For decades, the upper floors of Nigeria’s corporate world were built in the image of men.
Boardrooms across the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), from banking to manufacturing and energy, remained overwhelmingly male, with women often confined to supporting executive roles rather than the chief executive seat where the most consequential decisions are made.
But a quiet shift has been unfolding.
Across some of Nigeria’s most profitable publicly listed companies, a new generation of female corporate leaders is not merely participating in the economy; they are helping define it.
From trillion-naira banking empires to hospitality giants and diversified conglomerates, these women are steering institutions that collectively generated more than N1.23 trillion in profit after tax (PAT) in the 2025 financial year.
This list, ranked by PAT, tells a story of resilience, hard work, dedication, and the Nigerian story of sheer perseverance.
Some climbed steadily through the ranks over decades, navigating institutions long before corporate Nigeria became comfortable with women occupying top executive offices. Others emerged from backgrounds spanning consulting, law, human resources, finance, and operations, bringing with them a blend of technical expertise and boardroom resilience sharpened across local and international institutions.
Not every influential female executive in the NGX made this list. Folake Ogundipe, the Interim MD & Finance Director, Cadbury, West Africa, for instance, led the company to a profit after tax of N8.97 billion during the period under review, but was excluded because this ranking focuses strictly on chief executive roles, CEOs.
Likewise, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe was omitted because Fidelity Bank Plc had yet to release its full financial results at the time of compilation.
At a time of inflationary pressure, rising operational costs, and one of the toughest economic climates Nigerian businesses have faced in recent years, these executives delivered profits measured not in millions, but in billions — and in some cases, trillions — of naira.
Here are the women leading some of Nigeria’s most profitable listed companies.
Some executives arrive at the top through high-profile recruitment. Others spend years building their authority quietly from within, understanding every layer of a company before eventually leading it.
Mayowa Olaniyan belongs firmly to the latter category.
Her story at Chams Holding Company Plc is one of institutional continuity, gradual ascent, and deep operational familiarity.
By the time she became Group Managing Director and CEO in December 2022, following the retirement of Gavin Young, she had already spent years inside the Chams ecosystem, moving through finance, audit, risk management, corporate services, and digital operations.
That layered experience now places her at the helm of one of Nigeria’s long-standing indigenous technology and identity management companies during a period when digital transformation has become central to both public and private sector growth.
- Under the period reviewed, Chams posted a profit after tax of N417.09 million, maintaining profitability while operating within Nigeria’s increasingly competitive technology and digital services environment.
Yet Olaniyan’s career story begins long before Chams.
- A Chartered Accountant with nearly three decades of professional experience, she started her career in 1994 as an Audit Trainee at Bolaji Finnih before joining SCOA Nigeria Plc, where she spent 13 years steadily rising through managerial positions.
Those early years helped shape what colleagues often describe as her disciplined and governance-oriented leadership style — one grounded in financial control, operational accountability, and strategic patience.
- After SCOA, she moved to Tranter International Ltd as Group Finance and Administration Manager before eventually joining the Chams Group, where her career would take its defining shape.
- Inside Chams, she moved through a succession of increasingly influential roles. She served as Assistant General Manager of Corporate Services at Supercard Ltd, a Chams subsidiary, before becoming Group Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management. She later held positions as General Manager of Finance and Accounts, General Manager of Special Duties and Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, and eventually Managing Director of ChamsMobile Limited.
At ChamsMobile, she helped drive the company’s expansion within mobile and digital financial services, a critical area in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem.
- Her academic and professional credentials reflect a strong financial foundation. She is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, while also holding an MBA from Edinburgh Business School.
Dear Nairametrics,
Thank you for publishing such a beautiful and inspiring story about Nigerian corporate ladies. This encouraging piece helps to counter the negative narratives constantly being spread about young Nigerian women. At a time when unpleasant stories are being told both in Nigeria and even in Ghana about our girls, your publication comes as a great relief and a source of hope.
Your story serves as a strong reminder that there are many hardworking, intelligent, and successful Nigerian women making positive impacts in the corporate world. It is also an encouragement for us as a nation to place greater emphasis on the education and empowerment of the girl child.
I believe both the government and corporate individuals should take this responsibility more seriously in order to build a better corporate Nigeria and raise a new generation of outstanding women leaders.
Thank you once again for this thoughtful publication.