FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

For women in the boardroom, it’s one nice step forward.

Beyond bringing gender balance to corporate decision-making while seated around boardroom tables, which too often still resemble an alumni gathering of boys’ public schools, the recent appointment of Erelu Angela Adebayo, wife of former Ekiti State Governor, and three others into the Board of Directors of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), have been greeted with applause.

It has been seen as the validation of this amiable woman’s wealth of experience in the banking and oil sectors of the economy.

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Of course, Nigeria is not short of brilliant women but there are fewer of them rubbing shoulders with their male counterparts in most boardrooms. Erelu seems ready to help shatter that barrier as her presence in many bluechip companies’ boardrooms keeps rising.

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The former First Lady, who will turn 60 on September 23, presently sits on the boards of nearly 10 companies including Afriland Properties Plc., DN Meyer Paints Plc., Greenwich Trust Ltd., and Dangote Foundation.

She was elected as a council member of Nigerian Stock Exchange last year. This feat has arguably conferred on her the leading female boardroom highflier.

She cut her niche in the real estate sector when she managed a leading real estate company, Quintecca.

Born in the United Kingdom, Erelu obtained a BSC Hon (Social Science) from the University of Ibadan, an MBA from the University of Lagos, and MPHiL (Cantab) from Cambridge University.