The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria will on Wednesday, July 23, hold the investiture of Mrs Uto Ukpanah as its 30th President and Chairman of the Governing Council.
In a statement, ICSAN said Ukpanah, a governance professional and lawyer would succeed Mrs Funmi Ekundayo, the Institute’s first female president, whose two-year tenure was marked by institutional reform, innovation and significant progress in repositioning the
Currently serving as the Company Secretary of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and the MTN Nigeria Foundation, Ukpanah was said to have earned recognition for her contributions to corporate governance, playing a key role in MTN Nigeria’s historic direct listing on the Premium Board of the Nigerian Exchange Limited.
She also oversees governance at MTN’s affiliated entities including MoMo Payment Service Bank, XS Broadband, and Yello Digital Financial Services.
It was said that her investiture comes months after she was named the first-ever recipient of the Global Corporate Secretary of the Year Award by the Corporate Secretaries International Association.
The award, instituted in 2024 and spanning four continents, honoured her for pioneering work in governance, strategy and ethics, which the award panel described as globally replicable.
The incoming ICSAN President will assume office with the theme, ’Expanding the Scope of Developments, Building on the Legacy of Visionary Leadership’.
Her administration is expected to focus on deepening corporate governance standards across sectors, reinforcing ICSAN’s collaboration with key regulators including the Corporate Affairs Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Financial Reporting Council while driving progress of ICSAN’s new national secretariat construction.
“Her presidency will focus on strategic goals, including, advancing corporate governance in both public and private sectors, strengthening ICSAN’s relationship with regulatory bodies such as CAC, SEC, and FRC, ensuring substantial progress in the construction of ICSAN’s new national secretariat, sustaining ICSAN’s position as the foremost advocate of Corporate Governance in Nigeria and formalising partnerships with top-tier universities for academic linkage programmes. Beyond her professional resume, Mrs Ukpanah’s story is one of depth, dedication, and distinction,” the statement said.
Her focus is seen as a continuation of the “transformational approach” adopted by her predecessor, whose tenure ran under the theme, ’At the Speed of Thought: Innovating Impact and Thriving Through Emerging Trends’.
Born in the United States to a family of scholars, Ukpanah was raised by Professor Moses Akpanudo and Adiahaobong Jessie, both former academics at Vanderbilt and Lipscomb universities.
On their return to Nigeria, she attended Cornelia Connelly College in Uyo before earning her LLB from the University of Cross River State (now University of Uyo) in 1989. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990.
“Her professional journey includes stints at notable legal and financial institutions: Paul Usoro & Co., Ukiri & Co., United Bank for Africa, Mutual Trust Savings and Loans Limited, and M&E Finance Limited. At UBA, she played a critical role in monitoring Nigeria’s first Global Depository Receipts programme,” the statement concluded.
