#YNaijaWomen2022: Kemi Adetiba, Toke Makinwa, Ucy Rochas | The 100 Most Inspiring Nigerian Women

In its quest to inspire a generation of women to do greater things in diverse fields of endeavour, YNaija brings you Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women – #YNaijaWomen2022

Contained in this list are Nigerian female leaders, innovators change-makers and disruptors who are redefining what it takes to be a woman and pushing the limits to what women can achieve. 

In commemoration of International Women’s Day 2022, we present to you, in alphabetical order, the list of these amazing Nigerian women. 

#YNaijaWomen100

Adaeze Odili Oreh – Country Director, Planning, Research, and Statistics with Nigeria’s National Blood Service Commission working with health 

Adaeze Odili Oreh is a Family Physician, Public Health Specialist, Researcher, Health Systems and Policy Analyst, and Manager. She is the Founder and CEO of Kaibeya Care Foundation, Africa – a non-profit organisation she recently founded to improve health, education, and empowerment of women and underserved populations in rural communities.  Adaeze has a strong commitment to enabling and providing respectful, accessible, affordable comprehensive, and continuous care at the primary and secondary care levels from a community health perspective. She is the Country Director Planning, Research, and Statistics with Nigeria’s National Blood Service Commission working with health and development policymakers at ministerial and sub-ministerial levels to create blood policies that reduce maternal mortality and reduce the transfer of infections such as HIV through unsafe blood transfusions as well as improving the distribution of safely screened blood to hard-to-reach areas, especially in times of terror and conflict. 

Adejoke Adekunle – CEO, VVM Group 

Adejoke Adekunle is currently building oddience.co, a Growth Marketing on-demand platform for early-stage startups. Oddience is a spin-off from VVM – a growth marketing consultancy she founded in 2018, focused on high-growth startups in Africa. She has led and executed growth marketing projects across Fintech, Cleantech, and Consumer Tech companies including Samsung, Zola Electric, Casava, moneymie, etc. She is passionate about helping more African women in tech access opportunities and does that through – The African Tech Woman – a media company focused on spotlighting African women contributing to the growth of the continent’s ecosystem. Adejoke also co-hosts VoiceofFintech – the second most listened Fintech podcast in Switzerland. 

Adenike Adeyemi – FATE Foundation 

Adenike Adeyemi is an innovative thought leader with 20 years of experience in strategic planning and institutional transformation in the nonprofit, private, and public sector space. As the Head of Nigeria’s foremost business incubator, she leads the fulfillment of FATE Foundation’s mission to enable aspiring and emerging Nigerian entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses and has led the development of 13 research reports on the Nigerian entrepreneurship ecosystem and also 9 books for Nigerian entrepreneurs. Through digital transformation and key partnerships, Adenike has led the dynamic FATE team to launch signature incubator and accelerator programs and reach 27 states and 187,000 entrepreneurs. She is also the Lead Facilitator of the NESG MSME Community of Practice. 

Amaka Amatokwu-Ndekwu – African Association of Women in Tourism and Hospitality 

Amaka Amatokwu-Ndekwu is an experienced Hospitality Professional with a demonstrated history of leadership, tenacity, and strong drive. Skilled in Hospitality Management, Operations, Customer service & retention, Sales & Marketing, Cost & Budgeting, Recruiting & Training. Strong industry leader with a certification focused in Business Management, Sales, and Related Support Services from Lagos Business School & European School of Economics, London. Her drive to contribute to industry reform has led her to play a role in the reshaping, growth, and socio-economic development of hospitality and tourism in Nigeria. These efforts have earned her several award nominations, including an award honouring her work from the Global Leadership Institute. 

Atinuke Ngozi Babatunde – Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory 

Atinuke Ngozi Babatunde is a brand expert with over 18 years of experience in Research, Media, Communication, Brand Management, and Content Acquisition. She is passionate, proactive, and self-motivated. Also, as an avid ‘Brand Watcher’, She is driven to constant improvement. Atinuke believes in the inevitability of change and, in fact, welcomes each one excitedly. Her most recent change was a career move into Television Broadcasting, which is proving to be quite an exhilarating ride. She believes that you are only limited by the size of your dreams. We all can do great things if we dare to wake up and live them. 

Azukaego Chukwuelue – Supply Chain Director, Kimberly-Clark Nigeria 

Azukaego Chukwuelue is an experienced professional with a track record of 20+ years of helping organisations rethink their Supply Chain structures, proffering solutions and building business systems with a focus on sustainability, profitability and revenue growth. She has been able to utilise meticulous strategic stakeholder relationship management as well as optimal output across the Operations value chain. She currently heads the Supply Chain function for Kimberly-Clark Nigeria where she is responsible for the end-to-end Supply network and operational accountability in line with strategic business goals. 

Biola Alabi – Managing Partner, Atika Ventures 

Biola Alabi is a global leader, an experienced founder and an Angel investor with a demonstrated history in developing corporate strategies for Market Entry, Consumer Insight to Technology, Acquisition Negotiation, Sponsorship Outreach and the development of operational models that yield high impact organisational successes. She is passionate about Media and Technology and has worked extensively networking with partners and associations for the continuous development of the African technology and television industry. Fuelling her passion for doing more for the people of her country, Biola founded a leadership fellowship and mentorship program – Grooming for Greatness (G4G), as a way to cultivate leadership in young, aspiring professionals and entrepreneurs. She is also a Non- Executive Director of Unilever Nigeria and Monty Mobile a telecom company headquartered in London. 

Bolanle Austen-Peters – Founder, Terrakulture  

Bolanle Austen-Peters is one of Nigeria’s most prolific theatre and movie directors and producers. She has pioneered the national and international re-emergence of the Nigerian theatre industry. With a passion for the arts, Bolanle founded Terra Kulture in 2003 after developing an interest in the creative sector. Terra Kulture was established because there were few places in Nigeria with the appropriate ambience, for Nigerians and foreigners alike to learn about Nigeria’s rich cultural and linguistic heritage. After years of hard work, Terra Kulture is a resounding success recognised as a major cultural hub in Nigeria for expatriates, students, Hollywood and Nollywood stars, artists and members of the diplomatic corps. Her plays have travelled to London’s West-end, South Africa and Egypt. 93 Days and Bling Lagosians were selected for film festivals including Toronto International Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival. 

Bukola Elemide (Asa) – Singer 

Known by her stage name, Asa (pronounced Asha) is a Nigerian-French singer, songwriter and performer. The pop and jazz musician also sings indie-pop style as well. Asa is one of the most revered musicians in Nigerian because her style is unique and gives music enthusiasts something different to listen to as opposed to mainstream songs. Asa’s style lends life to her already powerful lyrics. On February 25, 2022, “Asa released cryptically titled V, a stylistic switch into a more mainstream brand of African Pop music, which also retains the high-calibre musicality/musicianship, deft vocalisations and an appropriate use of space and technique.” 

