Advisory Board
Chairman: Mr. Bayo Adeleke
Bayo Adeleke is a seasoned banking and financial services executive with extensive experience in multinational corporate environments and the Nigerian market. Since 2012, he has served as the Managing Director & CEO of Opticom Finance Limited, overseeing the firm’s strategic and operational leadership. His notable career includes roles such as Executive Vice President of Institutional Banking at First Bank of Nigeria Plc., where he managed top-tier corporate relationships and major investments, and Pioneer Managing Director & CEO of FBN Capital Limited, where he successfully launched and grew the investment banking subsidiary of FirstBank Group. Bayo has a proven track record in corporate, commercial, and investment banking, fund management, and business development. He notably turned around FBN Merchant Bankers Limited from loss to profitability.
His educational credentials include an MBA in International Business Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and Advanced Management Programmes at Harvard Business School and INSEAD. Known for his high integrity and diverse industry expertise, Bayo is committed to driving revenue, market share, and business growth. He is active on several boards and enjoys tennis, gym workouts, traveling, economics, and finance.
Vice Chairman: Engr Maxwell Olusegun Fashola
Is the Chairman and CEO of Bolamax Nigeria Ltd. Bolamax Nig. Ltd is a construction company which specializes in mass housing and road construction.
Prior to Bolamax, Engr Fashola retired from the United States Department of Defense at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. After 25 years of service. At the Pentagon, Engr Fashola, designed and developed munitions and weapon system for the United States Army at the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
Yejide Oluwayomi Ogundipe
Is a distinguished public leader and private entrepreneur, renowned for her commitment to performance, integrity, and loyalty. With a career spanning both public and private sectors, she has demonstrated expertise in contact and mobilization, communications, board stewardship, and resource management. Currently a partner at D.I. Kekemeke & Co. in Akure, Yejide’s professional journey includes pivotal roles such as Director at the News Agency of Nigeria, Lagos Airport Hotel, and Owena Motel. She also served as General Manager at Quarry Group Holdings and as Principal Partner at Yejide Ogundipe & Co. In the political arena, Yejide has held several significant positions, including APC Advisory Council Member and Chairman of the Ileoluji/Okeigbo Local Government Council. She was also a candidate for the Federal House of Representatives and has served as a Woman Leader for the Ondo State PDP. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Law from the Nigerian Law School and an LL.B. from Brunel University.
Yejide is an advocate for women’s empowerment and has been recognized for her contributions to public service and legal practice. She enjoys reading, traveling, and engaging in intellectual discourse.
DR. Godswill Sunday Ihetu
Dr. Godswill Sunday Ihetu holds a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The City University, London. With over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, he began his career with Shell in 1959 and later joined the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 1974, retiring in 1999 as Group Executive Director, Engineering and Technology Directorate.
At NNPC, he served as Managing Director/CEO of both the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, where he led the commissioning of the first two trains of the NLNG Project in Bonny. As the pioneer Head of Pipeline Operations, he managed the national crude oil and product pipelines system and was instrumental in founding the Nigerian Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO). He also supervised the NNPC nationwide Telecoms System.
Dr. Ihetu has extensive corporate management experience, serving as Director of Broad Bank, Nigerian Fertilizer Company of Nigeria (NAFCON), Chairman of Stallion Property Development Company, NETCO, and Director of Law Union and Rock Insurance Company. He continues to serve on various boards and is a founding member and Board of Governors member of The Petroleum Club. A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Dr. Ihetu is also an avid golfer, music enthusiast, follower of current affairs, and active Christian.
Col. C. Reid Nichols, USMC (Ret), DBA
Reid Nichols is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Brown School of Business and Leadership at Stevenson University, Owings Mills, Maryland. He is also the President/Oceanographer of Marine Information Resources Corporation, where he is involved in consulting on marine science and technology projects. He received his DBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2022 and his dissertation focused on the science of collaboration. He began his career as a reserve military logistics and intelligence officer in 1982 and retired in 2012 as a Colonel. Since 1991, after earning a MS in physical oceanography, he has worked as a marine scientist in both the public and private sectors. He founded Marine Information Resources Corporation in 1998 to complete applied science projects for government, university, and industry customers.
He has been continuously involved in the marine science and technology industry as a program developer, researcher, teacher, manager, and consultant with government, academic, and industry organizations.
