Our Board
Gen. Martin Luther Agwai
Chairman (Non-Executive, Independent)
Gen. Martin Luther Agwai is a Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). He attended Government Secondary School (now Alhudahuda College), Zaria and holds a Post Graduate Diploma Administration with distinction from the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) as well as a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington DC, USA. He enlisted into the Nigerian Armed Forces as a member of Regular Combatant Course 8 in 1970 and was commissioned in 1972. He rose swiftly through the ranks to the position of Chief of Army Staff in June 2003.
He was later promoted to the rank of Four Star General and appointed the Chief of Defense Staff of the Nigerian Armed Forces in May 2006. Since his disengagement from active military service in 2009, he has been a Pro-Chancellor of a Nigerian university, Council member of two Nigerian universities and Chairman of Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P). He is a Chairman and member of several local and international boards. He is presently a Visiting Professor to African Leadership Centre, King’s College, London.
Hadiza Aliko Mohammed
Director (Non-Executive, Independent)
Hadiza Aliko Mohammed is a Chartered Insurer by profession with about three (3) decades experience in management, insurance, finance, leadership as well as wellness counseling. She is the Chief Executive Officer of “The Recovery Place Nigeria Limited” and a partner at C Clear Consulting, Nigeria. She was the first female Independent Non-Executive Director of Nigeria Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO, and also the former Managing Director of Turners Building Products (A) Limited.
She is an alumna of the University of Surrey where she bagged a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies and Sociology. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Islamic Banking, Finance and Management from the University of Gloucestershire and a Post Graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Insurance from the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance, London, UK.
She is a member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria, and an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, UK. She has obtained several professional certificates on Corporate Governance, Leadership Excellence and Counselling, amongst others.
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia
Director (Non-Executive, Independent)
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators FCI, Arb (London) and he is a leading environment and pollution litigator. He is also a former member of ICC, International Court of Arbitration in Paris. He attended University of Lagos with an LLB Honors and the Harvard Law School Massachusetts (LL.M). He served with the Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) as a Consultant and is a Partner, Ajumogobia and Okeke, a leading Commercial Law firm.
He became the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State from 2003 – 2007, thereafter he was appointed Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2007 – 2009 and also Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 – 2011. Mr. Odein Ajumogobia is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigerian Society of International Law; International Bar Association; American Society of International Law and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Jeremy Rowse
Director (Non-Executive)
Mr. Jeremy Rowse is a graduate of the Rhodes University (B. Comm) and the University of Cape Town (MBA), South Africa. He started his insurance career with African Life Assurance as a Marketing Manager in 1983 and rose to become the Chief Executive of the company in 2000. Under his leadership the company expanded its African operations in Botswana, Kenya and Namibia to include Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania.
Mr. Rowse served as a member of the Board of the Life Offices Association of South Africa for over 7 years, as well as serving on President Kufour’s Ghana Investment Advisory Counsel (GIAC) for over 4 years, after being nominated by The World Bank. He is on the board of directors of Nedgroup Life Assurance Company, South Africa. He was appointed to the board of Santam, a leading short-term insurer in South Africa, in November 2006 and now represents the IFC on the board of LEADWAY.
Ms. Adetola Adegbayi
Executive Director, Technical Services
Ms. Adetola Adegbayi is a Legal Practitioner with extensive experience in legal research, corporate legal practice, insurance and financial services. She holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree of the University of South Wales and a Master of Laws Degree of the University of Bristol, England, graduating with distinction in Jurisprudence.
She is also an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London, Associate, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK. She holds an Advanced Management Certificate of the Harvard Business School, Boston Massachusetts.
Ademola Odeyemi
Director (Non-Executive, Independent)
Dr. Ademola Odeyemi is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers of Nigeria.
Ademola is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and had a First Class Honours in Social Studies. He also holds his Master’s Degree with a Distinction Average in Tests and Measurements and Ph.D from the same institution.
