Meet the women CEOs running Nigeria’s most profitable listed companies

For decades, the upper floors of Nigeria’s corporate world were built in the image of men.

Boardrooms across the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), from banking to manufacturing and energy, remained overwhelmingly male, with women often confined to supporting executive roles rather than the chief executive seat where the most consequential decisions are made.

But a quiet shift has been unfolding.

Across some of Nigeria’s most profitable publicly listed companies, a new generation of female corporate leaders is not merely participating in the economy; they are helping define it.

From trillion-naira banking empires to hospitality giants and diversified conglomerates, these women are steering institutions that collectively generated more than N1.23 trillion in profit after tax (PAT) in the 2025 financial year.

This list, ranked by PAT, tells a story of resilience, hard work, dedication, and the Nigerian story of sheer perseverance.

Some climbed steadily through the ranks over decades, navigating institutions long before corporate Nigeria became comfortable with women occupying top executive offices. Others emerged from backgrounds spanning consulting, law, human resources, finance, and operations, bringing with them a blend of technical expertise and boardroom resilience sharpened across local and international institutions.

Not every influential female executive in the NGX made this list. Folake Ogundipe, the Interim MD & Finance Director, Cadbury, West Africa, for instance, led the company to a profit after tax of N8.97 billion during the period under review, but was excluded because this ranking focuses strictly on chief executive roles, CEOs.

Likewise, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe was omitted because Fidelity Bank Plc had yet to release its full financial results at the time of compilation.

At a time of inflationary pressure, rising operational costs, and one of the toughest economic climates Nigerian businesses have faced in recent years, these executives delivered profits measured not in millions, but in billions — and in some cases, trillions — of naira.

Here are the women leading some of Nigeria’s most profitable listed companies.

Some executives arrive at the top through high-profile recruitment. Others spend years building their authority quietly from within, understanding every layer of a company before eventually leading it.

Mayowa Olaniyan belongs firmly to the latter category.

Her story at Chams Holding Company Plc is one of institutional continuity, gradual ascent, and deep operational familiarity.

That layered experience now places her at the helm of one of Nigeria’s long-standing indigenous technology and identity management companies during a period when digital transformation has become central to both public and private sector growth.

Yet Olaniyan’s career story begins long before Chams.

Those early years helped shape what colleagues often describe as her disciplined and governance-oriented leadership style — one grounded in financial control, operational accountability, and strategic patience.

At ChamsMobile, she helped drive the company’s expansion within mobile and digital financial services, a critical area in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem.