Funmi Ekundayo has emerged as the first female president of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN).
Ekundayo, a lawyer, chartered secretary and administrator, corporate governance professional, chartered stockbroker and capital market practitioner, took over from Taiwo Owokalade, who held sway as president and chairman of council of ICSAN for two years.
Her professional and career trajectory started with her law office attachment experience at Law Firm of Banwo & Ighodalo.
With a career spanning over 25 years, she spent almost a decade in law practice, after which she worked at different times in the Nigeria capital market space.
The new ICSAN chief was appointed as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of STL Trustees Limited (then Skye Trustees Limited) in 2010.
In a statement, the company is said to have evolved into a market leader commanding exponential growth in profitability, business size, pedigree and brand value over the years.
The statement explained that under Ekundayo’s leadership, STL Trustees has birthed a new subsidiary, STL Asset Management Limited and the evolution marks the beginning of the company’s strategic transition into a full-fledged Capital Market Holding Company structure.
It said the organisation has been recognised by reputable awarding institutions as a market leader by emerging winner of several awards in the trusteeship industry.
For her professional and organisational astuteness, she also had the honour of receiving the “Trustees Company CEO of the year” award multiple times from the Business Day Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards (BAFI), the Nigeria Finance Innovation Awards and the Marketing Edge Awards.
The statement said she had over the years distinguished herself in her area of core competence as a seasoned trust specialist engaging in the structuring of complex legal, financial and trust instruments.
An astute capital market practitioner, Ekundayo has been involved in the structuring of a significant number of novel and trailblazing structured finance and capital market transactions over the years.
Having attended several professional and leadership training and courses both locally and internationally, she belongs to various professional bodies and sits on boards.
“Ekundayo is an alumna of the prestigious Harvard Business School, the Lagos Business School (Chief Executive Programme) and the IESE Business School, Barcelona Spain. She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) where she currently serves as a member of the Governing Council.
“In July 2021, Ekundayo made history as the first female to be elected as the Vice-President and Vice-Chairman of Council of the Institute and in March 2023, she was elected President of the institute”, the statement concluded.