He has over two decades of professional banking experience in domestic and International banking and was the Executive Director at Guaranty Trust Bank, Plc, responsible for international expansion strategy formulation and implementation. His financial sector experience and expertise covers financial control, strategy, corporate planning and international banking. He served on the Board of all Guaranty Trust Bank’s subsidiaries and other companies.
Ademola has sound public sector knowledge especially in public sector financial planning and management. He has attended several strategy, entrepreneurial and other advanced management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston; Wharton Business school, Philadelphia; Melbourne Institute of Finance, Australia, Cambridge University Judge Business School, United Kingdom and IMD Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mr. Tunde Hassan-Odukale
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Tunde Hassan-Odukale is a graduate of the University of London and City University, London where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Pure Mathematics and Postgraduate Diploma in Actuarial Science respectively. He has over 30 years work experience which transcends insurance and extends to formation of IT Strategy, Asset Management, oversight of corporate finance requirement of companies and general operations.
He started his professional career at Ventures & Trusts Limited, Lagos in 1989 before joining Leadway Assurance Company Limited in January, 1992 as an Investment Manager. At Leadway, Tunde rose through the ranks with hard-work and dedication
and was appointed the Managing Director/CEO in January, 2020. He recently retired as the Managing Director/CEO of the company.
Mr. Hassan-Odukale, in addition to being a Non-Executive Director of the company, currently sits on the boards of Leadway Holdings Limited, Leadway Capital and Trusts Limited and Leadway Asset Management Company Limited as a Non-Executive Director and also First Bank of Nigeria Limited as the Chairman, Board of Directors.
He is a proud member of the Institute of Directors, Royal Society of Mathematics, Institute of Actuaries, Ikoyi Club 1938 and a Senior Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).
Mr. Ire Hassan-Odukale
Director (Non-Executive)
Mr. Ire Hassan-Odukale is a cofounder of Ikoyi London Limited and a member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance. He is a graduate of LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), UK and has a vast experience in his field. In, 2015, he was appointed a Non-Executive Director at Leadway Hotels Limited, a position he held until March, 2020. He was one of 10 graduates recruited into JLT’s graduate scheme in 2008 out of a pool of 500 applicants, He worked here as an Energy claims broker till 2012.
Before joining JLT, Mr. Ire Hassan-Odukale had worked at AIG Europe Limited where he contributed professionally in assessing new risks, Aggregation of risks, Quoting new business and renewals submitted by brokers, as well as pricing risks, Keeping track of all risks seen by the Oil Rig team and many others.
Adebisi Lamikanra
Director (Non-Executive, Independent)
Adebisi Lamikanra is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). She was a Partner in Andersen Nigeria and the first female Partner at KPMG. She retired as Head, Advisory Services KPMG Nigeria and Lead, KPMG African Region Advisory Practice having worked with leading local, international and multi-national organizations.
She has almost 40 years professional experience in providing advisory and consulting services to private and public entities within and outside Nigeria. She is an alumnus of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and the Lagos Business School.
Over the years, she has attended several leadership and development training programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD University and Kellogg School of Management.
She currently sits on the board of a couple of companies which includes Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Evercare Hospital Lekki and Coronation Securities Limited Nigeria.
Mr. Olumide Hanson
Company Secretary
Olumide Hanson is a Chartered Secretary & Chartered Governance Professional. He is a Legal Practitioner and holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He is also a Member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, UK.
Prior to his joining the company, he spent some years working in the Lagos office of Chief Afe Babalola Chambers and Bayo Osipitan & Co. where he garnered his litigation and commercial law experience.
He has worked meritoriously within the Legal and Company Secretariat department as Senior Legal Analyst and the Acting Company Secretary. He has a penchant for Corporate Governance, Company Secretariat, Legal Drafting, and Speechwriting.
