May Class
Abiola Ojo-Osagie
Abiola is the Managing Director of AfricInvest Capital Partners NigeriaLimited; a fully owned affiliate of AfricInvest Capital Partner (ACP), aMauritius based fund Management Company that applies a hands-on monitoring approach to investing in Africa. At ACP, she is responsible for originating, structuring and negotiating investment opportunities across various sectors and has facilitated three divestments. Abiola has a strong passion for creating wealth in Africa by seeking opportunities for profitable engagement of ideas and capital and has repeatedly demonstrated this.
Before joining ACP, Abiola worked as a consultant focused on creating organizations by establishing the feasibility of their value proposition and worked extensively with various fund providers to provide necessary funding.She led the team that served as joint Financial Advisers on one of the biggest bank mergers in West Africa and was a lead consultant to the CentralBank of Nigeria (CBN) on the development of the Financial System Strategy(FSS2020) working with the World Bank and IFC. In addition, she served as an internal consultant to the World Bank funded project of the FederalGovernment of Nigeria's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) project.
Abiola has over 15 years’ experience in financial/business advisory,intermediating capital, enterprise development, mergers and acquisition,project management, strategy and change management. She sits on the board of various portfolio companies.
Ahmed Shekarau
Ahmed is the Chief Operating Officer/Lead Strategist of RytKey Concepts Limited, Abuja. He is also a Director and founding partner in the company. He brings about 20 years wealth of experience in Journalism and Brand Communication to his role as the Lead Strategist and Chief Operating Officer of the firm. Shekarau reached the zenith of his Journalism career in 2009 when he was appointed the Pioneer Editor, Daily of the Peoples Daily, a publication of Peoples Media Limited, Abuja. As Editor, he was part of the Management team and provided strategic leadership to the Peoples Daily editorial team. Before he became Editor of Peoples Daily, Shekarau was Head, Corporate Communications Unit, Corporate Affairs Division of the Unity Bank Plc. He was also the Pioneer Head, Corporate Affairs, Northern Region, Oceanic Bank Plc. between 2007 and 2009.
Shekarau, who had a greater part of his career in journalism, is the Pioneer Editor of the Sunday Trust. He was Group Business Editor, Daily Trust and Weekly Trust; Group Political Editor, Daily Trust and Weekly Trust; Business Editor, Daily Trust, between 2001 and 2005. Shekarau, who had his first interface with the journalism profession as an Intern Reporter with The Nigeria Standard, Jos in 1995, also had a stint as Information Officer with Bayelsa State Government in 1998 before joining Weekly Trust in 1999.
Shekarau obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri and has attended professional courses in Journalism and Brand Communication both in Nigeria and overseas. He is a member of several professional bodies, which include the prestigious Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE); the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ); the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON); and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). Shekarau has published many feature articles, stories and special reports in various national dailies on business, oil & gas, politics, travels and personal experiences.
Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba
Dr Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba is the CEO and Founder of Friends Africa, a Pan African organization which fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, using the capacity of African governments, African businesses and African community-based organisations.
Dr Anyanwu Ikemba serves on the board of Roll Back Malaria as board member representing NGOs; she serves on the board of Nigerian arm of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), she is a member of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative and the Vice-President of her Alumni Class at Harvard School of Public Health.
Anyanwu Ikemba holds a Doctorate degree in medicine from Tufts University, a Master’s degree in International Public Health from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Lehigh University. She has diplomas in non-profit management and leadership from Duke University and she has also done post graduate studies at the University of London and the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases. She has received multiple awards in leadership and academia.
Akeem Oyewale
Akeem Oyewale is presently the Managing Director of IBTC Asset Management Limited which manages Nigeria's largest mutual fund with net asset value in excess of N30bn. IBTC Asset Management Limited received the 2005 This Day Fund Manager of the Year Award.
Mr Oyewale holds a Bachelors degree in Accountancy from University of Lagos and is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Stockbroker. He is also an Associate member of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria as well as the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. He has 10 years extensive Investment Banking experience. His experience also spans various segments of banking operations, including Credit and Marketing, Trade Finance, Stock broking and Asset Management.
Akeem Oyewale was nominated as one of Nigeria's Young Manager of the Year 2006 at the ThisDay Annual Awards. Akeem is interested in NGO activities that focus on child healthcare. He is a Trustee of the United for Kids Foundation (www.unitedforkidsfoundation.org)
Biola Adekanbi
Biola Adekanbi is a Managing Director at MNET Africa. She served as a Regional Director in the International Strategies Group at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the Emmy-award winning television series, Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop's programs and localized initiatives reach children in more than 120 countries. Biola Adekanbi is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the Workshop's activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her current focus is on developing multi-media initiatives in South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania with plans to the expand Sesame Workshop's activities in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia.
