2024 NRA Co-Chairs
Paul Dudley
Mr. Dudley is a director and former chairman of the UK Public Risk Association. He gained extensive public sector risk management experience at Hertfordshire County Council and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and has headed up enterprise risk management, health and safety, business continuity management and insurance strategies and processes for over 20 years. Mr. Dudley is a director of Alarm (the public service risk management association) and company secretary, and chaired the association in 2009-10. He was recognised for his contribution to public sector risk management, and to Alarm as an organisation, becoming an honorary lifetime member in 2012.
Mrs. Ibiene Okeleke
Mrs Ibiene Okeleke holds an Advanced Human Resources Executive Degree from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, a Master Degree from IESE Business School, University of Navarra Spain and obtained a Bachelors’ degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the University of Lagos. She has also completed a Strategic Human Resource Training course at Harvard Business School and she is a certified Prince 2 Practitioner.
Ibiene has over 20 years’ on-the-job experience, she is a Career Coach and she is passionate about people development, continuous learning Youth Empowerment and Career Development Programs, she encourages and inspires higher productivity in the workplace.
Prior to her appointment as the Managing Director of Energy Training Center the Learning Academy of the Sahara Group focusing on the Power Oil & Gas sectors, Mrs Ibiene Okeleke was the Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer of Ikeja Electric, a role she took over after the privatization of the power sector, prior to that she was the Group Head of Human Resources at the Sahara Group.
Meet the NRA Judges
Dr. Ahmed Tunde Popoola
Dr. Tunde Popoola is the GMD/CEO of CRC Credit Bureau and has over 30 years’ private and public sector experience in the Nigerian economy. As the Executive Director/CEO of Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), he championed the cause of entrepreneurship and self-employment. He has extensive and robust experience in banking operations, finance, planning and strategy, customer service, product development, risk management, and ventures. Dr. Popoola holds a doctorate degree in Finance from WITS Business School, University of The Witwatersrand, South Africa, and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and seven other professional bodies. He is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Wharton Business School. Dr. Popoola holds several awards and recognitions especially for his role in entrepreneurship, business management, finance, and youth empowerment.Maren Egedorf
Maren Egedorf is Associate Professor at Metropolitan University College’s Emergency and Risk Management Program in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Maren has 20 years of experience in international program management and communication. She has extensive international experience, having worked and lived abroad for more than 10 years. Maren currently lives in Denmark, where she is originally from. Her professional experience spans academia, the United Nations’ World Food Programme, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the private sector, as well as consulting with international development companies, Danish Non-Government Organisations and the United Nations.
Maren has extensive experience in disaster risk reduction, public sector risk management, food and nutrition security analysis, early warning systems, and evaluation. Maren’s current research interests include social sustainability, social risk leadership. Additionally, she has extensive experience in cross-cultural team building and leadership, successful negotiation techniques, and risk education enhancement
Olayinka Odutola
BSc, MSc, MBA, MALD, FCIB, FERP, FCTP, PhD (in View)
Olayinka Odutola is a Professional Banker with about 3 decades experience. This cuts across Enterprise-wide Risk Management (ERM) & Basel Accord Framework Design & Implementation, Credit Risk Management, Credit Policy, Credit Culture, Risk Research & Training, Marketing and Business Development, Branch, zonal and Regional Management, Banking Operations, Customer Relationship Management, Audit, Inspection, Collections and Loan Recovery / special Asset Management in banks. He also had a brief stint in the Mortgage Banking Industry and extensive experience in the Micro Finance sector.
He was at various times the Chief Inspector, Head, Loan Workout Group, Head, Enterprise Risk Management, Regional Manager, Area Business Executive, Branch Manager, Head of Banking Operations and Head, Credit Policy & Culture / Head, Research & Training in his banking career.
He is:
- A Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria FCIB
- A Fellow, Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals FERP
- A Fellow, Certified Training Professional of the Finance FCTP
Accreditation Agency, FAA, MALAYSIA
- A full Member, Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered) MNIM
- An Associate, Institute of Capital Market Registrars ACMR
- An Associate, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators ACIArb
- An Associate, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria ACIPM
- An Associate, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria ANIM
- An Associate, Certified Pensions Institute of Nigeria ACIP
- Member International Association of Risk & Compliance Professionals IARCP
- Member, Global Association of Risk Professionals GARP
He also recently (MAY 2019) completed and PASSED the examination leading to the award of the following global certifications in Accountancy.