Bukola Kogbe – Regional HR Director, Africa, Barry Callebaut Group 

Bukola Kogbe has over 17 years of proven track record in delivering outstanding value in the Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Goods, B2B, Investment Banking industries. She is a Strategic HR Business Partner. Agile HR. Cornell certified HR Director. Certified Global Talent Management Leader, Certified Job Plus Coach passionate about people, performance and processes with a focus on driving through values organisational performance and building great teams. She has led teams and worked in various countries across Africa and managed +2,000 employees.  

Bunmi Adeniba – Marketing Director, The Coca Cola Company 

Bunmi Adeniba is an experienced Marketing Professional and Commercial Operator with cross-functional experience in Brand Building, New Category Development, Innovation Management and Quality Management. She has hands-on general management experience in the end-to-end oversight function of a division lead. Bunmi has a strong passion for people, coaching and building high-performance teams. 

Bunmi Ajani Lawson – Managing Director, Edfin Microfinance 

Bunmi Ajani Lawson is an innovative, result-oriented team leader with an outstanding track record of excellence in both career and academic endeavours, offering significant management experience gained in start-up and established for-profit and nonprofit organisations in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Her specialities: small business development, finance and training.  

Bola Adesola – Chairman of the Board, Ecobank 

Before becoming the Chairman of the Board at Ecobank in 2021, Bola Adesola retired from Standard Chartered Bank as the senior vice-chairman, Africa. Prior to this role, she was the managing director/ chief executive officer for Standard Chartered Nigeria and West Africa for eight years with oversight over the bank’s West African subsidiaries, including Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Cameroun. Adesola was also the Chairperson of the Board of Standard Chartered Bank Mauritius and a Director at Standard Chartered, Ghana. Adesola had also served as an executive director, Corporate Banking and executive director Lagos Directorate at First Bank of Nigeria Plc; managing director, Kakawa Discount House, Nigeria.  

Bola Atta – Executive Director, RED TV 

Bola Atta is a graduate of Economics, with over 30 years of work experience in diverse fields ranging from Banking, Business, Communications, Publishing, Entertainment and the Media. Approximately 20 out of these 30+ years have been in high-level management and entrepreneurship, enabling her gain expertise in each of these varied fields of work. She has made a mark in the Media industry on the African continent as once one of the most sought-after editors in Nigeria. In 2021, Bola was awarded the Marketing edge prize as the Outstanding Corporate Communications Personality of the Decade. 

Bola Oduyale – Founder, Credit Wise  

Bola Oduyale is a seasoned business leader and a finance professional with over two decades of diverse experience in banking and finance management, providing well-rounded expertise in Regulatory and International Taxes, Strategic Planning and Business Development to meet the needs of clients both locally and internationally (Canada and Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana etc.) Bola is the Founder and Chief Executive of Credit Wise Financials Limited – a Fintech Company that leverages technology and superior Relationship Management to deliver customer-centric financial services to individuals at the bottom of the pyramid table. She believes that access to quality credit is a right for everyone. 

Carolyn Seaman – Founder, Girls Voices Initiative  

Carolyn Seaman is a development professional highly experienced in program design and management with a bias in girl-centred programming. She is motivated to contribute to the advancement of the protection of human rights in society with a bias in the protection of girls and women’s rights and access to equal participation in economic development. As a Girl Expert, Carolyn is passionate about empowering adolescent girls and women to access basic rights education and build requisite skills to enable them champion advocacy for their rights exploring innovative approaches to promote gender equality. She founded Girls Voices Initiative and inspires girls and women to use technology and digital media to amplify their voices on critical social issues affecting them. 

Cassandra Akinde – Medical Practitioner

Dr Cassandra Akinde is a medical practitioner with a dedicated commitment to child health advocacy, humanitarian work, women’s rights, and environmental sustainability. She has 6 years of experience in working in a non-profit sector and earned a Bachelor`s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Lagos, alongside a Non-Profit Leadership and Management certification from the prestigious Lagos Business School Pan Atlantic University. She won The Future Awards Africa prize for Health and Wellness 2022, beating other great contenders to it. Her proven track record and experience working with Save The Children, The Neo Child Initiative and Meglobe have earned her multiple humanitarian awards.  

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Author 

For her amazing work, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has received honorary doctorate degrees from Eastern Connecticut State University, Johns Hopkins University, Haverford College, Williams College, the University of Edinburgh, Duke University, Amherst College, Bowdoin College, SOAS University of London, American University, Georgetown University, Yale University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Northwestern University. She was named Woman of the Decade Award, by ThisDay Nigeria in 2020, and won the Africa Freedom Prize 2020 handed out by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. She was also named Hurston/Wright Foundation’s North Star Award, 2021.  

Chinedum Peace Babalola – Vice-Chancellor, Chrisland University 

Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola (nee Anyabuike) is a Pharmacist and Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Pharmacokinetics, University of Ibadan (UI). She is the immediate past and first female Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, UI (2013-2017). She was appointed Vice-Chancellor, Chrisland University, Abeokuta in November 2017. In 2016, Babalola was selected as one of the 10 most influential female scientists in Nigeria. She was also selected as the only African member, Strategy Working Group (SWG), joint Committee of International Council for Science (ICSU) and International Social Science Council (ISSC) in France. Babalola has received several recognitions. She is the first female Pharmacist in Nigeria inducted Fellow, Academy of Science (FAS); the highest scientific award in Nigeria and first female Nigerian inducted Fellow, African Academy of Sciences (FAAS). Others are Fellow, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN), Fellow, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacy (FPCPharm) and Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (FNAPharm).  

Chineze Amanfo – Lead, Public Relations, 9mobile 

Chineze Amanfo is a successful, conscientious and creative Corporate Communications professional with extensive knowledge of proactive and reactive corporate and product communications as well as crisis management working with senior executives. Her 12+ years in public relations and related roles affirm her ability to balance handling a combination of breaking news and real-time requests with managing strategic corporate projects and product announcements. The ability to combine strategy and flawless execution, ruthlessly prioritise and work on a number of projects at once is an essential skill acquired from working in a leading PR agency and the tasks I have undertaken over time. 

Chinwe Egwim – Chief Economist, Coronation Merchant Bank 

Chinwe Egwim is a professional Economist that has 500+ published economic notes geared towards macro, development and financial economics. She is currently the Chief Economist at Coronation Merchant Bank. In 2020, Chinwe was appointed as an Executive Council Member of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ). In 2021, she became Resident Economist for the research-based initiative, AiR – Africa Investment Roundtable. She is a highly sought after thought leader and has spoken at events, as well as delivered keynotes on several reputable platforms and expert panels. Chinwe is on the Executive Council of Africa Policy Conversations and an Advisory Board Member of Bookings Africa, 9 to 5 Chick and The Women International. Chinwe is a Founding Partner of DAS Hub Africa.   

#TechnextWomen2022

Chinwe Esimai – MD at CITI 

Chinwe Esimai is an award-winning lawyer, trailblazing corporate executive, author, and keynote speaker. She oversees Citi’s Global Anti-Bribery & Corruption (AB&C) Program. She is an Executive Council member of the Ellevate Network and a Cheryl Blair Foundation mentor. She has spoken, been featured, or quoted at: the United Nations; SXSW; FemaleQuotient, Time 100, Forbes, Knowledge@Wharton, Current History, Thrive Global, Medium, Black Enterprise, Real Business UK, Authority Magazine, and Business Intelligence Middle East. 
 

