The Board of Directors of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc has announced the appointment of Mrs. ‘Yemisi Ayeni as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Company. Her appointment was approved by the Board of Directors on 20th March 2025.
Mrs. Ayeni is a 1985 honors graduate of Economics from the prestigious University of Manchester, UK, and a 1989 Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
She started her professional career with Price Waterhouse (PW) (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), London in 1985. Following her return to Nigeria in 1991, she worked with PW Lagos and as a Partner in a privately owned financial consultancy firm until 1994 when she joined Shell Nigeria. During her 21 years with Shell, she held a variety of roles across different Shell companies, and in 2004, she was appointed Finance Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Co. Ltd (SNEPCo) becoming the first Nigerian woman to be appointed to the Board of a Shell Company in Nigeria. Mrs. Ayeni was Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Closed Pension Fund Administrator Limited from 2005 until her retirement in April 2015. She was also the Vice-Chair of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, the Chair of its Institute Committee, Council Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (now Nigerian Exchange Group Plc) and Chair of its Demutualization and Technical Committees.
She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd, and was an Independent Non-Executive Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc and Chairperson of NASCON Allied Industries Plc. She sits on the Leadership Council of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and is the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Queen’s College Old Girls’ Association.
Mrs. Ayeni’s appointment as Independent Non-Executive Director on 20th March 2025 brings the gender balance of the Board to over 40% female, is subject to the ratification of the Members of the Company at its next Annual General Meeting. The Board warmly welcomes Mrs. Ayeni and has no doubt that she will provide additional objective and unbiased oversight, strategic guidance and governance support to protect the interest of Shareholders.