Prior to joining Sesame Workshop in 2003, Ms. Adekanbi worked on a number of innovative marketing campaigns for Bigwords.com, an online bookstore and destination site for 18 to 25 year olds. While at Bigwords, Ms. Adekanbi, was responsible for dramatically increasing regional revenues. She has traveled extensively in South East Asia and lived in numerous parts of the world, including Nigeria and Korea, where she worked for two years as marketing manager for Daewoo.
Biola is an active participant BoP learning lab at the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, she volunteers for New York Cares and Body Positive in New York City.
A graduate from the University of Cincinnati, Ms. Adekanbi holds a Bachelors degree in Public Health and Marketing.
Chidi Okpala
Chidi Okpala holds a B.Sc Finance and an MBA in Banking & Finance from the University of Nigeria and completed the Sloan Fellowship Masters programme at the London Business School.
He started his banking career in 1994 and first joined the Corporate and Commercial Banking Division of the UBA Group (then, STB) in 1997, where he rose to become the Profit Centre Manager, IT & Telecommunications Group. He thereafter worked for Accenture between 1999 and 2001 as a Senior Strategy Consultant in their Financial Services Industry Group. While in Accenture, he participated in projects that kick started Nigeria’s Electronic Payments Industry – establishment of InterSwitch, ATMC (Quickpay) and E-Tranzact; and the repositioning of ValuCard. He then re-joined STB in 2002 as Chief Strategist and has since held senior roles in retail and offshore banking.
He was a member of the UBA/STB Merger Steering Committee, and also played pivotal roles in some of the industry’s significant transactions and mandates including the N20 Billion Armed Forces Car Finance Scheme, FIRS Lead Bank Collections Service and the establishment of the premier credit bureau. He represented UBA in national and industry committees like the Presidential Committee on Consumer Finance and the Bankers Committee Sub-Committee on Development of the Nigerian Payments System. Chidi, who is married with two children, is both a Chevening Scholar and a winner of the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Scholarship Prize for Emerging African Leaders.
He is currently the Director&Head of Airtel Money, Africa.
Abdullahi Sheriff
Abdullahi is trained as an architect and construction project manager currently looking to specialise in Strategic Management for construction industry based companies. Having graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zari., Abdullahi is currently pursuing an Engineering Doctorate Program at Loughborough University where his research focuses on developing an information management strategy for construction industry based organisations geared towards building and sustaining long term competitive advantage. As part of his doctorate program, Abdullahi works with Buro Happold, a global design consultancy as a business analyst. There, he continues to develop his knowledge and gain expertise in project management, business development, effective communication, negotiation and business process re-engineering
Prior to commencing his Doctorate Abdullahi obtained his undergraduate degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Whilst there, he was appointed to numerous positions. Appointed as a judge to the Student Union Government Judicial Council, he subsequently resigned to take up a position as a member of parliament, in the Student Union Government. While pursuing his Doctorate, he also currently serves as chairman and CEO of Digicon Associates, a service company providing specialist 3D visualisation and animations for Architectural design projects.
Abdullahi holds a Master’s degree with distinction, in construction management from Loughborough University. He enjoys progressive discussions on economic and strategic developments. He consistently seeks to explore opportunities to develop and implement practical solutions to global problems, taking a keen interest in multi-cultural societies and cross cultural development. In his spare time he enjoys poetry, philosophy and football.
Abubakar Momodu
Abu is an Investment Officer covering Financial Institutions in Africa, at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Prior to the IFC, he worked in management consulting, corporate finance and private equity at Phillips Consulting, Guaranty Trust Bank and Actis respectively.
He holds a B.Sc. Accounting from the University of Uyo, an MBA from the University of Oxford and is a Chartered Accountant.
Ayodeji Oyetunde is a Senior Associate at the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode one of the largest law firms in Nigeria providing a comprehensive range of specialist legal services to a diversified clientele. Ayodeji is a core member of the Corporate Commercial practice of the firm providing advice to the firm’s clients principally on capital market transactions including mergers and acquisitions, investment funds and the raising of finance through either an equity or a debt offering. Ayodeji also provides advice on an on-going basis on various finance, oil and gas and privatization transactions.
Ayodeji started his career in 2001 at Continental Properties Limited. He has also worked at the Ministry of Justice, Nasarawa State and at Doves Solicitors. Ayodeji joined the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode in August 2003 as an Associate.