Chioma Ekeoma – Founder, Adaoma Igbo language services  

Chioma Ekeoma is the Founder/Lead Tutor of Adaoma Igbo Language Services, an e-learning platform that aims at restoring the regular use of Igbo Language on the lips of the Natives. Being an Igbo, and a lover of African culture, she saw the huge decline in the use of the Igbo Language by the natives, especially, among children and adults living outside the Southeast region of Nigeria and in the diaspora, and did something about it. Chioma also offers Igbo Translation, Transcription and Coaching Services. 
 

Onyedikachi Chioma Nwakanma – SGS Geneva Changemaker 

Chioma Nwakanma is a medical doctor, writer, public speaker and digital media strategist, with an impressive record of impactful and interventional community outreaches. As a Nigerian medical professional in public health practice, she noticed a wide gap between the health service providers and the public, responsible for a lot of ill medical practices that are seen as normal practice and are gradually claiming the lives of uninformed Africans, and committed to solving that problem. She leverages social media, research, and data science, as tools, for driving public health education, advocacy and civic engagement. to bridge the health gap in Africa and strengthen weak health systems. She was nominated for The Future Awards prize for Health and Wellness in February 2022.  

Colette Otusheso – Head, Accelerate, Access Bank Plc. 

Colette Otusheso is an experienced, value-driven marketing, communications and project management professional with a proven record of championing organisational wide initiatives within cross-functional teams. She has worked with well-established global and local organisations and has successfully executed the strategy, planning, marketing and advertising of diverse marketing communications programs. 

Dupe Olusola – CEO, Transcorp Hotels 

Dupe Olusola serves as the Managing Director/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc., Africa’s leading hospitality brand; and owners of the award-winning Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja & Transcorp Hotels Calabar. Her professional experience spans various sectors locally and internationally in capacities that encompass private equity from African Capital Alliance, investments and SME experience from Growing Business Foundation, Bloomberg Financial Markets UK, SecTrust (now Afriinvest), Transcorp Corporation and Northern Trust Corporation of Chicago, UK. She is passionate about women’s development and empowerment, economic development of under-developed countries and financial inclusion for the disadvantaged in the society. 
 

Ebere Alexander Umeike-Aninyei – Manager, Sales Lead (South West), Interswitch 

Ebere Alexander Umeike-Aninyei has over a decade of in-depth knowledge in optimising people, systems and processes to enable the success of organisational strategy and operations – functional, structural and disciplinary components – translating this to people, product and project governance. Committed to and presenting a coherent vision for culture and people operations and communicating this to all levels of the organisation. Ebere is currently in the fintech digital space where she leads a cross-functional team of sales personnel in executing projects, conducting an analysis of market needs translating to products, penetrating new markets, managing key relationships while hitting targets by a minimum of 85% and surpassing set targets within the gambits of a budget.  

Elizabeth Uwaifo – Non-Executive Director, Asset & Resource Management Holding Company (ARM HoldCo) 

Elizabeth Uwaifo is an English solicitor with extensive experience advising corporate and financial institutions on a wide range of financing, regulatory and compliance, Derivatives (ISDA documentation), investment contracts and investment treaty protection matters. She has expertise in various African markets. 

Eloho Omame Gihan-Mbelu – Co-founder, FirstCheck Africa 

As a co-founder of FirstCheck Africa, Eloho Omame is an early believer in the massive underleveraged potential of Africa’s next generation of female founders. With Mustard Seeds, Eloho is building an online community for ambitious career-oriented women living and working in Africa, who are focused on growing their money, careers and wealth over time. She is a board member at Endeavor Nigeria, an advisory board member at Utopia Lagos and Chair of the finance and capital sub-committee of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund’s MSME Recovery Fund. Eloho is a dedicated and purposeful mentor for high-potential women in tech taking on their first leadership roles in business and entrepreneurship. 

Fadé Ogunro – Founder, Bookings Africa  

Fadé Ogunro has dedicated her professional life to the pursuit of equality, opportunity, and prosperity across Africa. In her fifteen-year career, she has been a vital part of several entrepreneurial and philanthropic organisations while maintaining a prolific voice in international media. Currently, she is focused on promoting Bookings Africa, an on-demand digital marketplace that seeks to make critically important improvements to working conditions across the continent. 

Funmi Omo – Managing Director, Life Insurance, Enterprise Life Nigeria 

Funmi Omo’s career experience spans 30 years of climbing the ladder in the insurance industry and has been a part of the transformation and progress of the Nigerian insurance industry. She is an innovative and transformational leader; passionate about driving product and process innovation with the goal of increasing revenue and client portfolio. With a proven track record of success, she leads a passionate team at Enterprise Life, Nigeria to meet and surpass our various stakeholders’ expectations. 

Gbemi Elekula – Founder, DreamHome 

Gbemi Elekula is a multi-disciplinary creative entrepreneur. She is the founder of DreamHome, a full-service interior design and styling company, as well as HUMANx — a fashion brand committed to tackling period poverty. Gbemi also oversees the creative design and production processes of the two companies, ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards. Leveraging natural-born artistic talent, strategic vision, business acumen and an extensive network, she has advised many clients on interior styling for residential and commercial spaces and created myriad designs of décor and fashion items.   

Gbemisola Abudu – Vice president, Country Head, NBA Nigeria 

Gbemisola Abudu is the Founder and Managing Partner of BMGA Enterprise Limited (BMGA), an EdTech finishing school for the future of work. She launched the BMGA Fellows Program, which is a social impact initiative designed to narrow the gender skills gap in Africa. An advocate for women and the SDGs goals, Gbemisola has an unwavering passion for philanthropic initiatives that are focused on the empowerment of women in the business environment, the narrowing of the gender skills gap, and the advocacy of children’s rights in developing countries. She is involved with organisations that encourage inclusivity and gender balance in the business environment. 

Ginikanwa Frank-Durugbor – Head, Corporate Communications, Lafarge 

Ginikanwa Frank-Durugbor loves developing innovative ideas and winning strategies for effective communications to any target audience. Her professional experience spans over 16 years in the industry and she has consistently delivered visible outcomes through winning communications strategies. She specialises in corporate communications (including strategic internal communications and digital communications), brand management, content development, media management and public relations strategy. 

Glory Enyinnaya – Founder, Kleos Advisory Africa 

Glory Enyinnaya is a management consultant, author and international speaker who has worked with companies including Accenture, Ernst and Young, British-American Tobacco and the World Bank. Glory believes in the power of technology as a force for good when applied at scale, and with skill, to improve quality of life (especially for the underserved) and build a better world. To this end, she founded Kleos Advisory Africa, Africa’s pioneer online consulting platform. Kleos Africa enables value-adding interactions between experienced MBAs and owners of SMEs. 

Ibijoke Faborode – Founder, ElectHer  

Ibijoke Faborode is an experienced founder with a demonstrated history of working in the public policy industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, International Relations, Market Research, and Management. Strong business development professional with a second Master’s degree (in view) focused in Social Business & Entrepreneur from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). 

