Jobs/Appointments
20 million Americans Lose Jobs in April
By Adedapo Adesanya
About 20 million people in the United States lost their jobs in April as the country’s unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent from just 4.4 percent in March.
Largely caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the global economy, it has triggered what appears to be a financial crisis that has not been seen since the Great Depression.
The US Department of Labour announced on Friday, May 8 that the figure had further erased a 50-year unemployment low of 3.5 percent recorded in February before the US was hit by the virus.
According to reports, a decade’s worth of job gains have now been wiped out in under two months.
The latest jobs losses are the worst monthly figure on record. The closest comparison came in 1933 when unemployment hit an estimated 25 percent but that was before the US government began publishing official statistics.
This now tops a previous peak for unemployment that was at 10.8 percent in 1982 and the largest monthly job loss, close to 2 million came in September 1945 at the end of the second world war, when the country was demobilizing.
April’s job losses also easily outweigh the 800,000 jobs lost in March 2009, during the last global recession.
According to the country’s department of labour, the job losses swept across the economy and all industries suffered as a result. Leisure and hospitality lost 7.7 million jobs as the sector was hit hard by quarantine measures. 2.5 million jobs were also lost in education and health services, where dentist offices shed 503,000 people.
Further, the American retail industry lost 2.1 million jobs and manufacturing employment dropped by 1.3 million.
In a breakdown by race, unemployment for African Americans rose from 6.7 percent in March to 16.7 percent in April while for white Americans unemployment also rose from 4 percent to 14.2 percent.
By calculation, close to 6 million people in the US dropped out of the labour force during the month of April – meaning they stopped looking for work.
The labour force participation rate – which measures the percentage of the population working or looking for work – dropped 2.5 percent over the month to 60.2 percent, recording the lowest rate since January 1973.
Efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic, which has killed more than 70,000 Americans to-date, began in March. States began to introduce social distancing measures and close non-essential businesses and this resulted in more that 33 million Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits and ended the longest running US economic expansion on record.
Even as hospitals struggled to serve a rising number of patients, health care workers suffered layoffs, too, with outpatient services like physicians and dentists’ offices cutting 1.2 million jobs in April.
Jobs/Appointments
Chemical and Allied Products Appoints Jethro Iruobe as Executive Director
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief operating officer of Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc, Mr Jethro Iruobe, has been appointed as an executive director.
A statement from the organisation disclosed that the appointment is effective June 25, 2026.
In his new role, Mr Iruobe will participate in the formulation and execution of the company’s strategic priorities, provide executive leadership across critical functions, and contribute to its continued growth, sustainability and success.
The new board member joined the firm in 2019 as Head of Human Resources before growing to become the COO, with responsibility for Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Administration, Fleet and Commercial Excellence.
He has over 19 years of experience across a range of industries, including financial services, consulting, FMCG and manufacturing, having begun his career in banking before kicking off his HR career at KPMG and going on to hold senior roles at Promasidor Nigeria, Coca-Cola HBC and TGI Nigeria.
Throughout his career, he has supported organisations in building high-performing teams and driving sustainable business growth.
Beyond his corporate responsibilities, he is a columnist with Business Day Newspaper, a trained relationship counsellor and co-author, and a recipient of awards in both the human resources profession and other platforms.
Mr Iruobe holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Benin and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Manchester Business School, United Kingdom. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and also holds the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) certification awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute.
Jobs/Appointments
Board Picks Malolan Sampath as Champion Breweries CEO After Adoga’s Exit
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Mr Malolan Sampath has been appointed as the new chief executive of Champion Breweries Plc, effective September 1, 2026.
The appointment of a new chief executive was approved by the board of the brewery giant following the resignation of Mr Inalegwu Adoga.
To ensure continuity during the transition pending Mr Sampath’s assumption of office, the board has appointed Mr Rasheed Ademola Adebiyi, Executive Director of Finance, to take charge of the affairs of the organisation.
In a statement, the board said it remains committed to the highest standards of corporate governance and to delivering a seamless leadership transition and sustainable value to shareholders and other stakeholders.
The new Sheriff in town, expected to take over next quarter, was described as an accomplished executive with over 26 years of international leadership experience across the beverage, FMCG, manufacturing and agro-industrial sectors, having built and led businesses up to $500 million in scale.
His beverage and brewing experience includes serving as Managing Director of Unique Beverages in Angola and as Sales & Marketing Director for a PepsiCo bottling franchise, in addition to earlier brewing-sector experience.
Most recently, he held the dual role of Managing Director (NPK Joint Venture) and Chief Marketing Officer at Indorama Eleme Fertilisers in Nigeria and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Industries Limited, a Wilmar International joint venture in Zambia.
He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (MBA) from the Symbiosis Centre for Management & HRD, Pune, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Chennai.
The board expressed confidence that his expertise in manufacturing excellence, commercial execution and business transformation will support the company’s strategic objectives and long-term growth.
Jobs/Appointments
Julius Berger Appoints Muiz Banire, Chinazo Okoye to Board
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Erudite legal practitioner, Mr Muiz Banire (SAN), has been appointed to the board of a construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
He joins the board of the organisation as a non-executive director, with effect from July 1, 2026, alongside Mrs Chinazo Okoye, who is an alternate director to Dr Ernest N. Azudialu-Obiejesi.
A statement from the company secretary, Ms Cecilia Ekanem Madueke, said Mrs Okoye is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, and a Master of Science Degree in Professional Accountancy from the University of London, London, UK.
She is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. She has worked in various positions in various companies and is currently the Managing Director of Amaranta Trading Limited.
As for Mr Banire, he is a graduate of the University of Lagos and holds a Master of Laws Degree as well as a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the same university.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. He also holds a Master Certificate in the Arbitration Master Course from the Lagos Court of Arbitration Training Institute. He was admitted to the Inner Bar and conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He is a Member of the International Bar Association, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Fellow of the Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Institute of Management. He is registered with the Law Society of England.
He had served in various capacities in the Legal profession, academic community and publicly. He was conferred with the National Honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
He is the Founder and Principal Partner, M. A. Banire & Associates, Member of the Board of Trustees, Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
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