Ayodeji has an LLM in Corporate Commercial Law from the University College London where he was a recipient of the John Carr Faculty of Laws Scholarship Award. He has attended various courses on corporate finance, project finance, oil and gas and tax law. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. He has also been invited to join the Chartered Institute of Taxation as an Associate member.
Ayodeji is married with two children and enjoys spending time with his family.
Babasola (Baba) Alokolaro
Babasola is the General Counsel to the Governor of Lagos State. He’s acted as the Secretary to the State’s Public Private Partnership (“PPP”) Committee and was instrumental in the establishment of the Lagos State PPP Office. At present, he is part of a four-man committee responsible for the development of the Lekki Free Zone as well as the Lekki Airport. His advice on State Policy has touched on several issues including but not limited to security, affordable housing, inter-modal transportation, health and education.
Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Baba worked as and Associate in Aluko & Oyebode, Counsel at Adesanya & Akisanya, Senior Counsel at Chief Rotimi Williams’ Chambers and finally as Managing Partner at The New Practice (“TNP”). During his years of service at the various firms, he acted as the lead legal adviser to the 2nd largest port concessionaire in the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the Nigerian Ports Authority’s concession of the Apapa Port; was involved in the preparation of the first Nigerian Remote Interactive Voice Response Agreement (“RIVR”) between a major GSM company and a mobile content provider; advised on a co-production initiative for the exploitation of 2006 FIFA World Cup Mobile Telephony Rights; prepared the first GSM mobile telephone (pre-paid and post-paid) subscriber agreement.
Baba was also involved in civil and criminal litigation in all superior courts of record in Nigeria and obtained a significant Ruling against the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) prohibiting SEC from requiring lawyers to register with it and consequently restraining SEC from regulating lawyers’ appearance in Court in any securities related matter.
He holds a Masters degree in International Commercial & Business Law, is a keen tennis player and loves listening to urban contemporary jazz.
October Class
Abayomi A. Awobokun
Abayomi Awobokun is the Chief Executive Officer of Oando Marketing PLC, Nigeria’s leading petroleum marketing company and a fully-owned subsidiary of Oando PLC. Prior to becoming the CEO, he was Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for all of the company’s sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Oando Marketing's supply chain, sales activities, service and support in all markets across West Africa. Abayomi played a key role in the significant transformation and growth of the company's profitability and market share in spite of the challenging market environment during the period. He joined the Oando Group in 2005 and has held other roles. Prior to this, he worked briefly at Halifax Bank of Scotland. He began his career at the Lagos Business School in 2000.
Abayomi earned his first degree as a Mathematics major from University of Ibadan, Nigeria before pursuing a postgraduate degree in the United Kingdom where he earned a Master’s degree in International Business.
As CEO, Oando Marketing has witnessed tremendous growth particularly in the areas of technology-driven innovation in its product and service offerings. These efforts have brought about significant improvements in operational efficiency and a customer-centric approach to the petroleum marketing business. Also active in the global business community, Abayomi is currently in the vanguard of effecting a National switch to the use of cleaner, safer and more affordable Liquified Petroleum Gas from Kerosene and Firewood. Key to achieving this initiative is the use of an inclusive business model pioneered under his watch which directly impacts the base of the pyramid lending a hand in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
Adeolu Akinyemi
Adeolu is a Human Resources Development Icon and an entrepreneur. He regularly combines the role of Business Leader, Social entrepreneur, Trainer, Writer, Career Coach, Network Marketer, He is a light and one of the most influential people in Nigeria on account of his personal development blog, www.deoluakinyemi.com which records 1,000,000 hits a month. He is the chief coordinator and Founder of the New Nigeria Club - where he manages a social network of 3000 Nigerians, Managing Director of Generis Solutions, Executive Director for Shape CD Africa and Administrator of Deoluakinyemi.com. His most outstanding virtue is Integrity.
From an exceptional academic pedigree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University - Ile-Ife, He made a deliberate detour to follow his passion for people development and kicked off his career in Procter and Gamble Nigeria as an Associate Human Resources Manager and grew to become HR Manager Talent Supply and Development, Market Strategy and Planning Manager and Customer Business Development HR Manager. After 4 exciting years of an exceptional Career with Procter and Gamble Nigeria Ltd, he moved to Virgin Nigeria as part of the pioneer team involved in building the airline from scratch and setting up people systems. He resigned to start Generis solutions in March 2006. He currently sits on the board of a number of other Companies and Joint Ventures.