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Mr. Thomas Hurlimann
Director (Non-Executive)
Mr. Thomas Hurlimann has held numerous senior executive roles in the Insurance, Reinsurance and Banking field with over 30 years of experience. He has a successful track record in developing strategy, delivering growth, bottom line and innovation and his global exposure includes working experience in Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America.
He has worked for Swiss Re in the past and is the former CEO of Zurich Insurance Group’s Global Corporate business. He also had prior working experience at Goldman Sachs New York and London, in Investment banking and principal investments.
Mr. Hurlimann is currently on the Board of Hiscox Limited and Leadway Holdings Limited as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Non-Executive Director, respectively.
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Mr. Gboyega Lesi
Managing Director
Mr. Gboyega Lesi studied Civil Engineering at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. His professional insurance career started over 25 years ago as a trainee risk surveyor. Since then he has gained experience in several aspects of risk management, insurance broking, underwriting, product development, Bancassurance and sales. Mr. Lesi has attended several courses over the years (locally and abroad) particularly in the areas of insurance underwriting, risk management, strategy, management, operations and marketing. Apart from a B.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering, Mr. Lesi possesses an MBA from Aston University in Birmingham, UK. Mr. Lesi is also an Associate of the Chartered Insurance institute of London and Nigeria and a member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI) of London. Prior to his appointment as the Managing Director, Mr. Gboyega Lesi was the Executive Director, Commercial of the Company.
Mr. Sola Ajayi
Executive Director, Retail & SME
Mr. Olusola Ajayi joins Leadway Assurance Company Limited as Company Executive. He is an experienced business leader with over 15 years in senior positions in Management Consulting and Insurance in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Leadway, Sola Ajayi worked with AIICO Plc where he functioned successfully in several capacities, spanning over 12 years, engineered the company to achieve huge growth in premiums and assets under management.
Mr. Ajayi had earlier been with Accenture (Lagos) in the Financial Services Market unit, and Deloittes Consulting (London, UK), as business consultant in both firms. His keen interest is in the area of leading and supporting business transformation, strategy, process optimization and technology deployment. Mr. Ajayi has a Global Executive MBA with focus on Strategy and Entrepreneurship from INSEAD.
Mrs. Olufunmilayo Amanwa
Executive Director, Retail & SME
Mrs. Olufunmilayo Amanwa is a seasoned Insurance Practitioner and a multi-talented professional with proven records of producing timely and unparalleled results. She has a legal background with almost 20 years of exceptional work experience especially within the insurance and reinsurance industry. She is a graduate of the renowned Lagos State University, Nigeria where she obtained her LL.B degree and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2000.
She joined Leadway Assurance Company Limited in 2006 and worked within the Legal and Technical- Underwriting departments before she moved to Cornerstone Insurance Plc where she had oversight of Central Claims & Special Risks Underwriting. She later joined Leadway Assurance Company Limited in February, 2023 as the Divisional Director with oversight of the Technical Division of the Company. She was appointed as the Executive Director, Technical and Operations in January, 2024.
Mrs. Amanwa is a Chartered Insurer with the Chartered Insurance Institute, Nigeria and also London UK, She is a Member of the Nigerian Bar Association as well as a Graduate Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (UK).
Mrs. Funmilayo Omokhodion
Independent Non-Executive Director
Mrs. Funmilayo Omokhodion is a Chartered Insurer with the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and also with its UK counterpart institute. She holds a Masters of Business Administration (Executive MBA) majoring in Insurance and obtained a Certificate in Management from the Harvard Business School.
She is a graduate of the prestigious University of Ilorin, Nigeria where she bagged a degree in English/Linguistics before obtaining a Masters of Business Administration at Enugu State University of Technology, Enugu.
She commenced her professional career at African Reinsurance Corporation HQ, Lagos and rose through the ranks to the height of her career in 2017 as the Regional Director, West Africa Regional Office of the Company, leading a 27-member staff group covering Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Gambia. She held this position meritoriously until her retirement in June, 2020.
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