Head of Digital Business Solutions, British American Tobacco West and Central Africa (BATWCA), Olakunle Ogedengbe, has clinched the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Year (Consumer Goods Category) at the second edition of the CIO Awards organised by Edniesal Consulting Limited, an enterprise governance firm.
The CIO Awards celebrates and honours successful and outstanding individuals and organisations that are using digital innovation and information technology systems to bring about real growth and transformation to business. About 60 firms participated in the awards.
In a welcome speech, the convener, CIO Awards and the CIO Club Africa, Mrs. Abiola Laseinde, said the occasion was an opportunity to celebrate the nation’s corporate giants and the leaders of digital revolution.
“In the last two years, our world has seen remarkable alterations in our way of life. The effect of globalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought technology and digital revolution to the front burner of our daily existence. The CIO Awards ceremony will continue to acknowledge the phenomenal work done behind the scenes by various IT professionals in our ever-changing world,” she said.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the CIO Awards and President of the Executive Leadership Council of the CIO Awards and the CIO Awards Jury, Mr. Ade Bajomo, described the awards as the Oscar for digital innovators and leaders. He noted that digital facilities are the biggest assets of any company, while commending Edniesal for recognising the heroes of digital technology.
“I often say that the fourth industrial revolution, which we are in now and transitioning from, is an exciting one for Africans. This is the first revolution that Africans are solving African problems, leveraging global partnerships and technologies. It is a great time to be part and parcel of it. This year alone, $1.5 billion has flown into fintechs in Africa and interestingly, Nigeria accounts for a third of that. Hence, I really think there is no better time to celebrate these heroes and to create a platform for the future. If we are really going to solve any problem in this country, it is going to be done leveraging technology and bringing in participants around the technology ecosystem.”
In an address delivered on behalf of the company, BAT West and Central Africa Director for External Affairs, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, expressed appreciation to Edniesal Consulting for “recognising the difference we are making at BAT especially around leveraging digital technology to deliver on our transformation.”
She added that “at BAT, we are on a transformation journey to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of our business, and our ambition is to accelerate this transformation through our range of alternative choices for adult consumers, which are already being used by millions of consumers worldwide. Our goal is to continue to focus on our societal responsibilities in Nigeria and beyond by keeping sustainability front and centre of all we do.
“As you will all appreciate, in today’s business world, you cannot deliver on this ambition without leveraging digital transformation, technology, and innovation. This is at the very core of it. As part of the journey, we are working to build new technologies and capabilities while leveraging, reusing and scaling existing ones.”
Earlier on, in a goodwill message, the Chairman of the occasion and CEO, Chapel Hill Denham, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, said, “whether we like it or not, if we are going to diversify the economy over the next decade we will do so primarily by creating values in the non-oil industry and one key sector where such opportunities exist is in the technology sector; and that is why an event like this that celebrates all of you who are leaders in the industry is very important. I am so proud to be involved in it.”