With a Bsc. in Engineering from OAU, Ife, a Venture in Management Training in LBS, a series of management training around the world, and an MBA on the streets, he has received several awards, scholarships and commendations. He enjoyed one scholarship award or the other, ranging from awards from the Federal Government of Nigeria to multinationals for 10 uninterrupted years of his academic career. While in Procter and Gamble, he bagged two global awards - A P&G Global Human Resources Peak Performance Award, 2003 and A P&G Global recognition award for exceptional innovation, 2004. He was nominated for, and won the Future Awards', Corporate Professional of the year award for 2006 while in Virgin Nigeria. He is has also received a number of honorary awards, commendations and plaques for his contributions to the success of many People Development and National Re-orientation initiatives.
Aderonke Falayi
Aderonke, M.D. recently joined the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine Division of Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry as an attending psychiatrist and as the primary consultant to the Heart and Lung Transplant Service. She also assumed the role of Associate Medical Director, Psychiatric Emergency Services. Dr. Falayi completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Pittsburgh. She undertook her post-graduate training at Carilion/UVA Roanoke-Salem. There she dually trained in psychiatry and internal medicine and served as Chief Resident of the Internal Medicine-Psychiatry Residency Program.
During her training she worked as an Emergency Medicine Staff Physician at the Salem VA Hospital in Virginia. She is past National President of the Student National Medical Society and past Vice Chair of the Postgraduate Physician Section of the National Medical Association. She is a member of the APA, American College of Physicians, Black Psychiatrists of America, and the National Medical Association. She was a Schweitzer Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh and as well as an NIMH Research Fellow.
Abiodun Ajisafe
I am an algorithmic sales trader working for Investment Technology Group (ITG). Since joining ITG my focus has been on European markets; trading for European and US based clients. Prior to ITG, I worked for Goldman Sachs International covering American, Asian and European equity markets. I graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Government; as a student I was heavily involved with numerous societies including serving as the secretary of the Afro- Caribbean Society (ACS) as well as being heavily involved with the finance society, the investment club and the Government department office as a student representative.
I spent my gap year working for KPMG in the audit and transaction services departments and completed two internships at Goldman Sachs. Recently I have become a mentor to students on the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) programme. I also work as the logistics liaison of the philanthropy committee of the "100 Women in Hedge Funds" network, which involves organizing the 2009 annual charity gala event at the Foreign office in London. My role involves organizing the catering, the photography and acting as a liaison between the networks chairwoman and the Foreign office protocol team.
I enjoy public speaking and am a member of Toastmasters International. I also enjoy writing and have started writing as a freelance author for a lifestyle magazine
Abosede Modupe Alimi
Abosede Modupe Alimi, a political scientist and development worker, was born in Kano on January 23 1983. She attended Air Force Primary School, Ikeja, Lagos between 1988 and 1993, and Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos from 1993 to1999. She proceeded to Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State in 1999, graduating four years later with a degree in Political Science/Public Administration.
After her first degree she began a career in development. This career started in Action Aid International Nigeria, where she was responsible for managing, defining, designing, and deploying several HIV/AIDS related programmes.
In search of new challenges after about 3 years with Action Aid, Ms Alimi participated in a highly competitive process involving more than 300 Nigerian youths which led to her selection as one of the 10 finalists of the first Nigerian business reality TV programme, the Bank PHB Intern show. This served as a platform for Ms Alimi to exhibit her many skills and talents and endeared her to the hearts of millions of TV audience that followed the programme on air. Ms Alimi emerged 2nd runner up on the show after which she was offered automatic employment with Bank PHB Plc, where she worked as a Team Member in the Corporate Social Responsibility Unit of the Marketing and Corporate Communications Division.
Ms Alimi has also worked as an independent consultant and volunteer, with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP Abuja), Knowledge Centre Limited, Family Heritage International Nigeria, Global Youth Partners (GYP) and also the Global Youth Coalition on AIDS (GYCA USA): where she served as Regional Focal Point, West Africa from 2006 - 2007.
Currently, Ms Alimi works in the Corporate Social Responsibility Unit of the Marketing and Corporate Communications department at First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
Abubakar Muhammed Lamba
Abubakar is a Hydrocarbon Management GSAP Analyst for Shell UK Oil Products Limited – Glasgow Scotland were he overlooks the revenues and expenditures of his departmental activities that cover the whole of Europe. He is also saddled with the responsibility of managing Hydrocarbon stock balances across Shell’s major depots within and outside the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Shell UK in 2007, he was a Personal Insolvency Administrator at KPMG LLP UK where he liaised with some major oil industry clients to ensure trust deed assets were fully realised, contributions collected and proceeds duly distributed.
He began his career as a junior accounts officer with Business Plus Communications, a partner of the ABG Group, in 2003 where he advised and supported the finance team in different accounting processes. In 2006, he took up a consultancy role with British Gas UK where he played a key role in developing and maintaining management accounts, designing and implementing telesales strategies for the company’s customers and other clients.
