Jobs/Appointments
Nigeria Nominates Adebambo Adewopo For WIPO Leadership
By Adedapo Adesanya
Federal Government of Nigeria has selected Mr Adebambo Adewopo, a professor of Intellectual Property, for the position of Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
He is among 10 candidates declared to succeed Mr Francis Gurry as the head of WIPO, when he retires in September this year after serving two six-year terms. Other nominees are from Columbia, Peru, Ghana, Japan, Argentina, Estonia, Singapore, Republic of Kazakhstan and China.
One of them will be nominated to be Director General by the WIPO Coordination Committee on March 5 and 6, before being formally appointed by the WIPO General Assembly.
Mr Adewopo’s nomination was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyema, on Tuesday. The Minister described him as most appropriate for the job.
The nomination addressed to Mr Francis Gurry, the outgoing Director-General of WIPO in Switzerland, stated that, “I have the honour to refer to WIPO’s note CN-3926-04 dated Sept. 30, 2019, on the nomination of candidates for the position of Director-General of WIPO.
“I hereby present candidature of Professor Adebambo Adewopo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), for the position on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Professor Adewopo is a leading intellectual property rights expert both professional and academic with several years of experience.
“He has held high-level positions, including a Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (2004 to 2010).
“He is very familiar with the workings of WIPO, having led numerous Nigerian delegations to various WIPO member state meetings and has also served as a tutor in WIPO’s distance learning programs,” the letter noted.
Mr Onyeama commended Mr Adewopo for being “Nigeria’s leading intellectual property expert with deep knowledge and practical experience in intellectual property and proven leadership.’’
Reacting to his nomination, Mr Adewopo said if he emerges the next DG of WIPO, his tenure would witness a three-point agenda aimed at deepening “Global cooperation; Global norms; and Global Development” of IPs across geographical and cultural borders.”
The election is scheduled to hold in Geneva, where the General Assembly of WIPO will announce a new DG to steer the affairs of the organisation for the next six years and the next Director General will be WIPO’s fifth. All of the previous four were men, with three coming from developed countries (the Netherlands, the United States and Australia) and one from Sudan.
Mr Adewopo is seeking to clinch the position alongside Mr Marco Matías Alemán (Colombia); Mr Ivo Gagliuffi Piercechi (Peru); Mr Edward Kwakwa (Ghana); Mr Kenichiro Natsume (Japan); Mr Dámaso Pardo (Argentina); Mr Jüri Seilenthal (Estonia); Mr Daren Tang (Singapore); Ms Saule Tlevlessova (Republic of Kazakhstan); and Ms WANG Binying (China).
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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