Without a doubt, Oando Group Chief Executive, Jubril Adewale Tinubu, has represented everything good and progressive in business for many years. His business drive is worthy of emulation by entrepreneurs and prospects, especially in Nigeria’s inclement business environment. The trained corporate lawyer is a shining star in the nation’s business climate and today, he is easily a reference point in the oil and gas industry where he is a big player.
Globalisation has led to discourse on leadership and management having different perspectives. Today, one of the discourses includes gender diversity in leadership positions across organisations. While the African continent comes third after the United States and Europe, and first amongst other emerging regions in terms of women’s representation on boardrooms of top listed companies, some sectors are doing better than others. The Lagos-born Tinubu is no doubt one of the advocates of gender equality. Spotlight gathered that the billionaire businessman in the past had spoken in defence of women as well as the grudging refusal to empower women with leadership responsibilities and he is definitely walking the talk and leading the pack. A review of Oando’s culture shows that it’s been conscious of the imbalance within the sector and as such, has always prioritized two things: strengthening indigenous capacity and ensuring gender parity wherever possible. Today 43 per cent of the company’s workforce is female, compared to 22 per cent across the industry. Of this, 33 per cent of executive-level employees are female with the hope that its female representation on its board continues to grow.
In what many observers have described as a paradigm shift, Tinubu’s leadership at Oando is currently seeing a surge in the number of women at its top echelon. Few weeks ago, the Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy solutions provider appointed two seasoned professional women to its board of Directors, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun and Mrs. Nana Fatima Mede. Sokefun, an Alumni of Oando, has over 35 years of work experience. In 2002, she joined Oando Group, where within a few years she rose to the position of Chief Legal Officer. During this period, she also sat on the Board of the telecom’s giant – Celtel/Zain (now Airtel) as an alternate Director.
She served in this position until 2011 when she was called to public service in Ogun State and proceeded to serve as a two-term commissioner – holding diverse portfolios – under Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s administration as Ogun State Governor. Ditto Mrs. Mede, who until her appointment to Oando’s Board, has served as a Federal Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment where she coordinated the formulation of the Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC).