Meet Ibukun Awosika, first woman Chairman of First Bank Nigeria

Ibukun Awosika is an entrepreneur par excellence, a financial analyst, an author, and a global public speaker and a mother of three children.

Ibukun Awosika is one of Nigeria’s finest influential people. She was born on 24 December 1962, the third out of seven children.

She had her primary education at St. Paul African Church Primary school and secondary education at Methodist Girls’ High school.

Ibukun proceeded to the University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) to bag a degree in Chemistry. Even while studying Chemistry, she took elective courses in Accounting.

Besides her degree, she has other post-graduates and MBA certifications from several business schools including Lagos Business School and IESE Business School- University of Navarra.

She began her career as an Audit trainee at Akintola Willams & Co for her National Youth Service Corps, where after she returned home and joined Alibert Nigeria Limited, a Lebanese Furniture company as a Showroom Manager.

In 1989, Ibukun established her Furniture company, Quebees Company which was later renamed ‘The Chair Centre Limited’ and then ‘SOKOA Chair Centre Limited.’

Ibukun Awosika is a fellow of The African Leadership Initiative and Aspen Global Leadership Network, Nigerian Economic Summit, Member of the board of Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Fund, and former chairperson Board of Trustees of women in management, Business, and Public Service.

One of Ibukun’s spotlight moments was when she rose to be the first woman Chairman of First Bank Nigeria on 7 September 2015.

She was the only woman among the five Nigerian entrepreneurs to feature in the African first version of Dragon Den– a place where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to get investments.

In 2020, she won the Forbes woman Africa Chairperson Award. She also got featured in Afolanya’s film, Citation.

Some of her books are:

• The Girl Entrepreneur (2018)
• Business His Way (2019)
• The ‘Girls’ in the Boardroom (2021)

Ibukun Awosika is one of the most influential Nigerian female entrepreneurs.