Amina Oyagbola

Amina Oyagbola is a business leader and former Human Resources and Corporate Services Executive at MTN Nigeria Communications Limited. With over 30 years’ experience, her career spans legal consulting, banking and finance, oil and gas and telecommunications. She is the managing consultant of AKMS Consulting Ltd (Strategy and management consultants), a partner in Oyagbola Chambers and a Chevening Scholar. She obtained her undergraduate law degree from Ahmadu Bello University, her Masters in Law from Cambridge University and her MBA from Lancaster University. She is also an alumnus of INSEAD, London Business School, IMD and Harvard Business School.

She started her career as a legal practitioner in the Chambers of late Chief FRA Williams. She subsequently worked in the then Crystal Bank before moving to UBA as Head Legal, Head Human Capital Management and Head Private Banking.

Her MBA in Lancaster University (1999/2000) was a welcome refresher before she subsequently joined Shell Petroleum Development Company to develop a new function as Head, HR Strategy, Standards and Business Planning. She joined MTN Nigeria, Africa’s leading telecommunications provider in 2004 as Corporate Services Executive and Corporate spokesperson.

During her 12-year tenure as a member of the MTN leadership team, Amina contributed notably to the company’s extraordinary growth and development.

As pioneer Director of the MTN Foundation, she developed and drove MTN’s corporate social investment programs, commended by the UN Global Compact for its wide social impact and unique Public Private Partnership Model and the recipient of numerous awards.

In November 2008, she was called upon to lead a strategic transformation in the HR Function to improve business performance. Under her leadership as HR Executive, the performance of the company improved dramatically and MTN became the 1st company in Nigeria to be accredited with the Investors in People Gold Standard in May, 2015. MTN Nigeria also emerged winner in the Telecoms category of CIPM HR Best Practice Awards in October 2014 and emerged as best telecoms company in Jobberman’s 100 best places to work in Nigeria.

In the same year, MTN was recognized as the most Admired and Most Valuable Brand by Brand Africa 100. In 2016, MTN was recognized as the Most Valuable Brand in Nigeria.

She was one of the few Executives from an MTN operation invited to join the expanded MTN Group Strategy Committee. She was also appointed as a director to MTN Spacetel Benin Board and was Chairperson of its Audit and Risk Committee.

In Dec 2015 after an unprecedented fine was imposed on MTN she was called upon during the crisis to intervene and provide strategic guidance and stability as Head, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, in addition to her HR responsibilities. As a stakeholder management strategist, strategic communicator and legal adviser; she was an integral part of the leadership team that worked towards an amicable and final resolution of the fine in June 2016.

She is a Fellow and Chair of The Africa Leadership Initiative – West Africa. A West Africa Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Member CIPM and Chartered Fellow, CIPD UK, a Certified Ethics Officer, a Trustee and Member of Women Corporate Directors (WCD-Nigeria Chapter) and a Fellow, Institute of Directors. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusiveness, she is Founder and Chairperson of WISCAR (Women in Successful Careers). A not-for-profit, gender empowerment and strategic mentoring and leadership initiative for professional career women. She was nominated as an emerging African Leader by the Europe/Africa Aspen Institute. She is happily married to Bayo Oyagbola, Managing partner, Oyagbola Chambers and they have 3 graduate children.