- Associate, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, CIMA UK ACMA
- Associate, Chartered Global Management Accountants CGMA
He also possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, (BSc,) Masters in Business Administration (MBA, OAU, ILE IFE), Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD, UNIJOS) and a Masters in Finance (MSc, COVENANT UNIVERSITY).
He is currently studying towards a PhD in Finance at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
He:
- Is currently a Member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN. In addition he:
- was a Chief Examiner of Principles and Practice of Risk Management, a subject in the professional examination stage of the foremost banking Institute, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria CIBN and currently an examiner in the MFI (MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS GROUP) where he also specializes in PPRM (Principles and Practice of Risk Management). He was also an examiner in the Microfinance banking examination of the Institute CIBN
- Is a faculty member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers CIBN, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers CIS and Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals AERMP, among the major professional bodies in Nigeria
- was a member of CBN – CIBN Project team that worked on FSS 2020 (Financial System Strategy 2020) blueprint aimed at developing and transforming Nigeria’s financial sector into a growth catalyst and engineering Nigeria’s evolution into an international financial center.
- was selected as one of the judges of Nigerian Risk Awards 2014, alongside top international and local Risk experts and became the Co-Chair Nigerian Risk Awards 2016-2018
- has trained a great number of employees of Nigerian Banks, Insurance, Pensions, and the capital market (including the regulators CBN, NDIC, NAICOM, PENCOM, SEC, NSE) and AMCON, and professionals in the Non – Financial sectors, on various aspects of risk management. His exploits in risk management training and capacity building has also taken him beyond the shores of this country to UK, USA (New York City, Chicago, Alabama (Birmingham) and Ghana.
- is one of the very few outstanding professionals (the first set) given Practice License & Seal by CIBN to consult in the field of Banking, Finance & Allied Matters, the first in the history of Africa.
- is a regular commentator (through the print media and television) on macroeconomic issues and policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Monetary Policy formulation by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN.
- was a regular columnist (on Risk Management) with the Business World Newspaper.
- was a columnist on Banking & Finance in the Vanguard Newspapers.
- Is a SMEDAN (Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria) certified trainer & a regular speaker at various entrepreneurship & business gathering, wealth/job creation seminars and workshops, both in the formal and informal sectors of the economy.
- Participated in the first and only GARP (Global Association of Risk Practitioners) Train the Trainer course held in conjunction with CIBN, 2013.
Professor Peter Young
Professor Young holds the 3M endowed chair in international business at the Opus College of Business, University of St Thomas, and held the EW Blanch senior chair in risk management at the same establishment from 1994 to 2011. He was co-creator of the University’s actuarial science programme, which in 2011 received recognition as a Centre for Actuarial Excellence, and serves as its principal adviser. Professor Young has written extensively on the subject of risk management, and is recognised internationally for his work in both the public and private sectors.
Rico Ferrarese
Soji Apampa
Mr. Soji Apampa is co-founder of The Integrity Organisation Ltd. Gte (1995). He has been actively involved with the designing, resourcing and supervising of programme implementation that has helped to make the policy of “empowering people, their transactions, systems and institutions against corruption” relevant to Nigeria. At Integrity, he was one of the initiators of the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI), a project launched in Lagos in 1997 to foster ethical business practices, openness, and fair competition in both the private and the public sectors.
Mr Apampa is the Project director on the supported MacArthur project Promoting Corruption Prevention in the Private Sector (2018-2021) a Department for international development (DFID) supported project Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against the Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C)to cover interventions that seek to promote Integrity, honesty and transparency in the private sector.
His work experience covers training, research, consulting and management in the private and public sectors and civil society.
Mr John Thirlwell, FCIB
Mr John Thirlwell FCIB (UK), is an internationally renowned speaker and writer on operational risk, risk management and governance. With over 30 years’ experience in financial services, he has represented several banking and insurance companies at board level as an executive or non-executive director. He was a director of the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), helping to negotiate the current operational risk regulatory framework for banks, and founded and chaired the BBA’s Global Operational Loss Database. Mr Thirlwell has chaired the UK Financial Services and Insurance Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce and has contributed to advisory groups on risk and operational risk for the Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority, the Financial Services Skills Council, the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and the Lloyd’s Market Association. He graduated from the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of the Institute of Operational Risk and the Chartered Institute of Bankers.
