Odu’a Investment has announced the retirement of the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Adewale Raji, and appointment of Abdulrahman Yinusa as the new Group Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer effective from 1st June, 2024.
Raji’s retirement followed 10 years of dedicated service as Group Managing Director of the 47-year-old conglomerate.
As Group Managing Director, he oversaw the group’s return to a growth and profitability trajectory through strategic restructuring of the operating structure of the group to improve efficiency.
During his two tenures, the company grew Profit Before Tax (PBT) from N378 million (2013) to a high of N2.2 billion (2021), paid a total of N2.56 billion in dividends so far. The Company diversified into Agribusiness, Oil and Gas and other sectors through strategic partnerships, and repositioned the group’s key subsidiaries and assets. He also helped improve the group’s corporate governance framework, and culture of accountability and transparency amongst management and staff. Prior to his appointment at Odu’a Investment, Mr. Raji was the Managing Director, Distribution Services at PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc where he served for eight years on the board.
Abdulrahman Yinusa currently serves as Executive Director, and the Group Chief Financial Officer of Odu’a Investment.
He is a thoroughbred finance professional with over three decades of indepth experience in the financial services Industry.
He will be responsible for implementing the group’s board’s shared vision and plan, as well as ensure continued execution of existing strategic projects.
Prior to joining Odu’a Investment, he retired from Diamond Bank (now part of Access Bank) as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
In the course of his over 30-year career, he demonstrated unique leadership skills, versatility and excellence, and developed expertise in several areas including asset management, local and international capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, strategy, treasury and business transformation.
Yinusa graduated with a B.Sc. Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University, and holds both M.Sc. Economics and MBA (Finance) degrees from the University of Lagos. He is also an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, IMD, Switzerland and INSEAD, France where he attended top management programmes.
Odu’a Investment has also appointed Yemi Ajao as Executive Director, and Group Chief Investment and Business Development Officer, a role he will assume on the 15th of January 2024.
Ajao has over 20 years’ extensive experience in oil and gas operations (engineering), strategy, corporate finance, real estate, venture capital and private equity.
He graduated with a B.Sc. Chemical Engineering from the Obafemi Awolowo University, and holds an M.Sc. Petroleum Engineering from the University of Houston, and an MBA from the Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University, Houston, USA.
