Category: Leadership & Diplomacy
Oba Otudeko Emerge 2016 Best African CEO
Oba Otudeko, has emerged the Africa Chief Executive of the Year (2016).
Otudeko, who is the chairman of Honeywell Group, beat seven other finalists, including Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to clinch the coveted prize at a meeting of more than 800 chief executives across the continent held in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire.
Otudeko and Dangote were the only Nigerians listed among the eight top contenders for the coveted Africa CEO of The Year Award.
Four Nigerian firms – Seplat Petroleum, Dangote Group, Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank – were also on the list of finalists for prizes in the six-category award session of the yearly conference of the Africa CEO Forum. Other categories were African Company of the Year (where Nigeria’s Dangote Group and Seplat are listed), African Bank of the Year (with Zenith Bank among the eight finalists), Private Equity Investor of the Year, International Corporation of the Year and the Young CEO of the Year.
The six prizes were announced in the presence of Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The Forum rewards Africa’s best chief executive officers, companies, and investors whose strategies have contributed significantly to the economic growth of the continent.
Set up in partnership with the AfDB, the Africa CEO Forum is an event organised jointly by Groupe Jeune Afrique, publisher of Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, and Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss company specialising in organising economic promotion events.
The organisers of the yearly event yesterday said that Otudeko has, over the years, spurred economic growth in Africa by transforming the business landscape with legacy projects.
Founder and President of the Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed, while presenting the award to Otudeko, noted that the prize was conferred on him based on his achievements in the fields of development, governance, strategy, leadership, and financial performance across the operations of his conglomerate.
According to the organisers, Otudeko, in response expressed happiness at the recognition for his contributions to achieving a better Africa. ‘’I see the award as recognition of hard work, commitment and confidence in what is indeed African,” the Honeywell Group chair said, just as he encouraged African CEOs to continue working together to support the continent’s growth dynamics.
Otudeko’s Honeywell Group — which originally started operations as trading concern, importing and marketing baking yeast, stock fish, glass and steel rods, among others, was founded in 1972. The group of companies has now evolved into a diversified enterprise with businesses across major sectors of the Nigeria economy (foods and agro-allied, real estate, infrastructure, energy and services). Through additional portfolio investments, the Group is also a significant provider of capital to other sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including financial services, telecommunications, and security management.
Apart from the Honeywell Group, Otudeko also chairs the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings Plc. He was, at various times, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, FBN Bank (UK) Limited, Airtel Nigeria and Fan Milk of Nigeria Plc. He has also served on the boards of Central Bank of Nigeria (1990 – 1997), Guinness Nigeria Plc (1999 – 2003), British American Tobacco Ltd (2001 – 2004) and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, headquartered in the Togolese capital of Lome (2002 – 2010).
Oba Otudeko, a chartered banker and corporate secretary, was the 16th President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) between September 2006 and August 2009.
He holds the Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), awarded him in 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He was Chancellor of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State from 2001 to 2010 and currently serves as a member of the Office of Distinguished Friends of the London Business School (UK).
Muntaqa Umar-sadiq Emerge WEF 2016 Young Global Leader
Muntaqa Umar-sadiq, has been announced the 2016 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It is an international organization for public-private cooperation committed to improving the state of the world.
By this selection, the 2016 Young Global Leader joins a community of past Young Global Leader (YGL) honourees that include David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Chelsea Clinton, Board member of Clinton Foundation; Larry Page, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Google, USA; Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Facebook, among others.
Klaus Schwab and John Dutton, Executive Chairman and Head respectively of the Forum of YGL in a statement explained that the honour bestowed each year by the WEF recognizes and acknowledges the most outstanding young leaders, under the age of 40, from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
Muntaqa Umar-sadiq is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, England and Imperial College School of Medicine in London, and also a holder of Chartered Alternatives Investment Analyst (CAIAI) charter.
He is currently the CEO of the Private Sector Health Alliance, and prior to this position, he was the Senior Technical Advisor to the former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria, Muhammad Ali Pate and commenced his career as a healthcare M & A investment banker at Morgan Stanley in the UK where he focused on the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical sector.
Together with business and public sector leaders in Nigeria, including Aliko Dangote, President/CEO, Dangote group; Muhammad Ali Pate; Jim Ovia, chairman, Zenith Bank; Aig Imoukhuede, President, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Kelechi Ohiri of HSDF and other corporate leaders, Umar-sadiq has led a pioneering work that has developed a Private Sector Health Alliance.
The pioneering work has also catalyzed a model convergence platform for leveraging private sector innovation, capabilities and impact investments to complement government’s efforts in reaching millions of women and children in Nigeria to advance health outcomes.
His selection and recognition by WEF as a 2016 Young Global Leader are anchored on his record of professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through leadership and, according to Schwab and Dutton, as an honouree, Muntaqa Umar-sadiq has been invited to become an active community member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders for a period of five years.
“The community forms a unique global network of peers from diverse backgrounds and fields with a highly visible opportunity to significantly impact world affairs and shape the global agenda.
Your five year experience is accompanied by a community manager representing the Forum of YGL who will identify unique and personalized opportunities for you to engage.”
Nigeria: EIU Democracy Index 2015
Nigeria’s rating in global democracy and governance has recorded a boost from 121 positions in 2014 to 108 last year according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s, EIU Democracy Index 2015.
The EIU is an independent business within the UK based The Economist Group. The EIU Democracy Index measures the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 166 are sovereign states and 165 are UN member states.
The index is also based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories measuring pluralism, civil liberties, and political culture.