Abubakar has an MSc/Macc in Oil and Gas Accounting from Glasgow Caledonian University Scotland - United Kingdom, and is a student member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He also is a student member of the Shell Open University UK, as well as the Oracle User Technology Group, USA. He enjoys playing golf, basketball, yachting and mountain climbing.
Adeyemi Adebayo
Bayo is a Vice President and currently the most senior member of the investment banking team at Chapel Hill Advisory Partners, one of the leading independent investment banks in Nigeria (NIBL Investment Bank 2008). He presently works with clients in the financial services, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs), telecommunications, hospitality and real estate sectors in the areas of capital raising, Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) and financial advisory. He is currently working as Transaction Team Lead and Co-ordinator on Chapel Hill’s mandate with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on restoring stability to the Nigerian Banking Sector. Chapel Hill is working with Stanbic IBTC Bank and Deutsche Bank as co-domestic and lead financial adviser respectively.
Bayo started his career with Arthur Andersen’s tax and business advisory practice in 1998. While he was there, he worked with a number of private and public sector clients in various industries, including telecommunications and oil & gas. He was the Senior Associate member of the team that serviced all of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited’s tax advisory needs.
He left Andersen in 2001 to work as an Analyst (Senior Associate-equivalent) in the financial advisory unit of Asset & Resource Management Company (ARM) Limited, a Nigerian financial services firm. At ARM, he provided financial solutions to clients in the real estate, hospitality and financial services sectors. In 2003, Bayo joined the Corporate Finance team of KPMG Professional Service’s Financial Advisory Services practice (presently known as Transaction Services & Restructuring) as a Senior Associate. At KPMG, he worked on a number of pioneering projects, which included assisting the CBN with establishing the Africa Finance Corporation, a development finance institution; and assisting with the establishment of Tinapa Business Resort, a business tourism development in Calabar that was sponsored by the Cross River State Government. In 2008, he left KPMG as a Senior Manager to join Chapel Hill.
Outside work, Bayo volunteers with a number of non-governmental organisations, such as Fate Foundation, Junior Achievement Nigeria and the United for Kids Foundation. At Fate Foundation, he provides advisory support to aspiring entrepreneurs in preparing their business plans, and also participates as a judge for the Foundation’s business plan competitions.
Bayo has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos, and is also an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Adun Okupe
Adun is a doctoral research student at the University of Surrey. She is researching the viability of tourism (the world’s largest income earner) as aninstrument for development in emerging economies. In particular, she hopes tostudy the extent to which Nigerian states are able to tackle their developmentalchallenges, in a centralized, federalist country.
Her Masters in Globalisation and Development Studies from the School ofOriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London ; explored therelationships between institutions, leadership, governments and politics; andhow these affect the political economy in developing countries. She also holdsa BSc (Hons) in Business Economics. Adun trained as an accountant with KPMG, London, and was a senior associate within the Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare business stream where she gained experience and knowledge about the private sector’s role in infrastructural development. This combination of the private sector working together with the public sectors to develop infrastructure, piqued her interests to research how Nigeria could tackle some of its developmental challenges.
An avid reader, Adun is very passionate about Nigeria’s prospects and thepotential for various sectors to work together to actualize its future development.
Afam Onyema
Afam Onyema was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1979. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in psychology. While there, he played on the 1997 Ivy League Championship-winning football team and volunteered at a soup kitchen and on the pediatric oncology ward at Children's Hospital in Boston. After graduation, Afam worked for two years in the Chicago office of Hill & Knowlton, Inc., a top global public relations firm, and spent one year working in the marketing department of Mayer Brown LLP, a top-ten international law firm and the largest law office in Chicago. During this time, Afam created "Books for Nigeria", an initiative through which he has collected over a thousand donated books, textbooks and magazines for shipment to schools and libraries in Nigeria.
Afam entered Stanford Law School in September 2004. During his time at Stanford, he served as Vice President of the Black Law Students' Association and was a two-year public interest fellow. He was also a junior editor of the Stanford Law and Policy Review. In January 2006, Afam traveled to Ghana for three weeks as part of a law school program to work with local community groups on national health insurance and female education advocacy issues. During his summers in law school, Afam worked for the Los Angeles offices of Paul Hastings LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP (where he was a 2006 Minority Fellowship recipient), Alhile in school, Afam also began directing the efforts of his family's nonprofit organization, The GEANCO Foundation, whose mission is to design, develop and manage medical, educational and athletic facilities in Nigeria.
Upon graduating from Stanford Law School in May 2007, Afam declined his corporate law firm offers in order to work full-time as GEANCO's Chief Operating Officer.