The Chief Information Officer (CIO) for British American Tobacco in West and Central Africa, Olakunle Ogedengbe, emerged the winner in the Platinum Category, as CIO of the Year (Consumer Goods and Retail) at the inaugural edition of CIO Awards organized by Edniesal Consulting Limited.
Edniesal Consulting Limited, an enterprise governance firm, said the CIO Awards was instituted to honour C-Level tech professionals in Nigeria who delivered business value to their organisations, and the industry at large, through the use of technology, during the year under review.
The award was received on behalf of Mr Ogedengbe by the BAT Area Head of Corporate Affairs, Abimbola Okoya, and the Information & Digital Technology Services Manager, Kayode Moriwawon.
Thanking the organisers for the award, Abimbola stated that “this award means a lot to us because, through technology, innovation and digital transformation, we are driven to continually optimise the business environment of our employees, our business partners and other stakeholders. It is all a means to an outcome, an outcome that focuses on value and sustainability which are aligned to our corporate purpose of creating a better tomorrow for our internal and external stakeholders. Winning this award is, therefore, a validation of our consistent investments in our people and information technology over the years.”
BAT has always been an industry bellwether in the deployment of information technology to optimise business operations and improve stakeholder experience. Mr. Ogedengbe has overseen the deployment of several innovative platforms and initiatives at BAT that continues to ensure that business processes work seamlessly for all stakeholders in the wake of the limitations occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This award means a lot to us because, through technology, innovation and digital transformation, we are driven to continually optimise the business environment of our employees, our business partners and other stakeholders”
Initiatives such as employees’ access to work effectively remotely, e-learning portals, e-portals for processes and approvals, contract management e-platform among others, ensure that BAT employees, contractors/suppliers, business partners and other stakeholders continue to operate optimally in spite of having to transact virtually across distances even as the company continues to forge ahead on its sustainability goals.
Other award recipients included Funke Opeke of MainOne Cable, who was awarded Best Female Leader in Digital and Technology; Omobola Johnson, Lifetime Achievement Award; Okechukwu Iroegbu of Stanbic IBTC, CIO of the Year, Banking; Ezra Olubi of Paystack, CIO of the Year, Fintech; and others