Ini Abimbola – Director/Member of the Board, ThistlePraxis Consulting  

Ini Abimbola is a business leader with over 22 years’ experience working in the international development space with broad consulting experience and expertise in Corporate Governance, Stakeholder Management, Sustainability, Development Communications, and Strategy. Ini is the Founder and was the first Lead Consultant/CEO of ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited (TPC), a management consulting, sustainability, strategy, and business advisory firm she founded in 2010, which provides strategy development, Sustainability management, process improvement, organizational transformation, risk governance, performance management, programme management, and advisory services.  

Ire Aderinokun – Cofounder/COO/VP Engineering, Helicarrier  

Ire Aderinokun is a self-taught Frontend Developer and User Interface Designer. She is the co-founder, COO, and VP of Engineering of Helicarrier (YC S18), a company building cryptocurrency infrastructure for Africa. Helicarrier is behind products such as Buycoins, Sendcash, Sendcash Pay, and more. Ire is a Google Expert, specialising in the core frontend technologies HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but is passionate about all aspects of technology. She has written over 100 articles on these topics on her blog, bitsofco.de, and regularly shares her knowledge through speaking at conferences around Africa and the world. 

Irene Ochem – Founder/CEO, Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) 

Irene Ochem is the Founder and CEO of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), an award-winning, pan-African organisation dedicated to fostering women’s economic inclusion and empowerment through entrepreneurship support and development. AWIEF works to close the gender gaps in entrepreneurship in Africa. Since 2021, AWIEF has enjoyed Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Irene is entrepreneurship, trade, and innovation specialist.  

Ivana I. Osagie – Founder, PWR Advisory 

Ivana I. Osagie works with leadership teams, corporate organisations and investors to increase profitability by embedding gender balance and inclusion into their leadership, culture and systems. As a certified Diversity and Inclusion practitioner, she helps them build female leadership talent pipelines and achieve more inclusive workplaces. With her experience as a board director, corporate strategist and C-suite executive with over 25 years’ multi-functional and multi-cultural experience (the UK and Africa), she leverages her expertise, knowledge and relationships to help women achieve greater visibility and representation. 

Jane Egerton-Idehen – Head, Sales, Middle East and Africa, Meta 

Jane Egerton-Idehen is a high-energy, dynamic leader who has consistently set clear visions, established comprehensive strategies, built award-winning sales and marketing teams. Her functional experience spans Strategy, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Brand Management, New Business Development, Relationship Management, Operations and Project Management. Jane has substantial experience diagnosing and improving sales and distribution organizations leading to the achievement of unusually high sales, revenue and profit results. 

Jennifer Oyelade – Talent Acquisition Consultant 

Jennifer (Nwanosike) Oyelade is an International Recruitment Business Leader, EMEA Talent Acquisition Director, Employability Specialist, Writer, Author and Mentor. She is a member of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (MIRP – UK) and an Organisational Change Advocate with an extensive career spanning across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Sub-Sahara Africa. As a Talent Acquisition Director, she had spearheaded recruitment and Market Entry strategies for in-country and global organisations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa more specifically Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa with the objective of identifying, developing and empowering talent. 

Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor – Director (West Africa), Google 

Juliet Ehimuan is Country Director at Google, leading Google’s business strategy in West Africa. Recognised by the London Business School as one of 30 people changing the world, named Forbes’ top 20 youngest power women in Africa, and featured in BBC Africa Power Women series, Juliet is a thought leader on digital business strategy and leadership. She has over 20 years’ experience primarily in technology, new media, and oil and gas, working in industries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Juliet is a Fellow of the Cambridge University Commonwealth Society, and a board member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), the Private Sector Advisory Group on the Sustainable Development Goals, and LEAP Africa. She is also the Founder of Beyond Limits Africa, a leadership and organisational capacity building initiative. 

Karika Yonreme – Country Director, Nigeria, SAWIL 

Karika Yonreme helps organisations impact society through socio-economic programs, and coach professionals on how to network and build powerful personal brands for opportunities and career acceleration. Karika is sought-after by financial institutions, international organisations, and indigenous companies in Africa to speak, mentor, teach, coach, and curate content in areas of Leadership, Networking, and Personal Branding. She manages leadership development for social impact in non-profit organisations and has curated curriculums to empower over 3000 female professionals and entrepreneurs globally. 

Kemi Adetiba – Filmmaker 

Kemi Adetiba is a renowned Nigerian filmmaker, television director and music video director, whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Soundcity TV, BET and Netflix. Her works include top-rated movies like The Wedding Party (2016), King of Boys (2018), King of Boys: The Return of the King (2021) and many music videos. Kemi is a talented, highly skillful, and creative person who has made a niche for herself in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.  

Kemisola Bolarinwa – Founder/CEO, Nextwear Technology 

Kemisola Bolarinwa is the founder/CEO of Nextwear Technology, the first wearable technology start-up in Nigeria. She is a project manager and embedded system manager at Nextwear Technology. She advocates STEM education mostly for girls, encouraging them to take up STEM subjects, thereby bridging the gender gap and increasing the number of women working in STEM-related fields. She is currently developing a Smart Bra that detects early-stage breast cancer. 

Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi – CEO, Slice Media 

Media Entrepreneur and youth development advocate, Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi has become the first woman to declare interest in contesting for the office of president in 2023. Khadijah is the Founder and CEO of Slice Media Solutions, an advertising agency. She is known for her gender balance and youth development advocacy and is the brain behind some social impact initiatives such as – Water Relief Nigeria, Help Our Youth (HOY), To Better Nigeria & Project: Bridge the Gap. 

Lara Yeku – Head, HR, Food Division, Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 

Lara Yeku‘s top strengths are relator, connectedness, analytical, strategic thinker, and futuristic. She demonstrates functional expertise which she has grown over 16 years. She is a seasoned Human Resources senior executive with local and global best practices spanning across various industries. Lara’s expertise cuts across HR Transformation, Talent and Career Management, HR Strategy, HR Metrics & Data Analytics, Organisational Development, Training, Total Rewards, Performance Management, Talent Acquisition and Retention, Talent Architecture, Workforce planning, HR Coaching, Succession Planning, NLP Coaching, etc. 

Lola Masha – Executive Director, Babban Gona 

Lola Masha is an exceptionally driven individual with expertise in business development, entrepreneurship, operational transformation, strategy and product development, across numerous industries including technology, financial services and energy. Significant international experience, working in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. 

Martha Omoekpen Alade – Founder, WITIN 

Martha Omoekpen Alade is the founder of Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN), a non-profit that empowers women and girls, socio-economically, through technology. She is also the pioneer of teachers.ng and icamp.ng. For about 2 decades, Martha has consistently advocated for gender equality as a women’s right and human right. She continues to advocate for gender equity reforms and re-educating the public on the true meaning of gender equality as being equal opportunities for all genders. Martha has directly imparted over 45,000 women within the country between January 2002 – Dec 2019. 

