Mr. Richard Taye Ayibiowu is the Managing Director/CEO of Pivot Engineering Company Limited, as well as the Director of Operations for Pivot Energy Services, an umbrella group providing engineering solutions across oil & gas engineering services, maintenance, procurement, construction services, power transmission and substation, and port concession. He is a member of the Governing Council of the Association and the immediate past Chairman of the Committee of Finance Experts (COFE) of NECA. Mr. Ayibiowu graduated as a surveying engineer and later qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. In the course of his career he acquired a wealth of experience working with Map Data Engineering Services Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Arthur Andersen (now KPMG West Africa). He later joined the Honeywell Group as Head of Corporate Planning and Development in the Corporate Office, where he was responsible for business development, corporate finance, strategic planning, budget and budgetary planning & control, financial statements review and consolidation, and management of SPVs. He was appointed Finance Director and member of the board of Pivot Engineering Company Limited in 2004.

He subsequently rose to become Managing Director. Following the consolidation of energy businesses within the Group, he also assumed the role of Director of Operations for Pivot Energy Services (PES).

Mr. Ayibiowu is a member of the board of other companies, including NGOs, cooperative societies, and social clubs. He is currently Chairman of NECA’s Global Certification Limited (NGCL) and also a Director of THRIVE Microfinance Bank Limited. He is President of the Redeemers Men’s Fellowship in one of the Lagos provinces of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He is married with children.

Mrs. Alaba Fagun is the Group Managing Director and CEO of Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, a position she has held since October 2022, elevated to Group level in May 2024.

A dual-degree graduate of the University of Lagos with distinctions in Environmental Science and Architecture, she brings over 27 years of post-qualification experience spanning architectural practice in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, facilities and property management, and large-scale real estate development.

Her career has taken her through senior roles at Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and the founding leadership of UPDC Facility Management Ltd., before arriving at the helm of one of Nigeria’s most established industrial brands.

Under her watch, Berger Paints has pursued product innovation, market expansion, and a sustained commitment to ethical governance and sustainable growth. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors and the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, and remains actively engaged in community development and humanitarian work across Lagos and London.

Mr. Goran Sladic is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd. Mr. Sladic holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Split. He has a robust skill set that includes negotiation, marketing management, pricing, and strategic planning.

With an impressive track record of over two decades across diverse markets in Africa and Europe, he was the Managing Director of Pivara Skopje, a prominent beverage company in Macedonia and a joint venture between Coca-Cola HBC and Heineken, holding this role for nearly two years.

His comprehensive expertise has predominantly been honed within Coca-Cola HBC, encompassing extensive experience in commercial strategies and business development, particularly in the NARTD (Non-Alcoholic Ready-to-Drink) and Spirits categories.

In 2003 he began his career as a Sales Supervisor at the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company in Split, Croatia. Over the subsequent seventeen years, his trajectory led him through diverse roles, including Commercial Process Manager and Regional Director of Premium Spirits at CCHBC, Croatia.

In 2017, Mr. Sladic joined the Nigerian Bottling Company as Regional Sales Director and later National Sales Director until 2020. Throughout his tenure in Nigeria, his visionary leadership propelled the company to unprecedented heights of sales performance while spearheading the launch of innovative solutions that revolutionized sales capabilities. His unwavering commitment to nurturing talent culminated in the formation of a robust team, from which several talented individuals were nurtured and advanced.

Dr. Ugochukwu Obiora Chime is a Surveyor, real estate developer, physical development consultant, and investment analyst with over 44 years of experience spanning the civil service, public service, and private enterprise in Nigeria. As Group Managing Director/CEO of Copen, he has built one of the country’s most trusted names in housing delivery and physical development consultancy, and today chairs the Presidential Team on Land Reforms for Nigeria, a reflection of the weight his voice carries in shaping national housing and land policy. As National President and Chairman of Council of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Dr. Chime became one of the country’s foremost champions of innovative housing finance, leading REDAN’s team in reconciling a ₦27 billion legacy bad-loan portfolio with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).

He went on to chair the National Real Estate Data Collation and Management Programme, a rare multi-stakeholder partnership drawing together the Central Bank of Nigeria, the World Bank, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, FMBN, NMRC, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the National Population Commission, all working toward more reliable data and financing structures for Nigerian housing.

Dr. Chime’s grasp of the full housing value chain, from land administration to construction to finance, is reinforced by his board leadership in the financial sector. He chaired the Board of Bethel Microfinance Bank for eighteen years and sits on the board of AG Mortgage Bank Plc, where he chairs the Investment and Finance Committee. He previously chaired the Board of the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, transforming it from a corporation reliant on land sales into a self-sustaining institution. He was also Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors and a past President of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, and currently serves as South-East Zonal Chairman of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).

Beyond enterprise, Dr. Chime is the founder of Amadeo Initiatives, the not-for-profit arm of Copen, expressed through Copen Academy, which has trained over 30,000 construction-industry artisans in collaboration with C-STEMP; Amadeo Foundation, which provides scholarships and welfare support to the needy; and Barnabas Hope Foundation, which builds the capacity of small and medium-scale entrepreneurs. A Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors and Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Building, Dr. Chime is widely travelled, a philanthropist, and a mentor to many.

Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde is a distinguished leader in human resources, industrial relations, and organizational development. Since August 1, 2022, he has served as the Director-General and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigeria’s apex Business Membership Organisation (BMO). In this capacity, he leads the strategic direction and evidence-based advocacy for over 4,000 corporate employers and 35 sectoral Employers’ Federations, championing the interests of the organized private sector in Nigeria.

Mr. Oyerinde’s influence extends far beyond Nigeria. He serves as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations agency responsible for setting global workplace standards. His commitment to global business advocacy is further solidified by his election to the Executive Council of BUSINESSAfrica, the continent’s leading voice for employers.

With over two decades of professional experience, Mr. Oyerinde is a passionate advocate for decent work, social justice, and inclusive development. He is a vocal champion for the eradication of child labor and frequently speaks and writes on the future of work, business sustainability, and enterprise resilience. His technical expertise is underscored by his credentials as an ILO-trained Master Trainer and a UNIDO-trained ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Auditor. He is also recognized as a Life and Personal Effectiveness Coach, author, public speaker, and youth advocate.

Mr. Oyerinde is a lifelong learner who holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos, where he is currently pursuing his PhD in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.