Unilever Nigeria Plc has notified the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public of the appointment of Mr Bolaji Balogun as Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board with effect from today 16th May 2024. The Board also appointed Ms. Ngozi Edozien as Independent Non-Executive Director.
Mr. Balogun is Bolaji is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chapel Hill Denham and Chief Investment Officer of the Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund. He has over thirty-five years of experience in investment banking, investment management, investing and mobile telecommunications. Chapel Hill Denham, which he founded in April 2005, is Nigeria’s leading investment bank, its leading alternatives investment manager and impact investment firm focused on areas accretive to Nigeria and Africa’s sustainable development with funds in Infrastructure, Renewables, Climate, Real Estate, Gender, Venture, and Creative Economy.
Bolaji spent over a decade with FCMB Group, in investment banking and securities trading, until January 2001, when he left to become a co-founder and Director of Econet Wireless Nigeria, now Airtel Nigeria. Bolaji led the fund raising and license bid auction for Econet Wireless Nigeria’s USD285 million GSM license. He joined the business from inception as Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer and was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in October 2001. The US1.67 billion sale of Econet Wireless to Celtel in 2005, remains Nigeria’s single largest successfully exited private investment. Bolaji left mobile telecommunications and returned to financial services when he founded Chapel Hill in 2005. Prior to Econet Wireless and from April 1993 to January 2001, he was Executive Director/COO at CSL Stockbrokers Limited. Bolaji was Executive Director, FCMB Capital Markets from January 1996.
Bolaji is a Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact and is Co-Chair of the Private Sector Advisory Group on the SDGs. He is Chairman of Endeavor Nigeria and a Director of Trustfund Pensions, one of Nigeria’s largest pension fund managers. He is a former Chairman of Lafarge Africa Plc and Nahco FTZ Limited, a former Director of Nahco Aviance Plc and NASD OTC Plc. Bolaji was appointed to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Africa Advisory Board in September 2009.
Bolaji is an Economics (Honours) graduate of the London School of Economics. He was educated at Charterhouse, Godalming, Surrey, United Kingdom and at Igbobi College, Lagos, Nigeria.