By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Group Head of Marketing at United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Ms Dupe Olusola, has been appointed as the MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc effective from March 25, 2020.

Ms Olusola was appointed to head the hospitality arm of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Group headed by Chairman of Transcorp, Heirs Holdings and UBA, Mr Tony Elumelu.

The new appointee, who is a certified Project Manager, with qualifications in PMP and Prince 2, is armed with over 21 years of corporate experience including as MD/CEO of Teragro Juice Concentrate Plant.

She holds a BA in Economics from the University of Leicester and a Masters in Development Economics from the University of Kent.

She has received numerous awards and was named by the Ventures Africa’s as one of the 10 Most Influential Nigerian CEOs of 2015.

Also, Transcorp announced the appointment of Ms Owen Omogiafo as President/GCEO of the company, with effect from March 25, 2020.

She succeeds Mr Valentine Ozigbo, who is retiring to pursue a career in public service, having served Transcorp for close to a decade.

Ms Omogiafo is currently the MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc and has over two decades of corporate experience in organisational development, human capital management, banking, change management and hospitality.

She holds a B.Sc. in Sociology & Anthropology from the University of Benin, an M.Sc. in Human Resource Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School, Spain.

She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, UK and a Certified Change Manager with the Prosci Institute, USA. She has received multiple awards and been named as one of Africa’s top 100 Female CEOs.

In addition, the board of Transcorp Hotels has approved the appointment of Ms Helen Iwuchukwu as an Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer of the company. She is currently the Group Company Secretary of Transcorp Plc.

She holds an LL. B. (Hons) degree in Law and was enrolled as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1993 (BL Hons) and holds a Master of Laws degree (LL. M.) from Middlesex University Business School, London.

Ms Iwuchukwu is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, with over 25 years in legal advisory, corporate law, corporate governance, administration, human capital management and government relationship management.

In the same vein, the group has picked Mr Christopher Ezeafulukwe as the MD/CEO of Transcorp Power Plant, Ughelli. Prior to this, he was the Executive Director, Business Development & Legal at Transcorp Plc.

He has over 21 years’ experience in business development, legal advisory and company secretarial roles. He holds an LL.B from the University of Lagos, a B.L from the Nigerian Law School, an LL.M from the University of Lagos and further LL.M in Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Law from the University of Houston, Texas.

He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators of Nigeria, the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and was a member of the Executive Council of Association of Power Generation Companies of Nigeria.

Similarly, the board of Transcorp Power Ltd has approved the appointment of Ms Okaima Ohizua as Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer of Transcorp Power Ltd.

She is currently Executive Director, Customer Services at Transcorp Hotels Plc. She has over 25 years working experience and has been key to the continued service transformation at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, since joining the board and management in 2013.

A graduate of law from the University of Benin and the Nigerian Law School, Ms Ohizua also holds an Advanced Management Program certificate from the Pan-African University – Lagos Business School.

Finally, the board of Transcorp Plc also announced the appointment of Mr Valentine Ozigbo as a non-executive director, following his resignation as MD/CEO of Transcorp Plc.

Speaking on these appointments, Mr Elumelu expressed his confidence that the newly appointed chief executives and non-executive directors will further, strengthen Transcorp’s mission of improving lives across Nigeria.

He said, “These appointments demonstrate our commitment to nurturing talent and rewarding success. We have a deep pool of highly qualified and dedicated employees, who can be challenged with more responsibility in attaining our corporate vision.

“We remain committed to diversity and inclusion; are delighted by the depth and quality of experience that this leadership team brings to our group. These appointments further indicate our internal succession capacity and strong corporate governance practices.”

Mr Elumelu thanked Mr Ozigbo for his achievements as CEO. He highlighted that the board of Transcorp will continue to implement its defined strategy, which has led its investee companies being leaders in their chosen sectors and has seen significant transformation, since Mr Elumelu’s holding company, Heirs Holdings, invested in 2011.

Transcorp is Nigeria’s leading listed industrial holding company, whose interests include Transcorp Power, Nigeria’s largest power generator, Transcorp Hotels, owner of the iconic Transcorp Hilton, and significant upstream oil and gas assets.