First HoldCo Plc has announced the appointment of Mrs. Abiola Baruwa as Group Company Secretary.
The appointment was made public in a filing on the Nigerian Exchange on 23rd September 2025, signed by Olufemi Otedola, Chairman of the Board of Directors, confirming the decision by the HoldCo.
The move follows the upcoming retirement of Mr. Adewale L.O. Arogundade, the current Company Secretary, who has dedicated 35 years of service to the group.
His retirement is set to take effect on 7th November 2025, after which Mrs. Baruwa will officially assume the role.
With more than 20 years of extensive experience across law and finance, Abiola is expected to bring strong leadership, fresh insight, and a strategic perspective to the group’s corporate governance.
Mrs. Abiola Baruwa
Abiola began her academic journey at Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, where she successfully earned a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B Hons), laying a strong foundation for her career in law and finance.
She proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, obtained her Barrister at Law (B.L), and was called to the Bar in 2004, later earning a Master’s Degree in International Finance Law (LL.M) with Merit from King’s College London, United Kingdom.
Her legal career began in 2004 at Olaniwun Ajayi & Co LP, Lagos, after which she served as an Associate at G.M.O Legal Practitioners from 2005 to 2006.
- In 2006, she joined Sahara Energy Limited as Legal Services Supervisor, marking the beginning of her transition into the financial services sector.
Between 2008 and 2012, she served as Legal Services Officer at Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank) before moving to FBNQuest Merchant Bank, where she rose to Vice President, Debt Solutions, contributing to high-profile structured finance transactions in oil and gas, power, and telecommunications.
In 2017, she joined Ecobank as Senior Manager, heading both the Company Secretariat and Corporate Bank Legal Services.
She later moved to Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) in 2020 as Company Secretary and Head of Legal for RMB Nigeria Asset Management, before her appointment as Group Company Secretary at First HoldCo Plc.
A member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and the Institute of Directors, Nigeria (IoD), Abiola is also an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIBN) and has attended numerous leadership programs both locally and internationally, enhancing her expertise in corporate governance and legal practice.
