As the society becomes more egalitarian by the day, it is quite apparent that there will soon arrive when women will be at par with their male counterparts all over the world in every endeavour. Women in corporate Nigeria have not been left behind as they continue to shatter glass ceilings all over the place and enable themselves to be counted among the number. The telecommunications sector has seen women who have risen to the pinnacle of their careers. City People’s KELECHI OKORIE introduces you to 8 of the most powerful women in MTN Nigeria.
ESTHER AKINNUKAWE
The Chief Human Resources Officer of MTN Nigeria is one of the most experienced human resources experts in the country right now. She started out her career in 1993 as a consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). She later joined Societe Generale Bank where she rose to become Head, Manpower/Career Management. She moved over to Trust Bank for Africa Limited as Head, Human Capital Management. She was a lecturer at Lagos Business School for 6 years before going back to the private sector as Head, Human Resource Services of FCMB. She joined MTN as GM Business Partnering & Services in 2012 from where she rose to her current position.
IFEOMA UTAH
She is currently the General Manager, Commercial Legal at MTN Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Benin where she obtained Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Business/Commerce General. She became a Barrister at Law after graduating from the Nigerian Law School. She obtained Master of Laws (LL.M) from Emory University of Law. Utah was General Counsel/ Compliance Officer at Cornerstone Insurance Plc from 2014 until she joined MTN as General Counsel in 2017.
OMASAN OGISI
She is General Manager, Corporate Affairs at MTN Nigeria. She has had a long Career in the telecommunications sector, having taken up various roles at Ericsson Nigeria for 4 years from 2003. She became a Senior Consultant at the same company from 2007 to 2009 and later Manager, Marketing & Communications from 2009 to 2010. She became Regional Communications Manager in 2010 and acted as Head of Communications for 2 years before becoming Director, Media & Public Relations. She was Head Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson before joining MTN in 2015. She obtained her first degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Ahmadu Bello University and an M.Sc from the
JOSEPHINE SAROUK
She is currently the General Manager, Southern Operations. Her career in corporate Nigeria included her position as Senior Sales Manager, Kodime Ltd from 2005 to 2007. She moved over n 2009 as Senior Manager, Enterprise Strategic Accounts and Mobile Advertising. She became General Manager, Regional Operations in 2017 until her current position. She holds university degrees in journalism and law.
KEMI ADISA
Adisa is the General Manager, Organisation Effectiveness & Change at MTN Nigeria. An Electrical Engineering Graduate from the Federal University of Technology Minna, she joined MTN in 2013 as Senior Manager, Employee Services. She was later Senior Manager, Organisation Development for 6 years. She rose to he current position in 2015. She ran a
LYNDA SAINT NWAFOR
Nwafor has been a source of inspiration for many a young woman who has been sweating it out in the field of engineering in a male-dominated profession in Nigeria. She is currently the Chief Enterprise Business Officer of MTN Nigeria. She was notably the first female Chief Technical Officer of any MTN operation and any corporation in Nigeria. While the CTO, She was responsible for defining MTN Nigeria’s network operations. She joined MTN in 2002 as a Core Network Engineer after serving as the Head of Department of Engineering Development in EMIS Telecoms. She headed the MTN Nigeria Network Group for several years and was actively engaged in the review of the policy
AMINA USMAN
She is General Manager, Northern Operation at MTN Nigeria. She was Business Manager at Standard Trust Bank Plc for 4 years from 1998. She joined MTN in 2002 after her stint at the bank (now UBA). She was the Senior Sales Manager at MTN until 2017 when she became the General Manager, Regional Operations. She obtained BSc in Economics from Bayero University, Kano. She also obtained her Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management, General from the same institution since 1997.
ONYINYE IKENNA-EMEKA
An Alumni of Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School, she is the General Manager, Enterprise Marketing of MTN Nigeria. He has been a staff of MTN for the past 15 years. She joined MTN in 2004 as Sector Sales Manager, Energy and Logistics and became Sector Sales Manager, Finance and Services in 2006. She was Senior Manager Corporate Accounts from 2008 to 2011 and General Manager, Enterprise Sale until 2015 when she held her current position. She obtained a degree in Geology from the University of Calabar and MBA in general Management at Alliance Manchester Business School.