Trinette Ogunnusi
Trinette Ogunnusi is a Quality Process Consultant with Equifax dedicated to continuous improvement, lean and agile best practices and risk management for business and technology process flows. She has a BBA in International Business from Schiller International University and an MBA from American InterContinental University in London, England. She is a member of Scrum Alliance, Project Management Institute and American Society of Quality.
Oguche Agudah (FCIB, FCS)
Oguche is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp); the umbrella body for all licensed pension fund operators in Nigeria. In this role he leads the efforts of the 28 billion dollar pension industry in Nigeria in engaging the government, regulators, the media, the financial markets and other stakeholders in ensuring that the interests of the pension operators are protected and promoted and that the pension industry has a positive impact on National Development.
Before this appointment, Oguche was Nigeria’s Regional Director for OurCrowd, a crowd funding, venture capital and impact investment firm with headquarters in Israel.
He was recently nominated to serve as a board member for the Nigerian National Advisory board for Impact Investment- the national body designed to strengthen the impact investment ecosystem in Nigeria.
He has been privileged to experience life as an entrepreneur, a policy maker in the public sector and an employee in a world class financial institution operating in an emerging market. These varied circumstances have enabled him to appreciate different perspectives, arming him with a unique blend of the business acumen of the private sector and the social impact objective of the public sector.
He possesses a degree in Banking and finance (University of Lagos) and is a fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Nigeria.
Rachael Johnson
Rachael Johnson is the Global Head of Risk Management and Corporate Governance for ACCA’s Professional Insights. She has over two decades’ experience researching and creating content about risk management, responsible investing, sustainable finance, and corporate governance. In her current role at ACCA, Rachael produces research, thought leadership and CPD on risk and corporate governance for its members and partner organisations around the world. As the secretariat of ACCA’s Global Forum for Governance, Risk and Performance, she also advocates and provides comments for risk governance and risk reporting policy consultations. In addition, she is a member of the newly formed Accountancy Europe (AcE) Corporate Governance Policy Group and part of the Business at OECD (Biac) Corporate Governance Committee.
Rachael started her career as a financial journalist at RISK magazine and later moved to Euromoney, eventually becoming deputy editor of AsiaMoney in Hong Kong. She worked for many years as a freelance writer in London, where she is based, producing various editorial projects for financial publications, trade bodies, banks, fintechs, and investment managers, including a two-year stint at Canada Life Asset Management. Originally from the US, Rachael graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism & Communications, and minors in Environmental Science and Public Affairs.
Yvonne Palm
Yvonne is the Director of Risk Management and Compliance at African Reinsurance Corporation based in Nigeria, where she oversees all group activities within these areas across the African continent.
She previously served as the Lead Corporate Actuary at Travelers in London, overseeing reserving, technical provisions, business planning and reporting of results to regulators and management. Her experience spans American, European, African and Middle Eastern markets, and she has worked in various reputable international organisations including Ernst & Young, Markel and ACE (now Chubb).
Yvonne is a Fellow of both the Casualty Actuarial Society in the USA and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Casualty Actuarial Society. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College in Iowa, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honours in both Mathematics and Economics.
Ogadinma Onwuaduegbo
Mr. Ogadi is an accomplished insurance professional with more than a decade’s experience gained both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He has a strong background in Business development and Reinsurance Broking with a proven track record working across most classes of Insurance including but not limited to Onshore Construction, Oil & Gas, Aviation and Cyber.
Ogadi is a Chartered Insurer, from the Chartered Institute of Insurance – London. He holds a Masters of Science degree in Management from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Scotland and a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science and Insurance from The University of Lagos, Nigeria. He has worked for reputable organizations including Marsh Limited, London as an Account Executive and a Lloyds Placement Broker, and also worked with Afro-Asian Insurance Services, London as a Business Producing and Placement Broker for Nigeria.
Anita Punwani CFIRM
Anita has 30 years of experience across the not-for-profit, public and private sectors, notably in senior risk roles for the UK Government as well as in the international non-governmental sector.
A member of the IRM since 1998, she has held a number of roles in support of the institute’s governance, education, training and thought leadership. Anita believes in the value of education and has supported the IRM as an examiner and module developer. She holds a BEng, MBA and a MSc in Global Governance & Ethics.
