Mr. Richard Ayibiowu – Chairman
Mr. Ayibiowu graduated as a Surveying Engineer and later qualified as a Chartered Accountant; a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria. He acquired a wealth of experience working with Map Data Engineering Services Limited, Price Water House Coopers and Arthur Andersen (now KPMG West Africa). He later joined the Honeywell Group as the Head Corporate Planning and Development in the Corporate Office and was responsible for business development, corporate finance, strategic planning, budget and budgetary planning & control, financial statements review and consolidation, and management of SPVs. Before his appointment as the acting Managing Director/CEO, he has since 2004 been the Finance Director and member of the board.
Mr. Noruwa Edokpolo – Acting Managing Director
Noruwa Joseph Edokpolo is an International Labour Organization (ILO) Certified Master Trainer, Certified Business Coach; he is also an Organization Development Certified Professional with over two decades of experience in Facilitation, training and consultancy.
He is a Certified Compass Aligned Performance Systems (CAPS) Facilitator. He is also a member of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). He is the President of SIYB Nigeria Trainers Association; his Organisation is Member of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Member of Nigeria Institute of Training & Development Association (NITAD) Member of International Society for Organizational Development and Change (ISOD).
Noruwa is a Certified ISO 9001: 2015 QMS, ISO 14001: 2015 EMS, ISO 22000: 2008 Trainer and Auditor. He is an Electrical/Electronics Engineer from the University of Benin.
ADEWALE OYERINDE, MCIPM, MSc, B.Sc – Director-General, NECA
Adewale Oyerinde, is the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), a position he assumed on Monday, 1st August, 2022. He joined NECA in 2010 as Industrial Relations Officer and was promoted to Senior Executive, Learning and Development in 2014. In February 2018, he assumed the position of Deputy-Director and Head of Membership Services; a position he held until his appointment as Director-General.
Before his appointment in NECA in 2010, he worked as Human Resource Analyst at Rosequeen Consulting, a foremost Enterprise Development organization in 2005 and later joined Nagode Group (a multi-billion Naira Group of companies with interest in Healthcare, Logistics, Chemicals and Allied Products, Construction, etc. in 2008 as Head of Human Resources and Administration.
With over 16 years’ experience in Industrial/Human Resources, Business Development, Stakeholders Management and key areas of Employers’ Federation/Business Membership Organization Management, Wale is an HR thought-leader, an International Labour Organization (ILO) trained Master Trainer and also United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) trained ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System), ISO 1400:2015 Lead Auditor. He is an alumnus of the International Training Centre of the ILO and has coordinated HR and administrative functions, designed and implemented systems and policies, scheduled events, planned and delivered Projects to identified milestone amongst others.
Wale sits on the Policy Board of ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Project; a former Board member of Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, (a Federal Government Agency); a member of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) Industrial Relations Technical Working Group (TWG); and a Council member of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC). He is also a member of the International Organization of Employers Business Advisory Group on Migration, among many other national and international representations.
He is a Socio-economic and labour affairs analyst, a Life and Business Coach, and Author.
Mrs. Modupe Oyekunle- Director
Mrs. Modupe Temitope Oyekunle is a prolific speaker, certified trainer, development expert, a Life Coach, and an educationist with over 18years of experience in organizational design, youth and entrepreneurship development with human resource management. While working for several blue chip companies, she developed, designed and implemented complex projects with outstanding performances.
She is a graduate of the prestigious University of Lagos with a BSc. in Human Resource and Personnel Management and Post-Graduate Diploma in Economics from the same University. She has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Teachers Training Institute Nigeria. She also has a Master in Human Resource Management from Huddersfield University, United Kingdom. She attended Lagos Business School where she bagged a certificate in Enterprise Development. She is presently studying at the Nottingham University for PGDE certificate in Education.
She is the Founder/Chief Responsibility Officer; Masterpiece Resource Development and currently serves as the National President of NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW); Vice Chairman, Learning & Development, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management Nigeria (CIPM). An Associate member; NITAD (Nigerian Institute of Training and Development).
Mrs. Adeola Essien – Director
Adeola Essien is a Consultant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a 1988 graduate of the University of Ibadan in Agricultural Economics with a Masters degree in Business Administration. Mrs. Adeola Essien heads Adeola Essien & Co (Chartered Accountants). She is the Managing Consultant of Ad-Ess Complete Solutions Limited.
She had her professional training at Peat Marwick Ani Ogunde & Co, an international firm of Chartered Accountants. She worked with UAC of Nigeria Plc for about 12 years in various capacities including Internal Check Manager, Management Accountant, Business Process Manager, Budgetary Cost Control Manager, Head of Technical Research and Development Centre, Commercial Manager and General Manager, Finance. She rose to the position of Divisional Managing Director of UAC Restaurants (a division of UAC of Nigeria Plc.).
She was groomed in various world class Business Schools including Cranfield University School of Management and Lagos Business School.
She is an Accredited Trainer with the International Labour Organization on Entrepreneurial Education and also with The Centre for Management Development on Leadership and Management Development.
Barr. (Mrs.) Eunice Obasohan – Director
Barr. (Mrs.) Eunice Obasohan is a seasoned Attorney and a serial Entrepreneur. She is the Managing Director/CEO, Lily Homes Ltd., a Real Estate Development Company.
Eunice Obasohan is the immediate past National Legal Adviser to the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria (REDAN); the only umbrella body of the organized private sector in the Built Industry recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria. She is currently the Vice-Chairman, REDAN South West Region. She is also the current (pioneer) Chairperson of the Lagos Chapter of NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW).
An Alumnus and life member of the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), of the prestigious Lagos Business School, where she acquired skills in Entrepreneurial Management. A certified Lead Auditor of ISO 9001:2015; Quality Management Systems trained by UNIDO for The National Quality Infrastructure Management Project in Nigeria.
Eunice Obasohan obtained her Masters Degree in Housing Development & Management at the University of Lagos. She has also acquired skills, Empowerment trainings, Courses in Real Estate, Leadership, Management in Las Vegas, Athens, Copenhagen, Paris, Manchester, Hamilton (Canada), UAE to name a few. She is a visionary Leader and very passionate about empowering women to take the lead in their chosen careers and/or vocations.
Mr. Thompson Akpabio- Director/Company Secretary
Mr. Thompson Akpabio works for the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) as the Deputy Director/Head, Legal, Regulatory & Taxation (LRT) Department – handling matters relating to Industrial Relations/Human Resources, Taxation, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Business Development and Competition, and Legislative Affairs. He has been involved in legal practice and worked in firms like Chief Afe Babalola, (SAN) & Co., Ibadan; Creeks & Shield, Solicitors, Port Harcourt.
He has good inter-personal skills and is a team player. He has attended courses both within and outside Africa. Mr. Akpabio is a Lawyer and a Mobil Scholar. He graduated from the University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and was subsequently, called to the Bar.
He is a member of some professional bodies, like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), etc.
Tokunbo Adegboye
A graduate of Pharmacy from the University of Ibadan and Master of Business Administration from Federal University of Technology Akure. He has over 30 years’ experience in marketing, sales, trade marketing, corporate communications, corporate strategy, and planning.
He has directed major brand projects, route to market development and implementation with major multinational companies in Nigeria such as Pfizer, Cadbury, Pharma Deko Plc and Skye Bank Plc. (Polaris Bank)
He was part of the pioneering team for establishment of social marketing in Nigeria through The Society for Family Health.
He is a certified Lead auditor and trainer on ISO 9001-2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System, and ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management System
He is currently the Managing Director of Goldgrade Development Limited, a business advisory and performance improvement organization.