategy/business development functions with multinational companies in Europe, USA and Africa.

Gráinne Wafer

Wafer is Diageo’s global director for Beer, Baileys and Smirnoff. She joined Diageo Ireland as head of public relations/sponsorship manager in 1997 and has worked across markets and in different capacities for over 26 years.

Yemisi Ayeni

Ayeni is the chairperson of NASCON Allied Industries Plc. She is the immediate past managing director at Shell Nigeria Closed Fund Administrator Limited, a position she held for 10 years.

Tariye Gbadegesin

Gbadegesin is the CEO of ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment Limited. She is an investment professional with over 20 years’ experience in finance, principal investments, and infrastructure.

She mobilized over $3 billion of capital for infrastructure projects in Africa. Her global experience includes roles at the Africa Finance Corporation, the International Monetary Fund, the Boston Consulting Group, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings

Sola David-Borha

David-Borha recently retired as chief executive of Standard Bank, Africa Regions. Prior to that, she was chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc.

She has had an extensive career in the financial services industry, which has spanned over 30 years. Her executive educational experience includes the advanced management program of Harvard Business School and the global CEO Program of CEIBS, Wharton and IESE.

Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju

Dayo-Olagunju is the executive director of operations for Stanbic IBTC Bank. She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, with about 20 years post qualification experience, in banking/finance; asset management; pension fund management and administration.

Miannaya Essien

Essien is a senior advocate of Nigeria and managing partner of Principles Law Partnership. She is a notary public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Chartered Arbitrator and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK); Registered Capital Market Consultant with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Rabi Isma

Isma was previously the director, HR Business Partnering & Health and Safety at Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited (operators of 9Mobile). Prior to this, she had served in various roles as HR consultant and lead (international assignment) at Etisalat Sri Lanka; director of Leadership and Organisation Development at Etisalat Nigeria.

She also served as special adviser to the Governor of Kano State on matters relating to non-governmental organisations, policy framework for investment and governance technical reform advisory.

Funeka Montjane

Montjane is the chief executive, consumer and high net worth clients for Standard Bank Group. She has held several roles across Standard Bank of South Africa including chief executive, Personal and Business Banking (PBB), Head, PBB Credit, Head, PBB Home Loans and chief financial officer PBB.

She is a qualified chartered accountant.

Nigerian Breweries

Adeyinka Aroyewun

Aroyewun is the managing consultant at Atticus Allen Consulting. She is also a lawyer with over 33 years of legal experience spanning various aspects of business and law.

She is an internationally accredited mediator of the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, UK; a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK; and an IMI Certified Mediator.

Ndidi Nwuneli

Nwuneli is the managing partner at Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Limited, founder of LEAP Africa and co-founder of AACE Food Processing & Distribution.

She has over two decades of private sector and international development experience.

Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru

Omoigui-Okauru is the managing partner at Compliance Professionals Plc. She has over three decades of work experience with proven leadership ability at board and executive management levels in both private and public sectors.

She is a former executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Read also: More women clinch seats at Nigeria’s most valuable firms

Yeliz Yedikardesler

Yedikardesler is the regional chief financial officer at Heineken Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe. She has over 23 years experience in the FMCG industry with specialization in finance and strategy.

She possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in commercial and financial management, financial operations, strategy development, risk management, corporate finance, environment, sustainability and governance, business integration, and transformational projects.

Juliet Anammah

Anammah is the chairwoman, Jumia Nigeria and head of institutional affairs across Africa. She has over 30 years of professional experience covering consulting, consumer goods, sales, marketing, e-commerce and sustainability.

She serves on the boards of several local and international organisations, including Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc and Imperial Logistics, South Africa.