Dr. Nichols has taught undergraduate courses in oceanography, operations management, strategic management, and international business. Dr. Nichols recently developed a study tour course to Lyon, France that includes student research on issues related to cross-border trade. Research results were presented at the 2024 French-American Business Summit in Washington, D.C. As a contributor of scholarly articles to professional literature, Dr. Nichols’ recent publications have appeared in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Frontiers in Marine Science, Journal of Management for Global Sustainability, and the Muma Business Review. He has written general reference books that have been published by Greenwood Press, Facts on File, Infobase Publishing, and Springer.
Catharina van Staveren
Catharina van Staveren was born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. She has a Dutch father and a Jamaican mother. Because of her international background and as her Jamaican grandfather worked at the United Nations in New York, she has always been very interesting in working in international affairs. The area of political affairs and human rights; especially the empowerment of women, has always been her greatest preference.
Catharina studied Leisure management; focused on Event management and Entrepreneurship, at Stenden University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts. She also studied Communications and Information Science at the Academic University in Groningen in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Catharina worked as a Public Relations and Communications manager at the Superclubs in the Carribean; and worked here with many prominent people from all over the globe. She also gained working experience in several management roles, in communications, sales and marketing in governmental organisations and in tourism and hospitality.
She has worked together with many press, journalists, top officials, mayors, clergymen, chairs and celebrities. She has also worked with donors and raised funds for many causes. She currently works at the Dutch United Nation Association (UNA NL) as their Activity Coordinator. Catharina works for the cause of a prosper and peaceful planet for all people. She volunteers for many causes; for the empowerment of women, refugees, the homeless and the welfare of animals. She is a Honorary Ambassador representing institutes for destitute people and orphans living in Guinea and in Tanzania, and for Peace development in Cameroon and in Pakistan. She was awarded with the honorable role of International Peace leader by the Institute of International Peace leaders in Pakistan and in the UK. She also is Executive Committee Member and Ambassador for Uniting for Peace in the UK and Abassador for the International Cities of Peace USA for the city of Amsterdam.
Mohd Rizal Arshad
Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohd-rizal-arshad-2809aa30?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
Professor Mahmoud Shafik BEng (Hons) MSc MPhil PhD CEng FHEA MIET MASME MCOMEH
Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahmoud-shafik-ph-d-0602377?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
Shafik has been chairing and leading several industrial applied research projects from European Commission, and UK Research Councils, of a budget of several millions of euros and have made a great economic and social impact in his area of expertise across the world. His research work has brought many innovative outcomes that have been commercially explored by several Small to Medium (SME’s) and large enterprise (LE’s) organisations. This includes and not limited to: Intersurgical Ltd – UK, Veslatec Oy – Finland, Semelab plc. – UK, PTW Freiburg – Germany, Neotek – France, Kirchmayer Handel & Consulting GmbH – Austria, Spectrum Telecom Installations Ltd – Ireland, Diamond Materials GmbH – Germany, Fireworks International Ltd – UK, Pirotecnia Oscense SA – Spain, Total Motion Systems Ltd –UK, Micromech Limited – UK, Smart Technology Ltd – UK, Audi -Germany, Ford – UK, Schlumberger – France, Nissan – Japan and Rolls Royce – UK.
Shelle Rafiu Olaniyi Dada (R.O.D)
Shelle is Assistant Director and the acting HOD, Physical /Chemical Oceanography Department, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos Ph.D. Environmental Management and Toxicology. Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), 2023. M.Sc., Environmental / Analytical Chemistry, Lagos State University (LASU), 2003. B.Sc., Chemistry, Lagos State University (LASU) 2000.Higher National Diploma (H.N.D) Science Tech. (Chemistry Option), Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.1992. National Diploma (ND), Science Laboratory Technology Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ondo State.1988. Shelle has worked as a Lecturer, at Lagos State Polytechnic. Shelle is also skilled in Oceanographic Research, Environmental Baseline Survey (EBS), and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); has oil and gas field experience with Total Exploration and Production Company, Chevron Nigerian Limited (CNL), and Pan Ocean Nigerian Limited. He has participated in many projects, seminars/workshops with several publications to his credit. Professional affiliation includes the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST); Nigerian Hydrographic Society (NHS); Chemical Society of Nigeria (CNS); Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN); Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) and International Medical Geologists Association (IMGA), Nigeria.