Mervin Azeta – Business Line PSD Manager, Surface & Midstream Production Systems, Nigeria & West Africa, Schlumberger  

Within a few years of working, and currently, a manager at Schlumberger, Mervin Azeta has blazed the trails, flawlessly executing low- & high-profile O&G well completion projects, in a mix of operating environments – land, creek, swamp, shallow-water & deep-water fields in Nigeria & USA. She takes on challenging tasks, with an ability to address these skillfully, alongside her exceptional natural energy, tireless work ethic, attention to detail, and knack to exceed expectations; and, continues to leverage administrative and technical expertise to build an even stronger competitive advantage. She is on a mission to make a terrific positive impact on the world, and she is so fired up for it. She will accomplish these through innovation, hard work, commitment, integrity, teamwork. 

Modupe Ativie – African Lead, Global Blockchain Women Alliance 

Modupe Ativie is a learning and development consultant. She is an education enthusiast, and also keenly interested in international development. Modupe is currently the Provisional Trainer (Africa Business Integrity Network), Centre for International Private Enterprise. She is the African Lead, Global Blockchain Women Alliance, where she brings the knowledge and the benefits of Blockchain, DLT and digital assets to African women and girls and fosters and encourages their interest in the technology sector. 
 

Mofoluwaso Ilevbare – CHRO/Head of HR, P&G Australia and New Zealand 

Mofoluwaso Ilevbare is a passionate team player with excellent EQ, communication skills, strong business acumen, thrives in a positive value-based work environment, with extensive HR expertise in building capable, productive, and engaged High Performing Organizations. She is also a certified John Maxwell Team member, 7 Habits Trainer, DISC Consultant, Forbes HR Council Member, International Speaker, and Author of 20+ books. She is an HR Thought Leader and Executive Coach for Fortune 500 companies. Mofoluwaso is a customer-centric strategic thinker and problem solver with a proven track record managing medium -large scale organisations ranging from 100-35,000+ employees across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Africa. 

Mosunmola Abudu – Founder, Ebonylife  

Mosunmola Abudu, also known as Mo Abudu is a Nigerian Media Mogul, philanthropist, and former human resources management consultant. She has been described by Forbes as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman”, and rated as one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” by The Hollywood Reporter. Mosunmola launched Ebony Life Place in December 2019 – Nigeria’s first lifestyle and entertainment resort. It boasts unique features like EbonyLife Place, EbonyLife Cinemas, The White Orchid Hotel, Jinja, Túraká rooftop restaurant & bar, Jinja Garden & Poolside, The Victoria Hall, and The VVIP Lounges. Mo Abudu enters No. 98 of Forbes 100 most powerful women for 2021. 

Ndidi Nwuneli – Board Member, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) 

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is an expert on social innovation, African agriculture and nutrition, entrepreneurship, and youth development. She has over 25 years of international development experience. Over the past 13 years, she has focused exclusively on transforming the African agriculture and nutrition landscape through her work as the co-founder and the Managing Partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition and as the co-founder of AACE Foods, which produces a range of packaged spices, seasonings, and cereals for local and international markets. As the founder of Nourishing Africa, a digital home for food and agriculture entrepreneurs operating on the African Continent, she is accelerating the growth of the ecosystem and supporting entrepreneurs in 35 African countries. Ndidi serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, GAIN, AGRA, Nigerian Breweries Plc. (Heineken), Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. India, Fairfax Africa Holdings Canada, Royal DSM Sustainability Board, Netherlands, & the African Philanthropy Forum.  

Ndidi Ukaonu – Head, South-South, GT Bank 

Ndidi Ukaonu is Driven, Determined, Passionate and Result oriented. She is an experienced banker, with 20+years of industry experience with a demonstrated history in Corporate, Retail and Commercial Banking. Skilled in Change Management, Business Strategy, and Credit Analysis. Ndidi is a strong finance professional, Chartered Accountant, MBA. 

Nkasi Obim Nebo – Founder, PeachAid Medical Initiative 

Nkasi Obim Nebo is the founder of PeachAid Medical Initiative, an NGO which reduces maternal mortality rates amongst rural communities and Internally Displaced Person Camps (IDPs) by providing free antenatal care to 20,000 vulnerable women to date. Nkasi’s organisation distributes disposable birthing kits, has trained over 2,000 local birth attendants and has also started a free family planning service which has reached over 37,000 women and over 4,000 men. Nkasi is a maternal/reproductive health specialist. 

Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho – Managing Director/CEO, Future Software Resources Ltd. 

Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho is currently CEO of Future Software Resources Ltd. (Futuresoft), one of Nigeria’s leading digital and technology solutions companies, providing a broad range of business solutions for the scaling African enterprise, to consistently attract and retain its target audience, optimise its processes and increase its bottom line. Nkemdilim is recognised as an Obama African Leader, Forbes’s Top Ten Female Tech Founders in Africa, Global Digital Women top 10 Most Inspiring Women in Africa, Lionesses of Africa top 100 Women and Ventures Africa 42 most Innovative Africans. 

Nneka Onyeali Ikpe – MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank 

Nneka Onyeali Ikpe has over 28 years’ experience in banking and financial services. She has worked across various functions and is well versed in the structuring of complex transactions across various sectors. Nneka is a Nigerian business executive and banker. She is the first female managing director and chief executive officer of Fidelity Bank Nigeria. 

Obehi Ojeaga – General Manager Business Development, Quinn Mcgrath Group 

Obehi Ojeaga is a highly dedicated professional, committed to achieving results. Strategic with excellent networking and communications skills, passionate about organisational effectiveness, sustainable impact, processes and leadership development of young people. She has been exposed to deep business strategy, corporate planning initiatives and integrated communications solutions for media, telecommunications, FMCG, upstream oil and gas industry in sub- Saharan Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Obehi has a strong public relations background in the oil and gas industry. 

Odiri Oginni – MD/CEO, United Capital Asset Management Limited 

Odiri Oginni currently serves as the Chair of the Employer Relations Committee of the CFA Society Nigeria. She was recognised as a Top 100 Career Women in Nigeria in 2021. Odiri is an experienced corporate executive and board director with over 15 years’ experience driving business strategy and financial performance. She is passionate about business transformation and helping companies achieve market leadership. 

Ogechi Adeola – Founder, EAW 

Dr Ogechi Adeola is an Associate Professor of Marketing and the Head of the Department of Operations, Marketing and Information Systems at the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria. In the course of her banking career in different banks, she handled bank-wide responsibilities as Head of Private Banking, Consumer and Retail Banking, Product Development and Management, and Customer Service. Ogechi has been a guest speaker and key discussant at local and international conferences featuring top-rated companies and organisations, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) business clinic, the West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), Yale Africa-China Conference held in Lagos, World Bank-sponsored Freedom Forum on women in tourism event in Sierra Leone and e-commerce webinar organised by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Nigeria and South Africa. 

Olatomiwa Williams – Country Manager, Microsoft 

Olatomiwa Williams is a business leader with over 20 years’ experience in Information Technology Industry helping organisations leverage the power of technology to achieve their business objectives. She is currently the Country Manager, Microsoft, for Nigeria and Ghana. She is an award-winning leader with 20 years’ experience in Technology solution sales, consulting, support, channel and people management. Olatomiwa is known for building strong teams, helping customers adopt new technologies for transformation business outcomes and for supporting channel strategic growth across emerging markets. 

