Femi Awoyemi Nominated as ‘Leader for Next Millennium’

Hallmark Newspapers has announced the decision of its Editorial Board to unanimously nominate OlufemiAwoyemi, Managing Director, Proshare as a recipient of the Nigeria RisingAward as one of Nigeria’s leaders for the next millennium. The ‘Nigeria RisingAward’ is a recently constituted once-in-a-lifetime award scheme that celebrates uncommon individuals who through enterprise and foresight would position Nigeria as a true political and economic giant as well as set the path to Nigeria’s growth and development in the next millennium.

In a citation from the Nigeria RisingAward project team,Awoyemi’s nomination “was informed by his numerous successes in private enterprise. He has emerged as a most inspirational figure and a worthy role model for the younger generations of Nigerians”.

The award ceremony will be chaired byAlhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, while His Excellency, Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain will deliver the keynote address and present the award. The patron for the event which will take place at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday March 21, 2015 is General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd) GCFR.

Last year, Proshare Nigeria Limited, having measured up to all CFI’s award selection criteria and based on voting (s) by CFI.co readers, subscribers, visitors, contributors and clients to their award nomination request was recognised as the 2014 Best Capital Market Services & Solutions Team in Nigeria.

TheAwoyemi-led Proshare is an online resource portal that educates, empowers and enlightens the retail market through best-in-class tools, data, research and information that help the average Nigerian to make informed and intelligent investment decisions to create wealth.

Awoyemi, Founder and CEO of Proshare Nigeria Limited, holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree inAccounting (1988). He is a Fellow of the following institutes: The Institute of CharteredAccountants of Nigeria, Association of InvestmentAdvisers and Portfolio Managers, Institute of CreditAdministration, and Institute of Information Management.

He is anAssociate member of the Institute(s) of Chartered Taxation of Nigeria, Institute of Management Consultants, Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Directors.

Olufemi is a hands-on knowledge management professional with an impeccable portfolio of commercial and consulting achievements garnered during the course of twenty-six (27) years of progressive responsibility and results with well-known local and international firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers, UAC of Nigeria, Eterna Oil & Gas Plc, Phillips Consulting, Fountain Trust Bank Plc, Change ManagementAssociates and BritishAmerican Tobacco where he left as a member of Senior Management with responsibilities for Treasury and ManagementAccounts.

He has been a consultant on strategic management practices and developments for several companies, think-tanks, high net worth individuals and private intelligence companies; with a specialty on issues articulation, analyst and intelligence operations, forensic investigations, reputation management, identifying future trends/impact and undertaking high impact thought led engagements.

He has contributed immensely to, and has been actively involved in many initiatives, associations, academia and commercial activities including roles as a member of the Membership and Publicity & Publication Committees of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce; Chairman Strategy Committee of the WestAfrican BankersAssociation. Nigeria, Independent Board Member, Northwards Housing, Manchester City CouncilALMO, UK and Technical Advisor, NationalAssembly House Committee on Capital Markets 2011-12.

Currently he is a member of the esteemed Strategy, Research &Advocacy Committee to the Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (2010-date) where he serves as the Chairman of theAdvocacy Sub-Committee, Chairman of the 2013-2016 Strategic Plan Sub-Committee and member of the Banking Industry Group’s think-tank on the National Conference; and since 2012 acted as an Independent member of the Investment Committee ofAlternative Capital Partners Ltd (ACAP), a SEC registered Fund/Portfolio Manager and Corporate InvestmentAdvisors.

He equally uses his private time to deliver on knowledge empowerment engagements including being a consultant to the School of Post Graduate Studies, University of Lagos, on Entrepreneurship and he continues to offer himself as a facilitator at many management retreats, personal finance empowerment training, thought leadership and knowledge sharing sessions of blue chip firms, NGO’s and professional groups and associations.

Since 2009, he has been the Chairman of the board of directors of Value Fronteria, a competitiveness optimization firm that leverages the techniques of data mining, business research and economic science to provide robust insights that enable decision makers to achieve accelerated innovation and sustained competitive differentiation. He is also serves as board chairman of View Limited - a thought led strategic reputation management consultancy set up in 1993.

He is the founding President, Board of Trustees of the Online PublishersAssociation, Nigeria (OPAN).

Before now, Olufemi was a co-founder of Moneywise, a weekly finance publication that blazed the trail in investment finance reporting and later doubled as the Editor-in-Chief of its “Personal Finance” publication inside TheSUN - a first-of-its-kind collaborative publication between Moneywise and TheSUN Newspapers till 2006 when he left.

He has published over 1185 reviews, opinions, articles, research work, and publications in the last two decades covering workplace issues, market intelligence and environmental scanning, service/ practice/innovation issues in the capital market, corporate governance in Nigeria and the financial markets, impact assessment of public policy, white collar crimes in Corporate Nigeria and the Financial Markets. His articles have appeared in national dailies, economic and business magazines, journals and electronic media.

At Proshare, he oversees the strategic direction of proshare consult, www.proshareng.com, www. theanalystng.com,www.webtvng.com and www. nigerianregulators.com engagement(s) on investments, economy, entrepreneurship and the financial markets. He continues to be a frequent contributor to television interviews and analysis.

Last year, Olufemi was a recipient of numerous local and international awards including the “2013 Most Outstanding Business Executive of the Year” from theAfrican Council of Chief Executives.

He was at various times a member of the editorial board of the Banking Journal of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and been an editorial board member of Financial Standard (where he ran a weekly column for 5 years); Lagos Business School Alumni Magazine; and Founding Editorial Board Chairman of Brandfaces, a brand marketing journal published by TPT International.

Olufemi was born in Somulu LGA, Lagos on February 23, 1968 to (Late) Kolawole MichaelAwoyemi and ChristianaAyodeleAwoyemi (Nee Idowu) both of Sagamu, Remo, Ogun State. His siblings are – Yetunde BukolaAwoyemi LL.B, LL.M; Dr. Olayinka Awoyemi MBBS and Engr.AdebayoAwoyemi, Vice President Wire Technologies Canada.

OlufemiAwoyemi lives in Lagos, Nigeria and married toAlero Ogor-Awoyemi, an Industrial Chemist, with children. Olufemi’s interests include future trends, knowledge engagements, facilitations & presentations, intelligence, strategy & execution, documentaries, risk-based industries and sports.