Although it is that time of year in Nigeria when the sun shines brightly over most parts of the country; on this day, it certainly must have shone brightest for the entire staff members of Etisalat Nigeria. And, it’s huge thumbs up for indigenous skill and expertise at the mobile operator that came in as the late entrant, but which has become the game changer in quality of service.
In a development unprecedented in recent times with multinationals with taproots offshore, Etisalat Nigeria elevated five Nigerians to the position of director in one day!
Dateline: February 16, 2016: memos from some three key top management executives to all staff and, the information provided such a motivation it charged everyone with so much optimism and enthusiasm. The memos flowed from Ibrahim Dikko, Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs; Francesco Angelone, Chief Marketing Officer and Olawole Obasunloye, Acting Chief Finance Officer – each of them addressed to “all staff” intimating them of the promotions of the five to directors.
Step forward to be counted: Ikenna Ikeme: Director, Regulatory & Corporate Social Responsibility; and Mr. Dikko wrote:
“Dear colleagues,
“I am happy to announce that Ikenna Ikeme has been promoted to the position of Director-Regulatory & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), effective today.
“Ikenna has over 20 years’ legal, regulatory, and marketing experience in the banking and telecoms sectors. Since joining Etisalat Nigeria in July 2009 as Head-Regulatory Affairs, he has worked extensively with various internal and external stakeholders to positively influence telecoms laws and regulations so as to foster healthy competition among operators and protect consumers’ rights.
“Among notable achievements, Ikenna was a project champion for the asymmetric interconnection regime which we enjoyed for a period of three years and the critical SIM registration exercise. He also participated in the due diligence bid for acquisition of our 3G spectrum licence, and continues to lead regulatory engagement with various governmental and non-governmental bodies on diverse issues such as tariffs, competition, compliance and interconnect as they affect Etisalat Nigeria.
“As Director-Regulatory & CSR, Ikenna will be responsible for ensuring that the increasingly complex regulatory environment in which we operate remains conducive for our business. He will also be responsible for ensuring that our CSR interventions in education, health, and the environment continue to translate into positive socio-economic outcomes that enhance our reputation as a socially responsible business that is committed to both doing good and doing well.
“Ikenna holds an MBA from the Enugu State University of Science & Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka. He has also participated in key leadership development programmes here at Etisalat Nigeria, including the Global HiPo Programme (delivered by Etisalat Group) and the Pathways Leadership Programme (facilitated by Cranfield School of Management).
“Please join me in congratulating Ikenna on his appointment and wishing him great success in his new role
Ibrahim Dikko
VP, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs
Step forward to be counted: Eric Uwaoma, Director, Enterprise Segment; Adeolu Dairo, Director, Consumer Segment and Elvis Ogiemwanye, Director, Brand & Experience; and, Angelone wrote:
“Dear colleagues,
“I am glad to share some great news with you.
“Following a rigorous and competitive recruitment process which focused on identifying and selecting our best internal talent, I am pleased to inform you that Eric Uwaoma, Adeolu Dairo, and Elvis Ogiemwanye have been promoted into positions within our Senior Management Team (SMT), effective today.
“Eric, previously Head-Enterprise Sales, is now Director-Enterprise Segment. In his new role, Eric will be responsible for leading the entire Enterprise function – including sales, marketing, and post-sales support – to continuously improve our share and profitability among all business customers across the country.
“Eric joined Etisalat Nigeria in July 2008 and played a pioneering role in setting up our Enterprise team, from recruiting experienced salespeople to developing processes and growing and defending our share of the business market.
“Eric holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication, both from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka, and has over 14 years’ cognate experience in the telecoms industry.
“Adeolu, formerly Head-Customer Value Management (CVM), is now Director-Consumer Segment. He joined Etisalat Nigeria in October 2010 and has, since then, been instrumental in deepening our organisational capability in marketing/customer analytics.
“With 13-plus years’ relevant experience, Adeolu holds a Master’s degree in Financial & Industrial Mathematics from Dublin City University-Ireland and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Ibadan.
“As Director-Consumer Segment, Adeolu will lead his team in articulating and implementing the key pillars of our marketing strategy focus on High Value Customers, Youth Segment, and Data Monitisation. His skills in Customer Value Management will be pivotal for success.
Elvis, previously Head-Youth Segment, is now Director-Brand & Experience. In his new role, he will assume overall responsibility for execution of strategies that enhance our brand value and equity as well as customers’ experience across all touch-points.
“Elvis joined Etisalat Nigeria in September 2008 and successfully worked with his team to build our youth brand (EasyCliq) as well as develop our teen segment (Cliqlite).
“A graduate of Theatre Arts from Delta State University-Abraka, Elvis has more than 16 years’ agency- and client-side experience in core marketing, marketing communications, sponsorship, brand management, media, and event management, having worked on leading brands in telecoms and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).
“In their new roles, Eric, Adeolu, and Elvis will be reporting to me.
“I am really pleased about these promotions. Over the years, Eric, Adeolu, and Elvis have played pivotal roles in driving many of our positive customer and market results. Their promotions reflect the fact that, as an organisation, we remain committed to growing our people through careers that meaningfully build on experiences – including work-related challenges, opportunities, and achievements – to prepare talented employees for more responsibility even as the business evolves.
“While congratulating Eric, Adeolu, and Elvis on their new appointments, I also want to thank their colleagues who vied for the same openings and assure them that their on-going contributions to the accomplishments of Etisalat Nigeria remain well noted and highly valued.
“Please join me in wishing Eric, Adeolu, and Elvis greater success in their new roles and giving them your full support as they hit the ground running.
Best Regards
Francesco Angelone
CMO
Step forward to be counted: Olalekan Bankole, Director, Finance Operations & Support; and Obasunloye wrote:
“Dear colleagues,
“I am pleased to inform you that Olalekan Bankole has been promoted to the position of Director-Finance Operations & Support.
“’Lekan joined Etisalat Nigeria in October 2008 as Head-Finance Operations. In this role, he led the team which successfully launched a web-based suppliers’ invoice processing system that helped us achieve remarkable efficiency in our payment system.
“He was responsible for ensuring that company-wide transactions and expenditures were carried out in line with approved authority limits. He also co-ordinated the timely preparation of financial statements based on statutory/ regulatory requirements and led the on-going monitoring of existing financial procedures to proactively identify and address emerging risks/ gaps.
“Prior to this promotion, ‘Lekan was Acting Director-Finance Operations & Support. He oversaw the integration of our core Administration & Support team into the larger Finance function and spearheaded a number of automation initiatives – most notably, the K2 workflow automation – aimed at driving efficiencies across the business.
“’Lekan is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years’ experience in the manufacturing, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), and telecoms industries. He holds an MBA from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology-Ogbomoso and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting from Yaba College of Technology-Lagos.
“As Director-Finance Operations & Support, ‘Lekan will be reporting to me. He will assume leadership for all activities and outcomes related to our financial and revenue accounting streams, logistics and warehousing, tax, insurance, fleet and travel, and financial systems.
“I am confident that, given his understanding of our challenges and opportunities, ‘Lekan will continue to make a significant contribution in driving value-added efficiencies across these areas.
“’Lekan’s promotion is with immediate effect. Please join me in congratulating him and wishing him well in his new role.
Best Regards
Olawole Obasunloye
Ag CFO