Unilever Nigeria Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Uchenna Nwakanma as an Executive Director on its Board, effective 13 November 2025.
The announcement was made in a filing submitted to the NGX and signed by the Company Secretary, Peter Data.
Commenting on the development, the Board expressed confidence in the new appointee, noting:
“The Board warmly welcomes Mr. Uchenna Nwakanma and wishes him all the best in his new role.”
Mr. Nwakanma is a Research & Development (R&D) business leader with over 20 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods sector.
About Mr. Uchenna Nwakanma
Mr. Uchenna Nwakanma is an Industrial Chemist with an MBA in General Management and a member of the Chartered Institute of Chemists of Nigeria.
He currently serves as the Research & Development (R&D) Director for Unilever’s Personal Care category across the Africa cluster, where he is responsible for R&D strategy and project delivery across various African markets.
- His experience covers Home Care, Personal Care, Baby Care, Pesticides, Laboratory Care, and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.
Before joining Unilever, he held R&D leadership roles at PZ Cussons and Reckitt Benkiser, where he worked on innovation processes and capability development.
Mr. Nwakanma has participated in industry bodies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) as a technical review member and has been involved with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on matters related to local sourcing, quality standards, and workforce development.
He has also taken part in discussions and forums hosted by cosmetics associations, medical groups, and the Federal Ministry of Science in Nigeria on topics related to innovation.
With his appointment, the number of Unilever Nigeria board members is now 10.
Board structure
The Board of Unilever is now made up of one Chairman, one Managing Director, four Independent Non-Executive Directors, two Executive Directors, and two Non-Executive Directors.
- Mr. Bolaji Balogun is the Chairman, with Mr. Tobi Adeniyi as Managing Director.
- The Independent Non-Executive Directors are Mr Michael Ikpoki, Mrs Ngozi Edozien, Mrs. Umma Yusuf Aboki, and Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi.
- The Non-Executive Directors are Mr Ben Langat and Mr Chika Nwobi.
- Executive Directors are Mr Ibrahim Sodipe and Mr Uchenna Nwakanma.
In the company’s unaudited results for Q3 2025, pre-tax profit stood at N13.2 billion, reflecting a 72.67% year-on-year (YoY) increase.
This lifted the company’s nine-month pre-tax profit to N37.4 billion, up 167.97% compared to the N13.9 billion reported in the same period in 2024.
