Nigeria 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Vice President, Legal & Compliance | ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment
General Counsel/Head, Compliance and Risk, Africa | Junior Achievement Africa
Company secretary, general counsel | Chemical and Allied Products
Aramide Nwokediuko is a seasoned legal professional with over two decades of experience in corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, and compliance and a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives...
Group company secretary, head of legal and chief compliance officer | CFAO Nigeria
General counsel and company secretary | Nigerian National Petroleum Company
Legal and compliance manager | International Breweries, a part of ABInBev
General counsel | FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company
Company Secretary/General Counsel/Chief     Compliance Officer | AIICO Insurance
Group Head Audit, Compliance and Risk | OmniRetail Technology
Company secretary, legal counsel | International Breweries
Dr. (Mrs.) Marian Reginald-Ukwuoma brings nearly two decades of experience in both government and corporate environments. She has a solid background in regulatory affairs, government and stakeholder engagement, corporate governance,...
Cluster head legal, Anglophone West Africa, East and Southern Africa | Novartis
Regional Compliance and Ethics Counsel, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) | Oracle
Company Secretary/Chief Legal Officer | BUA Group
Formerly legal counsel/ company secretary | Heirs Energies
Chief legal and regulatory affairs officer | Airtel Networks
Group head legal and regulatory management | Transnational Corporation
Partner and head of deal advisory, M&A, Tax | KPMG
Head of legal and group company secretary | Caverton Offshore Support Group
Managing Counsel, Global Litigation, Sub-Saharan Africa | The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria
Company secretary and group director, legal services | Flour Mills of Nigeria
Head of legal sub-saharan africa | Reckitt Benckiser
Madonna Okpaleke is a legal and compliance professional with over 20 years of experience advising multinational organizations across Africa and Europe. She currently serves as the Head of Legal for...
General counsel & Company Secretary | Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems
Head of legal Sub-Saharan Africa cluster and company secretary | FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria
Formerly Deputy Chief Legal Officer | Moove
Olutola Bella is a senior corporate counsel with significant experience in corporate finance, banking, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and corporate and commercial law. He was, until recently, Deputy Chief...
It is with great pleasure that usher in the second edition of the GC Powerlist Nigeria 2025, a celebration of the most influential and innovative in-house lawyers shaping the future of Nigeria’s legal and business landscape.
At The Legal 500, we continue to take immense pride in recognizing outstanding legal talent worldwide, and Nigeria’s legal market continues to impress with its sophistication, and resilience. This edition of the GC Powerlist: Nigeria is the result of months of extensive research, countless interviews, and careful analysis to identify the standout in-house counsel who are driving change, fostering innovation, and providing strategic leadership in their organizations.
We are especially thrilled to have partnered with TNP to bring this research to life. Their deep understanding of the Nigerian legal market has been invaluable in making this publication a reality. The GC Powerlist has become a global benchmark for excellence in in-house legal practice, and its continued success worldwide is a testament to the strength and impact of the legal professionals we celebrate today.
Congratulations to all those featured in this year’s GC Powerlist Nigeria. Your work not only advances your organizations but also elevates the broader legal community. We, at The Legal 500, look forward to witnessing your continued success and contributions to the legal profession.
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
