BusinessDay, Nigeria’s premier business intelligence newspaper, recently celebrated and acknowledged inspirational chief executives and their outstanding companies in 2023.
In this year’s installment of the BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs, the publication recognized 25 Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors from various companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX) for their remarkable financial achievements and significant contributions to their respective industries.
The event, held in Lagos, commenced with the recognition of the following five awardees: Tope Smart, the Group Managing Director of Nem Insurance and a board member of NEM Asset Management Limited; Chibuike Lawrence Achigbu, Chairman and CEO of Chimons Group; Jane Kimemia-Nechi, CEO of Optiva Capital Partners; Emmanuel Okeleji, Co-founder and CEO of SeamlessHR; and Munachimso Ogueke, CEO of OneLiquidity.
The prestigious awards also went to Niyi Toluwalope (Awosope), MD/CEO of eTranzact International Plc; Olabisi Shakirat Ogunwale, CEO of Abulesowo Realtors; Akin Akinfemiwa, CEO of Geregu Power Plc; Moruf Oseni, Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank Plc; and Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc.
The list of awardees continued with names like Nnamdi Okonkwo, Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings Plc; Eddie A. Efekoha, Group Managing Director & CEO of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc; Julius Dediare Rone, CEO of UTM Group; Julius Oyedemi, CEO/MD of PWANPLUS; and Michael Tawadrous, Founder of Vava Furniture Limited.
The final group of esteemed awardees included Roger Thompson Brown, CEO of Seplat Plc (represented by Samson Ezugworie, COO Seplat Energy Plc); Ezekiel Egboye, Founding Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Rack Centre; and Jeremiah Mayowa, CEO of Jerold.
These prestigious awards were presented to the deserving recipients by notable figures such as Bashorun J.K Randle, Chairman and CEO of JK Randle Professional Services, former Chairman of KPMG, and former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, as well as Frank Aigbogun, Publisher of BusinessDay Media Ltd, among other dignitaries.
The underlying concept of the Top 25 CEOs initiative was to recognize and applaud managing directors whose companies excelled in their respective industries.
The selection criteria included factors like share price appreciation and sustained growth in profit after tax (PAT).
Despite operating in challenging economic conditions, these CEOs demonstrated their prowess by implementing innovative strategies, exceptional plans, and invaluable resources to guide their organizations through turbulent times and emerge successfully into a period of economic stability,” noted Aigbogun.
In recognition of their substantial contributions to their businesses and the broader Nigerian economy, BusinessDay honored these accomplished individuals.
Since its inception in 2014, this award has become a significant benchmark for evaluating the performance of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and the performance of stocks on the NSE in the capital markets.
