EVELYN OPUTU, A SUCCESS STORY

Evelyn Ndali Oputu, a success story of breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’

Evelyn Ndali Oputu was the immediate past Nigerian Managing Director/ CEO for the Bank of Industry Limited. A lady of significant financial muscles, humane and forthright, she hails from Delta State.

Under her leadership, the volume and quality of BOI’s risk assets improved phenomenally. They grew by 1,591.22 percent in six years to N166 billion by 2011 from N9.8 billion in 2005. While the portfolio at risk reduced to 14percent from 65percent over the same period.

The bank’s profit similarly peaked at N2.5 billion in 2010 from N105 million in 2005. BOI’s balance sheet was also strengthened by the creation of many physical assets. The most notable being BOI’s new twelve storey complex in Abuja that was built in eighteen months and its remodelled Lagos office.Under  Oputu’s tenure, BOI saw increased and continued involvement in national development, including the management of 25 initiatives on behalf of Federal and State Governments, private sector entities, foreign agencies and international organisations.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s development, she was conferred with a national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2008 by the Government of Nigeria and an honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration by Nigeria’s first private University, the Igbinedion University in 2010.

“BOI will continue to build on the solid foundation that has been laid under Evelyn Oputu’s transformative leadership style,” says the Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Waheed Olagunju.

From a humble beginning, she started her education at St. Teresa College, in Ibadan, South-West of Nigeria (1960 – 1964), through both Federal School of Arts and Science Lagos (1965 – 1967) and Temple School Secretariat Washington DC (1968 – 1969), culminating in B.Sc. Business administration at the university of Lagos (1972 – 75). Evelyn Oputu was also at the Harvard Business School, Boston, in 1987 where she obtained a Diploma in Mass General Management.

Between 1997 and 2005, this outstanding woman of excellence was chairman and CEO of KES products limited which is a manufacturing company engaged in polyethylene blown films and polypropylene lines of packaging for industrial and domestic uses.

She was also a lead consultant of NDALI consultants which is a financial concern engaged in raising of funds for both debt and equity for private and quoted companies. Her clients included FAAN, NCAA, NAMA, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria (NCAT) as well as financial consulting for two merchant banks.

In 1991 to 1997, Evelyn Oputu became an Executive Director, First Bank of Nigeria Plc in which her main assignment spanned all technical aspects of the Bank’s operations.

Earlier, between 1982 and 1990, at the International Merchant Bank, she operated through Treasury and Financial Division, Corporate Finance Division, the Capital Market, as well as the Project and Financial advisory service areas.

An Executive Director in 1990 and chairman, committee on the financial management of Aviation Parastatals (2000 – 2001). Evelyn Ndali Oputu, has also been a member of board of several buoyant companies which are engaged in a wide range of financial build-up.She always attributes her achievements in life to luck and providence. Evelyn Ndali Oputu,  is one of the women achievers in this country who have broken the glass ceiling and tread the terrain reserved for men. Though glamorous, but beneath the beauty is a lady of significant financial muscles, humane and forthright.

Through hard work, she worked herself up the ladder in the financial sectors and served as a member of several buoyant companies which are engaged in a wide range of financial build-up such as insurance, mining, oil and gas, medical and manufacturing.

Evelyn is Chair, Board of Trustees, The Ovie Brume Foundation (OBF). OBF was established in 2003 to commemorate the memory of Oviehire Adeyemi Kesiena Brume by supporting his commitment to Nigeria’s development, and working to realize his vision where the youth have easy access to information and resources required for personal development and success in their endeavours.  Ovie attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied Economics and Business Administration. The late Ovie obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

For Evelyn, “Nigeria has all it takes to become an industrial hub. In terms of our natural resource base – whether it is land, water, population or level of education – everything that is necessary to revolutionise the country exists here. The next thing we need to do is get policymakers in position to actually translate all of these resources into the final products that we need. Thankfully, we have the right people in place, and I believe we have already passed the threshold because the policy changes have already started. We can see it happening at the moment.”

Kemi Ajumobi