The presence of women in top executive positions within Nigeria’s corporate sector has steadily grown, with more female leaders now steering some of the country’s biggest companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX).
This list spotlights women leading some of the most asset-rich corporations in Nigeria, spanning banking, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and insurance.
Collectively, these female CEOs are responsible for managing assets valued at over N81 trillion.
Many of these female CEOs bring decades of experience across local and international institutions, combining strategic vision with proven track records in finance, operations, and innovation. Their rise to the helm of these companies signals a shift toward inclusivity and merit-based leadership in corporate governance.
Beyond their professional achievements, these executives also serve as role models for the next generation of women in business. Their positions reflect progress in gender representation at the highest levels of corporate Nigeria, while also highlighting the work that remains to achieve greater equity.
Here is a list of the top 15 female CEOs of companies listed on NGX by their total asset
Oyeyimika Adeboye is the Managing Director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a position she assumed in April 2019, succeeding Amir Shamsi. Her appointment marked a historic milestone as she became the first female to lead the company in its more than 50-year history. She also serves as Managing Director of Mondelez (Cadbury) West Africa, the regional arm of Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelēz International.
The company generated N129.17 billion in revenue, held total assets of N72.44 billion, and had a market capitalization of N50 billion in 2024.
- Adeboye also serves as Managing Director of Mondelez (Cadbury) West Africa, the regional arm of Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelēz International. With a career spanning over three decades, she has built a solid reputation in finance, strategy, and business administration, working across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
- She began her career as an articled clerk with UK-based accounting firm Midgley Snelling & Co., where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
- Her professional journey in Nigeria began in the 1990s with Arthur Andersen & Co., after which she joined Nigerian Bottling Company Plc in 1994 as Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, a role she held for 13 years. In November 2008, she was headhunted to join Cadbury West Africa as Finance and Strategy Director, West Africa, also serving on the boards of Cadbury Nigeria and Cadbury Ghana. She held these positions for over a decade before rising to the role of Managing Director.
Born to the late Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, a pioneering Nigerian industrialist and first president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Adeboye was inspired by her parents’ entrepreneurial success. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Economics and Accountancy from University College Cardiff, Wales, and has completed executive education programmes in Finance and Business Administration at the Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland.