Olatowun Candide-Johnson – Founder, GAIA Africa  

As the Founder & CEO of GAIA AFRICA, a private members club for leading business and professional women across the continent, Olatowun Candide-Johnson helps develop connections, partnerships, collaborations that increase the bottom line. Olatowun has gained over 30 years of international experience in legal, business development, governance and anti-corruption compliance roles. She currently holds various board positions including Non-Executive Director, Nigerian Norwegian Chamber of Commerce; Chairwoman, African Delivery Technologies; NED 360 Innovation Hub; Member, Advisory Board Majeurs Chesterfield Limited. 

Olayinka Alimi – Co-founder, Blocka Cash  

Olayinka Alimi says she is devoting the next chapter of her professional life to helping Nigerians get access to credit, when they need it, 24/7. She has spent almost two decades in banking, with extensive experience managing global companies and meeting their credit and cash management needs. Now, Olayinka volunteers as an Advocate under CFA Society Nigeria Financial Literacy program because she wants to elevate others so they can be more financially active. In addition, she is currently a Mentor in the Leading Ladies Africa Career Advancement and Mentorship Program 2021 because she is passionate about building a community of highly skilled professionals in Africa.  

Olori Boye-Ajayi – President, Borderless Trade Network 

Olori Boye-Ajayi‘s devotion to the growth of the African economic ecosystem and advocacy for women entrepreneurs has been repeatedly recognised. She was recently appointed to run Project “WINHer”, a gender-inclusion investment program on behalf of the office of Commissioner of Trade and Investment of Vanuatu to Nigeria and South Africa. Following her successful projects to increase the participation of Women in intra-African Trade, she was appointed an Afreximbank MANSA Ambassador to drive the inclusion of African SMEs in the global trade scene. In March 2021, she was honoured by Leading Ladies Africa as one of the ‘Top 100 Inspiring Women in Africa’ owing to her contributions to the International Trade space, mentoring and inspiring African women towards increased participation in International Trade. 

Oluwatosin Olaseinde – Founder, Money Africa and Ladda

Oluwatosin Olaseinde is the founder of Money Africa and Ladda, a financial literacy and investment platform. Financial literacy and investments are at the core of her passion as we create a tool to democratise access and means of wealth-building for Millennials and Gen Z in the long term. She is a chartered accountant with over 10 years of experience spanning audit, financial accounting, corporate finance and investments 

Oluwatoyin Ajilore – Founder, ONE Foundation

Oluwatoyin Ajilore is an academic who tries to bridge the world of education and entrepreneurship that has hitherto been presumed to be mutually exclusive. A bridge between the old educational system in Nigeria and the modern education system we need to evolve into, especially in the adoption of education that truly empowers the learner’s mind and not just rote st rote memorisation. She uses the tools of education, research, entrepreneurial development and youth development to drive change towards sustainable socio-economic growth across her multiple works. 

Omobola Johnson – Senior Partner, TLcom Capital 

Omobola Olubusola Johnson is a Nigerian technocrat and the Honorary Chairperson of the global Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). She is also a former and first Minister of Communication Technology in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan. Prior to her Ministerial appointment, she was country managing director for Accenture, Nigeria. Omobola is currently a non-executive director of Guinness Nigeria PLC, MTN and Chairperson of Custodian and Allied Insurance Limited. She is also a senior partner with the Venture Capital Firm TLCOM. 

Omolola Aneke – Executive Director, C.A.D.E.T. Academy 

Omolola Aneke is the Executive Director of the Comprehensive Autism and related Disabilities Education and Training Academy, known as the C.A.D.E.T. Academy, and also the founder of the non-profit, Dewdrops Community Centre for Special Needs, both located in Abuja. Lola Aneke is a certified special educator with a practising license from North Carolina in the United States. She has trained and empowered numerous parents, teachers and caregivers locally and internationally and recently authored two crucial best-selling books, namely: Special Needs Made Easy (Vol. 1) and Mastering Autism. She was honoured in 2020 as one of the Most Inspiring Women

Omotoke Makinwa – Media Personality 

Omotoke Makinwa is a renowned media personality, television host, vlogger, lifestyle entrepreneur and author. Toke is known for hosting The Morning Drive on Rhythm 93.7 FM and for her YouTube vlog series Toke Moments. Her TV prowess inspired the organisers, in March 2021, of The Voice Nigeria to announce Toke Makinwa, paired with Nancy Isime, as host of the third season. On October 16, 2021, Toke Makinwa was unveiled as the host of Gulder Ultimate Search Season 12.  She was one of the most searched media personalities in 2021.

Opeloyeru Temitope Batly – Marketing Executive 

Opeloyeru Temitope Batly is a passionate service rendering and marketing manager with hands-on experience in all facets of communication, customer service spanning power/energy, hospitality, ICT, humanitarian and Blockchain sectors with a strong dedication for excellent service delivery, business growth and development. Opeloyeru is a diligent self-starter, selfless and results-driven field data collector who is adept at identifying clients’ needs and implementing corrective actions. She is currently working at Bit2Big as Marketing Manager for East and Western Region Africa.  
 

Ruby Onwudiwe – Executive Director, 9PSB 

Ruby Onwudiwe is a seasoned Finance and Information Technology leader with over 20 years of experience spanning across the Banking, Telecom, Aerospace & Defense industries in Nigeria, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. Her areas of expertise include Financial Advisory, IT Strategy and Operations, and Program Management. She also has over 13 years of experience in policy research and analysis and a Doctoral degree in Public Policy. Ruby has held several senior management roles within the Stanbic IBTC/Standard Bank Group. She is now the Executive Director, 9 Payment Service Bank, 9PSB – your one-stop fully digital bank. 

Sally Suleiman – Founder, The Isolycia Foundation  

Sally Suleiman is a Humanitarian, Business Strategist, Media personality and Motivator. She works at the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority. She is the founder of “The Isolycia Foundation”, a non-governmental organisation that focuses on education for children in rural areas. She is also the Founder of “Giveaway Nigeria”, a platform that supports small media entrepreneurs. Sally has 8 years’ experience working in the Oil & Gas Sector and 10 years’ experience in the Media. She is highly skilled in business development, administration, customer service, marketing, project management, sales, brand management, and content creation.  

Sandra Aguebor – Founder, Lady Mechanic 

Sandra Aguebor (NPOM) hails from Benin. She has always aimed high in the empowerment of her fellow women. In the year 2004, she founded the Lady Mechanic Initiative: a non-profit organisation that empowers girls and women with mechanical skills to enable them become professionals in the field of automobile repairs. She owns an auto repairs garage (SANDEX CAR CARE). Engr. Sandra Aguebor has trained seven hundred Lady Mechanics in Nigeria. Many of the graduates operate their own garages, and in turn, recruit and train new Lady Mechanics. The Lady Mechanic Initiative with the support of MacArthur Foundation-Chicago launched ‘The Lady Mechanic After-School Club’ in selected schools in Lagos. Also, for the first time, LMI overcame the religious and cultural barriers in core Northern Nigeria, to train a total of 25 women in Kano as Professional Lady Mechanic-Drivers in Kano City. 