As Chair of the governance committee of her national standards body, Anita represented the UK in the development of ISO 37000, ‘Governance of organizations’.
At the start of the pandemic, as IRM Deputy Chair, she appeared on the BBC and CNBC to raise public awareness of risk management in handling the global crisis. Anita is Chair of the IRM ESG Special Interest Group, member of Chatham House and a supporter of UNA-UK.
Gus Wiggle
Currently stirs the affairs of WJE Integrated Resources Ltd established in 2016 to be a leading logistics and pipeline constructions in the country after the completion of his tenor as the Managing Director of Linkage Assurance Plc.
As a seasoned Insurance practitioner with sterling qualities and proven track record, his experience in all aspects of insurance practice spanning through a period of over 34 years has been valuable in his day-to-day management of the company’s operations. Prior to joining Linkage Assurance Plc, he has worked with Central Insurance Company Limited as MD/CEO, Financial Assurance, BAICO Insurance and WAPIC Insurance where he rose to the position of Deputy General Manager.
He was able to accomplish a turn-around in Central insurance when he joined in 2000.The Company enjoyed patronage from brokers; as a result of the new confidence the management led by him was able to establish with them. Mr. Wiggle successfully led the team that concluded the merger and integration of former Central Insurance and old Linkage Assurance into the new LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC. He was able to build a stable and strong management team in the company, within the short period after the completion of the integration.
He was once the Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), a Council member of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and a member of many Advisory Committees of the Institute).
A member of the Steering Committee of the National Insurance Summit -2015 and National Financial Inclusion Strategy.
A graduate of Insurance and an associate of the Chartered Insurance, London. He is an Alumnus of CEP20 of Lagos Business School, IESE, Barcelona, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Kellogg School of Management and Swiss Insurance Training Centre, Zurich, Switzerland (SITC).
He was on the Board of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd, the biggest PFA in Nigeria with over N1trillion AUM as @ 2016. Appointed as an Independent Non- Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers Ltd in 2018-2020. He presently sits on the Board of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Ltd as an Independent Non-Executive Director and two other firms as a Non –Executive Director.
He is the current President of The Risk Managers Society of Nigeria (RIMSON) and a Fellow of Institute of Directors. He has attended various management and leadership courses both locally and internationally. Mr. Wiggle is an avid sport enthusiast, a strong fan of Arsenal Football Club and a member of Ikoyi Club.
Lisa Siggery
Lisa is the Global Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance for a Lloyd’s Insurance Broker and has over two decades’ experience in Risk Management within the Insurance industry. As a Risk Management professional, Lisa has introduced strong risk practices within several insurance businesses, influencing open and transparent cultures to ensure risks are appropriately identified and mitigated.
Lisa started her career in Finance and moved into Internal Audit from where, alongside team colleagues, Risk Management practices were developed and implemented. Thereafter, Lisa focused on Risk Management and later on Regulatory Risk Management (Compliance). Lisa is also the Chairman of a Parish Council and a Trustee of an affiliate branch of Samaritans where she has responsibility for Governance and Risk Management.
Lisa is a qualified Management Accountant and enjoys the cerebral challenge of Risk Management within business. Outside of work she likes to run and cycle, photography is also a passion.
Mobola Faloye
Mobola Faloye is an experienced Board Member, well-rounded and versatile multi-industry executive with a history of impeccable Leadership, Strategy and Vision at the highest level of governance; being the Board of Directors.
She sat on the Board of Directors of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Nigeria as the Executive Director, Risk (Board Risk Committee, Board Audit Committee and Board Credit Committee), and the regulatory Executive Compliance Officer. She was also one of the 3 industry executives selected as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Banking Sector Resolution Fund (to ensure the safety of depositors’ funds as well as financial system stability).
As the Regional Chief Risk Officer for West Africa at SCB, Mobola had responsibility for the alignment of risk governance with corporate strategy for the delivery of good quality earnings. She is a seasoned and innovative strategic enabler for the achievement of business objectives; utilising qualitative and quantitative engines to optimise the risk/reward balance without compromising integrity and core standards. Having previously spent 30 years working for various local and international organisations in dynamic roles and capacities, (some of which are: UBS – Associate Director; Cargill Inc. – Manager, Finance & Liquidity; Guaranty Trust Bank – Group Chief Risk Officer; and SCOA – Public Relations Manager), she brings a wealth of experience, exposure and expertise across a broad range of industry sectors.
