General counsel and regional business head | MainOne
Legal director and company secretary | Guinness Nigeria (a Diageo company)
Head of legal | Courteville Business Solutions
Country legal director | Nigerian Bottling Company (Coca-Cola HBC)
Company secretary and legal advisor | Promasidor Nigeria
Assistant general counsel, company secretary | Channels Media Group
Head of legal and group company secretary | Caverton Offshore Support Group
General counsel, company secretary | Chemical and Allied Products
Group company secretary, head of legal and chief compliance officer | CFAO Nigeria
General counsel and company secretary | Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)
Legal and compliance manager | International Breweries, a part of AB InBev
General counsel | First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (First E&P)
Group company secretary, legal advisor, chief compliance officer | AIICO Insurance
General counsel and divisional head, business support services | Nigerian Exchange Group
Group general counsel and company secretary | Guaranty Trust Holding Company
Company secretary and legal director | GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria
General manager, commercial legal | MTN Nigeria Telecommunications
Cluster head legal, Anglophone West Africa, East and Southern Africa | Novartis
General counsel, corporate and commercial services, assistant company secretary | Nigeria LNG
Managing counsel, global litigation, Sub-Saharan Africa | Shell
Director, worldwide government affairs and policy, West and Central Africa | Johnson and Johnson
Head of legal | CHI (A subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company)
Group director, legal services and company secretary | Flour Mills of Nigeria
Regional compliance and ethics counsel, SSA | Oracle Nigeria
Head, legal and corporate affairs | Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC)
General counsel and company secretary | Ardova (Forte Oil)
Director legal, public affairs and general secretary | Fan Milk (a Danone Company)
Secretary to the board of directors, legal adviser, and head of legal, Sub-Sahara Africa | FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria
Group chief legal officer and company secretary | BUA Group
Head of legal and compliance, company secretary | Heirs Energies
Chief legal and regulatory affairs officer, company secretary | Airtel Nigeria
Chief legal officer and company secretary | Interswitch Group
Senior manager, transactional legal, corporate banking and e-business | Stanbic Bank
Chief, legal and company secretariat | Eko Electricity Distribution
The Legal 500 is absolutely thrilled to turn its focus to the Giant of Africa in 2024 with the launch of the first ever GC Powerlist: Nigeria. It is a true delight to introduce this inaugural edition, after previous years of covering Africa in its entirety.
The GC Powerlist: Nigeria is a deep dive into the activities of uber talented senior in-house counsel who continuously make successful efforts to drive their companies forward, while responding to crises, managing regulatory challenges, and navigating significant changes to the industries in which they operate – in an environment made volatile by accelerated technological advancements.
In doing so, this edition not only showcases the landmark cases and impressive deals undertaken by these deserving legal professionals. Interviews conducted in this Powerlist present truly varied and thought-provoking perspectives on a gamut of issues, among which include a shared focus on leading a digital transformation in legal departments and processes; the race to align Nigeria’s compliance requirements with international standards; and the efforts being made to refurbish the legal department’s reputation to that of true business partners.
In breaking stereotypes of the legal counsel being deal blockers and obstacles to business activities, in-house lawyers have embraced several approaches. Akachukwu Nwokedi, general counsel and company secretary at Nigeria LNG deployed “Legal as Business”, an “innovative platform and initiative deployed to restructure, reorganise and reposition the legal function, bringing it close to the business and changing its reputation to a value creating and solution oriented in-house legal team at the centre of all critical decision making.”
With an ever-growing reputation as one of Africa’s largest economies, businesses in Nigeria continue to expand their operations, with the aim of establishing a global presence. Hence, legal teams are charged with ensuring Nigeria meets international regulatory standards to guarantee their companies’ success – a herculean task. Edith Onwuchekwa, in her role as legal director and company secretary at Seplat Energy, observes: “Nigeria’s legal landscape is experiencing rapid growth and complexities, driven by globalisation, technological advancements, and a more dynamic regulatory environment that seeks to elevate Nigeria to global best practice standards.”
To navigate such rapid growth, Adeola Olumeyan, assistant general counsel at Channels Media Group states, “Compliance with international standards will indirectly influence their relationships with EU counterparts. General counsel must remain well-informed about these developments and assess their implications on their organisations’ ESG practices and operations, recognising the broader effects on business relationships.”
General counsel are faced with leading this growth while balancing the need to protect their companies’ interests and take advantage of any potential business opportunities. Stanley Chikwendu’s approach towards this is noteworthy: “Our approach to legal service delivery is founded on the business mantra – building to last. In serving our businesses, our focus is not only on the law but also on the overall commercial and strategic objectives.” Theophilus Alao, compliance and legal manager at Seplat Energy shares this ideology; “It is granted that businesses exist to maximise profit for the owners, but the company must also conduct its business within the ambits of the law.”
You are strongly encouraged to further delve into the fascinating stories and perspectives of the most exceptional, richly deserving in-house counsel Nigeria has to offer, and see how legal professionals continue to innovatively drive their companies forward, while skilfully navigating the nuances of the Nigerian economic landscape.
On behalf of The Legal 500, I extend my sincere thanks and congratulations everyone who featured in this edition, and graciously contributed their time and insights to make this year’s GC Powerlist: Nigeria 2024 a success.
Funke Olufon | Lead Researcher, GC Powerlist Nigeria 2024
The Legal 500, in partnership with The New Practice (TNP), were incredibly proud to launch the first-ever GC Powerlist: Nigeria 2024 on the 23rd of February 2024. The highly anticipated event saw Nigeria’s most distinguished legal professionals gathered at the stunning Lagos Motor Boat Club, Ikoyi to celebrate their inclusion.
Setting the tone for the evening was a congratulatory message from Funke Olufon, lead researcher for GC Powerlist: Nigeria 2024. Baba Alokolaro, managing partner at TNP – the sponsor for the event and a longstanding Legal 500 partner – gave a lovely address highlighting the importance of celebrating the legal function. A rousing speech by the general counsel of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Irene Robinson-Ayanwale, rounded up the evening, which was followed by a networking reception.
The launch event of the inaugural GC Powerlist: Nigeria 2024 was a resounding success. Many thanks to all the speakers for contributing to the success of the event and sharing their insights. A special thank you to TNP for sponsoring the Powerlist.