Shirley Nkechinyere Hills – Group CEO, Crustos Prestige Group, LLC 

Shirley Nkechinyere Hills is a Communications, Business, Leadership, and Management Consultant and Trainer for top Brands, Businesses, Organisations, and Governments, and an Executive Business Networking and Lifestyle Expert for high and ultra-high net worth individuals. As a Sickle Cell Warrior and Advocate of the Sickle Cell Disorder, Shirley Hills, through her foundation; the Shirley Hills Foundation for Sickle Cell, promotes the awareness, research, prevention, and management of the Disorder, and helps to bring succour and support to sufferers of the Disorder and carriers of the trait at their signature programs and campaigns. Shirley is a quintessential woman whose personality is greatly admired in several spheres. 

Solape Akinpelu – Founder, HerVest  

For over 12 years, Solape Akinpelu has worked on Nigerian’s top financial brands including Skye Bank, Sterling Bank, Wema Bank, Leadway Assurance, and FCMB before waltzing to the client-side of communications at Meristem, a leading investment firm as the head of corporate and marketing communications. Solape is the Nigerian chapter director of Women in Tech® an international organisation with a double mission: to close the gender gap and to help women embrace technology. Solape is fiercely pro-women. She believes in the women’s agenda towards building resilient and sustainable communities globally. 

Taiwo Dayo Abatan – Founder, Premium Mentoring Program with TDA 

Taiwo Dayo Abatan is a trained Career Coach, People Management Leader and Globally Licensed HR Practitioner offering almost 20 years core HR experience of leading Multi-Generational Workforce across the Insurance, Healthcare, Consulting and Financial Service Sphere with a Personal Commitment and Stride to “Build the Next Generation of HR and Business Leaders”. Taiwo is the Founder of the Premium Mentoring Program with TDA, a capacity and mentoring platform for young professionals who want to learn and acquire requisite skills to be the best at work and climb the career ladder.  

Tariye Gbadegesin – Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investments Limited 

With over twenty years’ experience, Tariye Gbadegesin is an investment professional who has led investments of over $3 billion in large-scale energy, infrastructure and industrial projects. She is currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ARM Harith Infrastructure Fund Managers (Armhif); a Joint Venture between Asset & Resource Management Company Ltd (ARM), a Nigerian institutional investor with US$2.3 billion of assets under management and Harith General Partners (Pty) Ltd (Harith), a South African infrastructure fund manager with over US$1 billion under management.  

Tayo George – Senior Manager, Youth and Teens Segments, MTN Nigeria 

Tayo George loves creating and making ideas happen; never been one to shy away from a good challenge. She values freedom in expressing creativity and is drawn to companies that put the customer before revenues. She also loves learning and has a commitment to being a lifelong student. Presently with MTN Nigeria, serving as Senior Marketing Manager for the Youth & Teen segments in the Marketing and Strategy Division, leading a high performing team of amazing professionals. 

Temie Giwa-Tubosun – Founder, LifeBank 

Temie Giwa-Tubosun is a Nigerian-American health manager, founder of LifeBank (formerly One Percent Project), a business enterprise in Nigeria working to improve access to blood transfusions in the country. In the past years, the company has distributed about 26,000 products to more than 10,000 patients in nearly 700 hospitals in Nigeria; Temie’s effort is now celebrated at home and abroad as an epitome of social entrepreneurship—using business to solve a major society’s problem. In December 2020, Giwa was awarded the Global Citizen Prize for Business Leader, for her work in addressing blood shortages in Nigeria, and LifeBank’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic. LifeBank has raised a total of $225,000 in funding over 4 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Mar 31, 2021, from a Non-equity Assistance round. 

Temilade Openiyi – Singer 

Temilade Openiyi (Tems) is a Nigerian singer. In 2021, she earned two US top 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with her collaboration with Drake on the song “Fountains” from his album Certified Lover Boy, and the Wizkid single “Essence”; the latter of which reached the top ten following a remix with Justin Bieber, and earned her a Grammy Award nomination. Alongside her career, she has won two NAACP Image Awards and a Soul Train Music Awards. In the same year, Tems was ranked number one on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart and number five on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart. In September 2021, Tems was signed to RCA Records and released her second EP If Orange Was a Place, which reached the top ten on the Billboard World Albums chart. 

Tinuola Akinbolagbe – CEO, Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria 

Dr. Tinuola Akinbolagbe is the CEO of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN). PSHAN creates a compelling opportunity to pool private sector capabilities, resources, assets and expertise across a collaborative platform to complement the efforts of government, partners, and implementers to accelerate improvement in health outcomes in Nigeria. As CEO, she says her mission is to ensure that the underlying philosophy, “collective responsibility & synergistic impact”, remains at the core of everything they (PSHAN) do. 
 

Titi Ogufere – Founder, Design Week Lagos 

Titi Ogufere is a pioneering designer, design advocate, critical thinker and visionary. She believes that the potential for design to change society and bring economic development in developing countries is underrated. Ogufere champions the cause with a relentless drive in breaking boundaries, pushing the agenda of advocacy, sustainability, collaboration, growth, identity discovery, problem-solving and education. She has received acclaim for her design approach and is at the forefront of the industry in Africa. She is also CEO of Essential Media Group (EMG), a full-service media company spread across the platforms of Publishing, Events and Digital Media. 

Tokini Peterside – Creator, ART X Lagos 

Tokini Peterside is an entrepreneur and strategic advisor dedicated to defining a new narrative about Africa through its culture and creative industry. She is the Founder & CEO of ART X Collective. Through ART X Collective, Tokini also directs additional platforms to support emerging talent: ART X Live! – a dynamic showcase and launchpad for rising musicians and artists; and the ART X Prize – Nigeria’s leading award for emerging visual artists. She was named to the 40 Under 40 in Africa by Apollo in 2020.  

Tolulope Olorundero – Founder and Chair, Nigerian Women in PR  

Tolulope Olorundero is an adroit public relations and communications consultant for c-suites as well as a board advisor. With exemplary skills in crises management, strategy development, and digital communications, she is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Mosron Communications, a boutique public relations consulting practise in Lagos, Nigeria. Amongst their impressive clientele, Tolulope has led the Mosron team to sign on and consult for Landmark Africa, Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company, Outsource Global, The Sahara Centre, and many others. Tolulope is the Founder and Chairperson of the Nigerian Women in Public Relations organisation registered as the Public Relations Women Foundation, an organisation set up to advocate for and support female PR professionals of Nigerian descent across the world. 

Tomie Balogun – Co-founder, Twelve  

Tomie Balogun is an Innovator and award-winning leader in the financial services industry in Africa. She has 15 years+ worth of experience across management consulting, telecommunications, investment advisory, and Fintech. Tomie provides strategic leadership focused on promoting financial literacy, reducing poverty levels, and democratising investment opportunities for millennials and Gen Zs in Africa. Through her these initiatives, she has successfully educated 100,000+ people on the benefits of financial education and helped them take action on investing actively. 