She has been a Panellist and Speaker at various Strategy, Talent Management, Governance, and Risk Management conferences, is an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, member of Women on Boards UK, Women Corporate Directors, Institute of Risk Management UK and Risk Management Association of Nigeria. In addition to her Bachelor’s and Post Graduate degrees, she is an alumna of the Lagos Business School.
Mobola is passionate about Community Empowerment, Environmental & Social Sustainability, Thought Leadership, Corporate Governance, Innovation in Business and Mentoring. She is a Mentor on the renowned Global Leadership Programme of the Daniel Institute, speaks French and Russian, and is an avid Music aficionado. Her mantra is ‘Ethics To Profits’.
After completion of her tenure in 2022 in Acting CEO capacity, Mobola has since set up an Advisory outfit (Gracemead Ltd.) and is also embarking on a Doctorate Programme.
Professor Simon Grima
Prof. Simon Grima, is the the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and
Accountancy, Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Insurance and Risk Management.
Simon is also a Professor at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Business, Management and Economics
and a visiting Professor at UNICATT Milan. He served as the President of the Malta Association of Risk
Management (MARM), is the current president since 2023 and was President of the Malta Association
of Compliance Officers (MACO) between 2013 and 2015, and between 2016 and 2018 respectively.
Moreover, he is the chairman of the Scientific Education Committee of the Public Risk Management
Organization (PRIMO) and the Federation of European Risk Managers (FERMA). His research focus is
on Governance, Regulations and Internal Controls and has over 30 years of experience varied between
Financial Services, academia and public entities. He has acted as co-chair and is a member of the
scientific program committee on some international conferences and is a chief editor, editor and review
editor of some Journals and Book Series. He has been awarded outstanding reviewer for Journal of
Financial Regulation and Compliance in the 2017 and 2022 Emerald Literati Awards. Moreover, Simon
acts as an Independent Director for Financial Services Firms, sits on Risk, Compliance, Procurement,
Investment and Audit Committees and carries out duties as a Compliance Officer, Internal Auditor and
Risk Manager.
Web Page: https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/simongrima
Web of Science Researcher ID: O-5299-2015
Loop profile: 348395
Scopus Author ID: 57151215400
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1523-5120
Emerald Insight Volume Editor: Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis
: Emerald Studies In Insurance and Risk Management
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/series/csef
Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6L-kN98AAAAJ&hl=en
Research gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Grima
Professor Kiran Sood
Kiran Sood is a Professor at Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India. She
also serves as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Insurance and Risk Management at
the University of Malta. Additionally, Kiran holds the esteemed position of Research Fellow at
the Women Researchers Council, Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC).
She received her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in commerce from Panjab University,
respectively, in 2002 and 2004. She earned her Master of Philosophy degree in 2008 and Doctor
of Philosophy in Commerce with a concentration on Product Portfolio Performance of General
Insurance Companies in 2017 from Panjabi University, Patiala, India. Before joining Chitkara
University in July 2019, Kiran had served four organisations with a total experience of 19 years.
She has published various articles in various journals and presented papers at various
international conferences. She serves as an Editor of refereed journals, particularly MDPI and
The Journal of Corporate Governance, Insurance, and Risk Management (JCGIRM). Her
research mainly focuses on insurance regulations, insurance, risk management and ESG issues
in insurance. She has edited more than fifteen books with various international publishers such
as Emerald, CRC, Taylors & Francis, Elsevier, AAP, WILEY Scrivener, IET, Rivers Publishers, and
IEEE
Zhanar Tukeeva
Zhanar is a committee member of the Cyber Special Interest Group in the Institute of Risk Management
(IRM) and holds memberships in the International Actuarial Association and the Actuarial Society of
Kazakhstan. She has more than 19 years of experience in the Insurance industry, Enterprise Risk
Management and Actuarial. Zhanar worked as the Head of Risk at Sukoon Insurance Company (UAE) and
was responsible for supporting the Lloyds syndicate-in-a-box (SIAB) initiative, establishing the ERM
framework, and managing reinsurance credit risk, among other responsibilities. She was also the Chair
of the Executive Risk Committee and a member of the Board Risk Committee.
