By Henry Falaiye
PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc has appointed a former chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Ifueko Okauru, as chairman of its board.
The company said in a statement that key appointments in its board have been approved following the exit of two persons in its top hierarchy on account of retirement and resignation.
It disclosed that Gbenga Oyebode retired as the chairman of its board and a non-executive director with effect from 25 January.
According to the statement, he has been replaced by Okauru, whose tenure took effect on January 25, following approval of her appointment at a board meeting held after the company’s annual general meeting on the same date.
Okauru is the first female chair of the company, having joined the board in April 2021 as an independent non-executive director.
She trained as a chartered accountant and is a strategy and change management consultant with experience in both the private and public sectors.
She headed strategy practice at Arthur Andersen and Co, where she spent more than 10 years.
“She emerged as the first female executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service,” the statement said.
She currently serves on the boards of MTN Nigeria Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc as non-executive Director and on the boards of AfyaCare Ltd and ReStraL Ltd as chairperson.
Prior to her appointment, Okauru had served as the chairperson of the Audit and Risk and Statutory Audit Committees and a member of the Governance and People Committee of PZ Cussons.
She holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MSc in Management Science from Imperial College London as well as a BSc in Accounting (First Class) from the University of Lagos.
Okauru is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Compliance Institute of Nigeria and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Oyebode currently chairs Okomu Oil and is an independent non-executive director at Nestle Nigeria.
Source: The Punch