Tony Joy – Founder, Durian  

Tony Joy creates sustainable solutions and programs to empower women in rural communities. Through Durian Nigeria, an organisation she founded, she is empowering rural women to become self-sufficient by providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to transform their local waste into a means of livelihood. She is invested in creating sustainable and green solutions that will transform rural communities from being seen as poor and marginalised into hubs for innovation and development. She believes it is time to change the narrative from defining communities as poor and marginalised to “cool and creative”.  

Tosin Faniro-Dada – CEO, Endeavor Nigeria 

Tosin Faniro-Dada is the Managing Director & CEO of Endeavor in Nigeria. Tosin is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and helping them scale, not just for the immediate impact this has on their organisation, but more for the multiplier effect this confers on the larger society and economy. She has worked with entrepreneurs in various life-cycle stages, supporting them with interventions and resources to help them thrive. Tosin is resolute in her belief that entrepreneurs and their businesses are vital to creating jobs and wealth in emerging economies. She is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and connecting them to resources to help them scale. 

Uche Pedro – Founder, BellaNaija 

Uche Pedro is the founder of BellaNaija, Africa’s leading lifestyle digital media company. BellaNaija has a digital footprint of over 200 million impressions and 10 million followers across platforms. Uche is passionate about impacting her community and nurturing the next generation. She is the founder of #BNDoGood – an impact-driven initiative that consistently supports a wide variety of non-profits and social impact organisations including LEAP Africa, Slum2School, Django Girls, Junior Achievement Nigeria, and a long list of others. She is on the 2020 Forbes: “Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women”.  

Uche Uzoebo – Executive Head, Distribution and Stakeholder engagement, SANEF 

Uche Uzoebo is currently focused on developing structures, strategic partnerships and providing solutions that grant, improve or expand access to financial services to micro, small and medium enterprises and the underbanked. With over 18 years of banking and top management experience in Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Value Chain Management, Transaction & E-Banking, Merchant Acquiring and Financial Inclusion, she is a proven change and result-oriented professional with solid business acumen leadership and management qualities.  

Ucy Rochas – Director General, Rochas Foundation 

Ucy Rochas is a devoted and enthusiastic businesswoman focused on achieving superlative success and excellence. Ucy is encouraged by the myriad of opportunities on the African scene as well as the immense poverty and lack of education that is prevalent in the region. Ucy Rochas is utterly and ardently dedicated to humanity and the fight for every child’s right to comprehensive and quality education. She is the Director General at Rochas Foundation that impacts people across the continent.  

Uju Rochas-Anwukah – Country Director, U-Save Foundation 

Uju Rochas-Anwukah is a versatile entrepreneur with a focus on achieving excellence and a penchant for the development of business strategies. She is the founder of U-Save Foundation, a non-governmental organisation built with the aim of creating healthier communities, clean sustainable water, scholarship program, and building passion for volunteering. Uju has garnered experience volunteering and working for several organisations, including Jiduva Group, Rochas Foundation, and U-Save Foundation.  

Uju Uzo-Ojinnaka – CEO, Traders in Africa 

Uju Uzo-Ojinnaka is a resourceful and result-oriented team player with over 17 years’ work experience in strategic marketing, retail banking, and business development. Over the years, she has developed both hard and soft skills in credit analysis, negotiation, human relations, project management and leadership. She is the Director, Finance, Marketing, and Admin at the Beniz Group Limited, where she oversees inventory procurement and management for all product categories. She is the CEO at Traders in Africa (TofA).  

Uloma-Rochas Nwosu 

Uloma Rochas Nwosu is a dynamic and versatile entrepreneur with a focus on achieving excellence and ground-breaking operations processes in management for the development of business strategies and expedience of African growth. Uloma has created an array of businesses including major city supermarkets and educational institutions. Her immense motivation comes from the awareness of the vast opportunities in Africa coupled with the problems, especially the conditions facing African youth and the profound poverty. Her work in the Rochas Foundation has been of peak importance to her as well as the newly founded Elfreeda Foundation. She has been an avid contributor to societal development. 

Vivian Nwakah – Founder, Medsaf  

Vivian Nwakah is the CEO of Medsaf. She is a serial entrepreneur and strategist that has created and innovated around execution in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and energy space. She is an award-winning Founder having received recognition from Forbes, the British Royal Family, Women in Africa, Seedstars and many more, as a high impact entrepreneur. She brings an innovative approach learned from earlier moments in her career. She has won a myriad of awards for being a leader in sales. She was one of the youngest in her region to manage a multimillion-dollar per year Wells Fargo Mortgage branch.  

Yewande Abiose – Managing Director (Africa) / Global Communities Manager, Energy Institute 

Yewande Abiose is an energy economist with over fifteen years’ experience spanning audit, financial planning, consulting, and performance management within the energy sector. Her quest for excellence and ability to take on challenging roles led her to become the pioneer Business Development Manager of the Nigeria branch of the Energy Institute; a professional organisation registered by the UK Royal Charter that promotes skills and knowledge sharing across disciplines within the energy sector. Her tenacity and significant contributions to the growth of the branch led her to become the first Managing Director of the Institute. Yewande is passionate about girl-child education and a strong advocate for gender equality within the energy sector. 

Yinka Opeke – CEO, Smart Gas  

Yinka Opeke is a purposeful and dedicated business consultant with over 18 years industry experience, driven by the resolve to constantly harness management skills in highly dynamic environments. As the CEO of Smart Gas – a company that leverages technology to solve challenges faced by consumers when purchasing cooking gas in Nigeria, and the dangers associated with it, she is committed to earning the trust of clients, gaining their businesses and constantly seeking innovative ways to expand and sustain business growth. 

Zaynab Alkali – Dean, Faculty of Arts, Nasarawa University 

Zaynab Alkali is regarded as the first woman novelist from Northern Nigeria. She rose to be a dean in the faculty of arts at Nasarawa State University in Keffi, where she taught creative writing. She obtained a doctorate in African Studies from Bayero University Kano and became the principal of Shekara Girls’ Boarding School. The Stillborn, perhaps Zaynab Alkali’s best-known work was published to critical acclaim in 1984. The novel was quickly followed by The Virtuous Woman which was published by Longman, Nigeria in 1987. Cobwebs & Other Stories was published by the famous Malthouse Press in Lagos in 1997. The Descendants was published by Spectrum Lagos in 2007 and followed by The Initiates in 2007, and Invisible Borders in 2016. Zaynab Alkali’s books have been translated into many languages such as German, French, Arabic and Spanish. To date, Zaynab Alkali has won over 40 awards. 

Zouera Youssoufou – CEO, Dangote Foundation 

Zouera Youssoufou is the Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos-based Aliko Dangote Foundation, the largest private foundation in sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, she leads the foundation’s efforts to improve health, nutrition, education, and economic empowerment outcomes for the less fortunate in Africa, primarily in Nigeria. Zouera provides overall management oversight for the foundation and supports social investments to the Dangote Group. Her previous experiences include working with the European Union on private sector development issues, and management consulting with Deloitte and Touche in Ghana. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Hausa. 

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