Prior to this, Zhanar spent ten years at American International Group (AIG), first as an Actuary and then
as a Chief Risk Officer for the Middle East and North Africa. Zhanar holds a Certificate in Geopolitical
Analysis from Florida Atlantic University and RANE, a certificate in Supply Chain Risk Management, and a
certificate in Digital Risk Management from The Institute of Risk Management in the UK. She also holds a
Specialist’s Diploma Degree in ‘Informational Systems in Economics’ from Kazakhstan National
University and an Actuarial License from the Kazakhstan Committee for Regulation and Supervision of
the Financial Market and Financial Organizations.
Karen Locke
Karen has over 20 years’ experience working in risk management; the first five years with the
NHS and thereafter in local government. She is currently Risk Manager at Renfrewshire
Council. Karen enjoys building lasting relationships with other risk and insurance professionals
and finds great value in learning and sharing best practice together. Karen is currently the
President of ALARM and leads the Leadership & Influence portfolio.
Dr Bamidele Wale-Oshinowo
Bamidele Wale-Oshinowo holds an academic position in the Department of Business Administration, University of Lagos. She is a Strategic Management Specialist and certified Entrepreneurship Educator. Prior to joining the academia, she worked in the Banking Industry in Customer Relationship Management, Consumer and Commercial Banking, and also provided financial advisory support for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs). Her broad research interests are in the areas of entrepreneurship and strategic management within the contexts of MSMEs, and Family Businesses in developing economies. She works with NITDA IT Hub, and Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre (ESDC) at University of Lagos to groom student entrepreneurs and start-ups for the marketplace.
Dr. Emmanuel Oforkanji Onwodi
Dr. Emmanuel Oforkanji Onwodi is currently the Director of the Planning & Research Department (PRD), where his immediate responsibilities include administration and control of planning, research and evaluation performance reporting activities in the Commission. Prior to his appointment as Director of PRD in 2023, he was the Director of the Transportation Department where he oversaw projects in ports, railways, aviation, roads and bridges sub-sectors. Other sub-sectors include marine, defense, security, interior and the top ten priority PPP projects of the Commission.
Onwodi joined the ICRC in 2010 as Head of Finance and Accounts after which he headed the Special Projects Unit (SPU) where his responsibilities among others included planning and implementation of capacity building for staff of the ministries, department, and agencies (MDAs). This helped him build immense capacity as a trainer and an eloquent public speaker.
Cumulatively, Dr. Onwodi has both public and private sector working experience spanning over twenty years in the fields of accounting, auditing, financial modeling, forensics, credit analysis and management. Other major fields include Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), freight forwarding, mortgage banking, Islamic finance, shipping, logistics, and supply chain.
Onwodi bagged his B.A (Hons) in International Accounting from Northampton University – UK, a Post Graduate Professional Diploma in Accounting from the Institute of Accounting Technicians – Canada and M.Sc. in Risk Management from Birmingham City University, UK. He had his Doctorate degree in PPP Risk Management with emphasis on contingent liability risk for the public sector at the Selinus Business School Italy.
Soraya Wright
Soraya Wright has over 30 years of experience managing complex risks for global businesses. She leverages her experience to identify and evaluate enterprise risks and determine appropriate mitigation and risk finance strategies to protect an organization’s earnings and reputation. Soraya’s previous executive positions include VP-Global Risk Management & Crisis Management at The Clorox Company, President-Board of Directors of the company’s captive insurance subsidiary, which she formed; and, VP- Enterprise Risk Management at Target.
Soraya is a champion for diversity and inclusion, leveraging her influence to develop strategies, change policies, establish protocols and implement practices that enable organizations to drive success through diversity and inclusion efforts.
Soraya has served on the Client Advisory Board of several insurance companies and commercial insurance brokerage firms, including ACE (Chubb), FM Global, and MARSH. In December 2015, Soraya was named by Business Insurance as a “Woman to Watch.”
Soraya is passionate about community service. She currently serves as Treasurer-Board of Directors at the African-American Arts and Culture Complex in San Francisco. In recognition of her community service, The United Way honored Soraya with the Adele K. Corvin Outstanding Agency Board Volunteer Award.
Judges Blog
Mrs Dorothy M. Gjerdrum
Never take both hands off the pump. As an entrepreneur, you need to be on constant lookout for opportunity, and that will involve risk.
Lamin Kaba Bajo
Sense and deal with problems in their smallest state, before they grow bigger and become fatal.