Dr. Wuraola Abiola
As Nigerians continue to break the once-soaring glass ceilings in the business world, Dr. Wuraola Abiola, Lekoil’s non-executive director, is emerging steadily in the forums of oil and fuel companies, automakers, publishers, and others. . . Born from a strong pedigree in the business world, her experience and expertise resonate with Lekoil’s commitment to inclusion and diversity, writes Vanessa Obioha.
“There is no delay,” the interview coordinator implored in his note. “Dr. Wuraola Abiola appreciates punctuality. ” Precisely at noon on the day scheduled for the interview, Abiola, dressed in an Ankara suit and heels, enters the ballroom of the Four Points through the Sheraton Hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos, radiating simplicity and grace.
Her warm smile creates balance with her intimidating voice in the business world. Having worked at Lekoil as an independent strategy consultant, Abiola’s venture into the upper echelons of Lekoil is the result of her remarkable leadership, which attracted the attention of Lekan Akinyanni, the founder of Lekoil, who invited her to join the board as a non-executive member. Lekoil, an oil and fuel exploration company focused on Africa, has a diverse management team, consisting of five out of eight female members, of which Ms. Aisha Oyebode is the chairperson.
“I was excited because I felt like I could do even more with them,” Abiola says in a soft, calm tone.
“As a strategic consultant, you can see the organization at other times when they need your input. But as a non-executive director, you can act on the decisions we make on the board and work more broadly across the organization, with control because we’re not leaders,” she explains, highlighting the importance of diversity and gender dynamics in the office and how comfortable she is with the number of women in control roles. Let’s move on to Lekoil.
At Lekoil, Abiola notes, experience trumps gender biases, allowing board members to make a contribution based on their merits.
“To be fair, gender is important, but it’s not enforced accordingly in this specific board where all they see are board members who need to contribute to the decision-making process, help identify hazards and, very importantly, be pragmatic in solving challenges,” she says.
“Because what you have to perceive about Nigeria is that our disorders are quite complex, so logic and undeniable decision-making don’t work. We have many stakeholders and variables to consider. The ability to analyze the scenario first and have the equipment to solve it. Complex disorders are really important on Lekoil’s Board of Directors and we are all accepted for our ability to contribute to Board positions.
In this regard, Abiola is deficient. She has been Managing Director of Management Transformation, a consulting firm specializing in the areas of leadership, governance, organizational development, threat management, strategy and public sector policy since 1999. Over the years, Abiola has worked extensively on the African continent, as Director Director of Management Transformation. Co-Chair of the FMDQ Infrastructure Finance and Debt Capital Markets Development Subcommittee and member of the Research, Strategy and Advocacy Committee of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
His training includes a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the McLaren School of Business at the University of San Francisco and a doctorate in Organizational Behavior from Imperial College London, which he obtained in 1997. Beyond his experience in transforming organizations through his other people and to gain advantages from society, Abiola also teaches at the University of Lagos and at the University of Lagos Business School, where he teaches Business Strategy and Policy. She is committed to passing on her wisdom and experience to the next generation, a trait she inherited from her past. due to her father, iconic businessman and politician Moshood Abiola, better known as M. K. O.
Over the years, Lekoil has survived troubled waters but remains true to its project of shaping long-term oil exploration and production in Africa with a committed and expert team on board. Abiola, with his vast experience, is proving to be useful. He describes Lekoil as a cutting-edge company, meticulous when it uses the word “innovation. “
“Innovation is something that other people communicate a lot about but don’t think about. To be honest, innovation is quite complicated in the oil and fuels sector because it is highly regulated. So, other people see innovation as anything that goes into oil. and fuel through technological advancements,” he says, describing Lekoil’s cutting-edge nature in its market access strategy, structured partnerships, and mechanisms to capture price in the oil sector from the start.
“Innovation in terms of pricing proposition and business style was at the heart of the company’s recreation through Lekoil’s founder, Lekan Akinyanmi. That’s why asking ourselves how to do things and more is part of our DNA. Because that’s precisely what the company is all about. That’s also why I guess when Covid-19 hit, we were able to adapt, either in terms of how we work in combination and how we handle technical issues. We’ve been very resilient because we’re at the forefront and we’re hunting. Searching for answers to disorders is our way of doing things.
While many Nigerian women are breaking the glass ceilings that were once intimidating in business, Abiola sheds light on one of the key things women do when they occupy the upper levels, Lekoil as an example: “I don’t need to create stereotypes, but at least the girls on Lekoil’s board of directors ask questions. Sometimes conspicuously, sometimes thoughtfully. And we expect convincing answers.
“We read each and every element. The women read each and every line of each and every document. We will replace it if we don’t feel comfortable. Again, we’ll ask questions. Let’s question why it’s there. What do we do? We need to be meticulous.
Abiola has an instructive attitude about the gender equity and inclusion factor in the oil and fuel industry, especially in terms of work-life balance. According to her, the path to progression of leadership in the industry (especially in the upstream) goes primarily through operations. And given women’s natural roles in the context of family life, it is difficult for many women to have the same presence in place as men, in certain matters of their lives.
“We shouldn’t downplay it. So what corporations want to do is distinguish between what’s fair and what’s treating other people equally. In this context, women cannot be treated in exactly the same way as men. It’s not fair to do that,” he says.
“The right thing to do is to treat us as we are, because it doesn’t matter how we raise value. So when someone has a young family, especially now that that generation and the post-Covid technique for painting has really helped, partial or full remote paintings is a very viable option for a while. That’s the right thing to do. It’s really that distinction, that fairness, and that equality that other people have forgotten for a long, long time.
She emphasizes that Lekoil is committed to treating women and has a mentorship program for women in the industry who are just starting their careers. Currently, the company has an informal program where women connect with an industry mentor.
As the verbal exchange progresses, Abiola’s delicacy becomes apparent. To begin with, he expresses his aversion to ambiguity and attributes his strong pictorial ethic to his upbringing. Among those traits, one stands out: she’s a daddy’s wife by all means. His eyes widen as the verbal exchange turns to his late father. As the youngest son of M. K. O. and Simbiat, and as such, she has countless precious memories of him, making it hard to pick a favorite.
“The other day I was telling someone that Dad was just a smart dad,” he says in an emotionally charged tone. “He was there when it mattered. And for someone who was so busy and who in recent years has become so vital on a global scale, I would drop everything to pick me up from school because I thought I still had to be there.
Fondly remembering his father’s support, he champions the education of the next generation and mentions Lekoil’s experience when a young founder built a capable team.
Abiola learned a few lessons from her parents: be positive, set goals, and be in yourself. These classes, encouraged by her father’s wisdom, she says, are very important for empowering girls in today’s complex world.
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