CHANGE OF BATON AT THE NIGERIA -SOUTH AFRICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

 

Dr Ije Jidenma has been elected the President of Nigeria -South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSCC) and Chairman of its Board at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting of the Chamber held at Eko Hotels, Lagos.

 

The NSCC is a leading bilateral Chamber of Commerce established in 2000 to promote the bilateral ties between Nigeria and South Africa. It promotes trade, investment and economic cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa. The chamber provides a platform for businesses to network, share knowledge and explore opportunities for growth and development. It is easily the fastest growing Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria with Dr Oba Otudeko, CFR , the Founder / Chairman of the Honeywell Group of Companies and former Chairman of FBN Holdings Plc as its inaugural President and Patron ; Mr Foluso Philips the Founder / Chairman of Philips Consulting (PCL) and former

Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, followed by Mr Osayaba GiwaOsagie, the Founder & Senior Partner of a leading Law Firm , Giwa- Osagie & Co, as its Immediate Past President & Chairman. Dr Jidenma is thus the first female President & Chairman of Board of Directors of the Chamber.

Mr Ajibola Olomola , a Partner & Head of Deal & Advisory , M&A , Tax of KPMG

Professional Services , a leading professional services firm, has been re-elected as the Vice Chairman of the Chamber further to his versatile and impactful role as a Director of the Chamber while Dr Demola Sogunle a Director and former CEO of Stanbic IBTC Bank ,who recently retired from the Bank , has replaced by Mr Wole Adeniyi, the current Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Bank.Other Directors of the Chambers are Mr Tobechukwu Okigbo, the Chief Corporate Officer & Sustainability Officer of MTN Nigeria ,and Mr Ohis Ehimiaghe, the Regional Manager, North , West & Central Africa of South African Airways . Mr Zoe Omonkhogbe, the CFO, Private Equity Business and Group Head of Finance & Tax, African Capital Alliance, serves as the Treasurer and Mr Iyke Ejimofor, the Executive Secretary.

PROFILE OF THE NEW PRESIDENT & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF

DIRECTORS, DR IJE JIDENMA, FCIPM,FNIM,HCIB,DF.CIoD.

Dr Ije Jidenma is an accomplished Management Consultant and Board Director & Advisor. She is the Immediate Past President & Chairman of the Council of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria (CIoD). She holds a PhD in Psychology with specialisation in Psychometrics from the University of Lagos. She is the Founder and Chief Executive of Leading Edge Consulting , a foremost Human Resources & Organisational Development firm as well as a Partner in Kestria Global , an alliance of leading Executive Search firms, ranked as the largest and fastest growing executive search alliance in the world with footprints in 90 cities across six continents. She has consulted for diverse sectors of the economy .She is committed to building a meritbased and equitable society and has led several psychometric projects that buttress that.

She has led different International Joint Ventures Initiatives such as her cross-border involvement in a project for a leading international non-for-profit organization at the forefront of driving financial inclusion in Nigeria and application of behavioural insights to policy making. She is thus a respected voice in the world of work.

Dr Jidenma is an Independent Non-Executive Director of MoMo Payment Savings Bank Ltd ( a subsidiary of MTN ) A pioneer Member of the Nigeria South Africa Chamber of Commerce, Dr Jidenma has served as one of its Directors for some years before her election as the Chairman . She sits on the Council of the Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Goddy Jidenma Foundation.

An experienced and versatile Board player, she has served on different local and international Boards. These include as an Independent Non-Executive Director of First Bank of Nigeria Limited and as a Non-Executive Director of First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited. She also served as a Director of the African Corporate Governance Network, ACGN, a network of Institute of Directors and Governance Institutes in Africa.

She also served as a member of the pioneer Advisory Board of BENOLA, a Cerebral Palsy Initiative and Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, University of Lagos. Her aim is always to help bring the local African context and insights to the global universals, thereby creating meaningful and sustainable solutions.

She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria; a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) (NIM), the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) , the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria ( IMCN) and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN)

She is also a member of the Women Corporate Directors (WCD), an international organization which represents the preeminent women leaders in business today who serve on thousands of boards across six continents. An IFC-Certified Board Assessor and IoD-Certified Independent Director, Dr Jidenma has grown to be a thought-leader and is at the forefront of the advancement of Corporate Governance in Nigeria and Africa.

Dr Jidenma has made profound contributions in the area of Human Resources Management & Organizational Development. Her professional expertise has over the years earned her respectability and recognition in the corporate sphere, both locally and internationally. She is a firm believer in continuous learning and has attended several

Executive and Board level development programmes across the world’s leading centres of excellence such as the Harvard Business School, IESE Business School, Cranfield School of Management, Kellogg School of Management, Cornell University , HHLLeipzig Graduate School of Management , Germany and Lagos Business School among others.

Earlier on in her career, she worked for local and international companies such as the Industrial Training Fund,( ITF) Price Waterhouse ( now PwC) and Merchant Bank of Africa(MBA ) . She worked variously as a Training and Development Officer at ITF , Senior Consultant ( Human Resources ) PwC , and Head, Human Resources as well as Head , Strategic Planning at MBA at both operational and executive levels .In 2002,she was appointed a Senior Lecturer by ESUT Business School where she taught Organisational Behaviour, Administration and Human Resources Management to MBA students on a part-time basis. She also helped berth its post-graduate curriculum in Human Resources Management.

A Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, Dr Jidenma has been conferred with several awards such as the Inner wheel Club of Awka , Professional Services Award, the Deloitte International Women Award (2013) the Centre for Values in Leadership(CVL) Role Model Award (2013) the most respected HR Personality in Africa Award (2015) in Nairobi, Kenya ,the Global Female Leadership Impact Award (2018) Dubai, UAE, the Olutoyin Olakunri Woman Director of the Year Award by CIoD (2023) and Distinguished Leadership Award by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management , CIPM (2024). She was also conferred with “Exemplary Leadership and Service to Humanity Award “by the Heritage for Life Foundation in 2024 .

Dr Jidenma is a Gender Advocate for equity and inclusion of women both at the grassroots and the corporate sphere and has several mentees across diverse levels and stations in life. Through the Women Director Development Committee and Youth Development Forum of the Institute of Directors she mainstreamed membership of high profile female Directors, drove youth inclusiveness particularly among the SMEs Directors & Founders.Dr Jidenma also meritoriously served the President of the Soroptimist Club, Surulere leading the fight against secret cults in tertiary institutions, deworming of school children and reorientation of market women on health care through proactive wellness measures such as blood pressure screening and other basic medical checks.

Dr Jidenma is a widow. She was married to Arc Goddy Jidenma( of blessed memory ) , an accomplished Architect who served as a Commissioner for Works, Housing & Transport and Commerce & Industry of Anambra State and together with her husband, were conferred with chieftaincy titles, Ugwumba -Nibo and Awelle -Nibo respectively in 2002 by His Royal Highness Dr M.C.Ngene, Ezeike IV of Nibo and are blessed with wonderful children.

Dr Jidenma deploys her spare time in rendering philanthropic work through various platforms including Goddy Jidenma Foundation, a vehicle for thought leadership and positive change which she founded in 2007 in memory of her husband. She is a member of Ikoyi Club 1938. She is a published author of a work of fiction ‘ Kasie’ , a recommended text for secondary and tertiary education in some states, published by the University Publishing Company. She loves literary works, enjoys travelling and listening to music.

Her personal goal is to contribute to Africa’s renaissance and transformation.