The Board of Directors of Eterna Plc has announced the appointment of new Directors and a new company secretary for the company.
The Board appointed Mr. Akinwande Ademosu as an Independent Non-Executive Director, while Mr. Benjamin Nwaezeigwe was appointed an Executive Director.
Mr. Mandella Golkus was appointed as the new Company Secretary of Eterna Plc.
Eterna Plc said this in a statement to newsmen signed by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mrs Phoebean Ifeadi.
According to the statement, Mr. Akinwande Ademosu was appointed an Independent Non-Executive Director, effective 1st of March 2022. Akinwande is an accomplished entrepreneur with over two decades of Banking, Finance, Retail Credit and Consumer Finance experience spanning several banks and non-bank financial institutions in Nigeria. He is currently the Managing Director of Credit Direct Limited, a subsidiary of FCMB Group.
In the same vein, Mr. Benjamin Nwaezigwe joined Eterna Plc as the Chief Operating Officer on the 2nd of December 2021 and was appointed an Executive Director, effective 1st March 2022. He worked as the Managing Director of BHR International Ventures Limited, a privately owned indigenous downstream company which specializes in the distribution of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).
He has worked with Fynefield Petroleum Company where he was responsible for coordinating the company’s petroleum products terminal activities and subsequently, worked with Rainoil Limited as a Deputy General Manager. Mr Benjamin Nwaezeigwe has over thirteen years’ experience in the downstream sector of the Oil and Gas industry.
Mr Mandella Golkus was appointed the new Company Secretary of Eterna Plc with effect from 1st April 2022 and he takes over the role of the Company Secretary from Mrs Bunmi Agagu – Adu.
Before joining Eterna Plc, Mandella worked in the Legal Department at Rainoil Limited with the Company Secretary & Legal Adviser. He worked previously with FBN General Insurance Ltd where he was responsible for regulatory compliance and advisory support. He had also worked in Total E&P Nigeria CPFA Limited as the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser in the advisory, compliance, legal risk management and governance sector.
Prior to this, the Board of Eterna Plc comprised five Non-Executive Directors: Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, Mrs. Godrey Ogbechie, Mr. Anibor Kragha, Barrister Okey Omezi and Mr. Emmanuel Omuojine and one Executive Director, Mrs. Phoebean Ifeadi.
The Chairman of the Board of Eterna Plc, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie is the founder and Group Managing Director of Rainoil Limited. A graduate of Production Engineering from the University of Benin, Dr Ogbechie has almost three decades of cognate experience in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. He began his early career as a factory engineer between 1989 and 1991 and subsequently joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading firm of Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants. He spent four years at Ascon Oil, heading the Sales and Operations Unit in 1997 before he founded Rainoil Limited, which he has guided from very modest beginnings to a company with operations across the downstream value chain. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School.
Mrs. Godrey Ogbechie has over 19 years’ experience, spanning from extensive banking experience, Operations, Customer Service / Relationship Management, Audit and Human Resource Management. She served at Universal Trust Bank Limited and Fidelity Bank Plc. As the Head, Human Resources of Fidelity Bank, she was a key member of the Fidelity FSB and Manny Bank Merger Team. She joined Rainoil Limited in 2009 and is currently the Group Executive Director.
Mr Emmanuel Omuojine a consummate and certified Project Management Professional (Project Management Institute) and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt (American Society for Quality) has been appointed as a Non – Executive Director of the Board of Eterna Plc He is also a certified Chartered Accountant with a B.Sc. in Estate Management from the University of Lagos. He spent over nine years with the professional service of PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining Rainoil in 2014 and is currently an Executive Director.
Mrs. Phoebean Ifeadi appointed to the Board as an Executive Director, Corporate Services is a professional member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. She has held several roles during her career and she possesses a plethora of cognate experience. She was previously the Managing Director of Brilax Oil Limited. She holds a degree in Chemistry from University of Ibadan. She also has an MBA from the University of Lagos.
Mr. Anibor Kragha appointed as a Non – Executive Director of the Board of Eterna Plc is currently the Executive Secretary of the African Refiners & Distributors Association (ARA), a position he has held from April 2020 till date. Mr. Kragha served as the President of the ARA from March 2019 to March 2020. Prior to the ARA, he was the Chief Operating Officer for the Refineries & Petrochemicals Directorate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from April 2016 to July 2019. Prior to this, he served as Group General Manager, Treasury for NNPC from September 2015 to March 2016. He had earlier spent over ten years working for Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), an affiliate of ExxonMobil, culminating in serving as the Upstream Treasurer for ExxonMobil Affiliates in Nigeria from July 2012 to September 2015.
Barrister Okey Omezi is currently a partner at Ogbemudje, Omezi & co. He specializes in Aviation Law, Human Resources and Labor-related issues, Compensations and Dispute Resolution, Properties and Corporate Legal Solutions. He has been appointed as a Non- Executive Director of the Board of Eterna Plc
Commenting on the appointments, the Chairman of Eterna Plc, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie congratulated the new Directors: Mr Akinwande Ademosu and Mr Benjamin Nwaezeigwe, as well as, the new Company Secretary, Mr Mandella Golkus. He advised them to be committed to adding value and positioning the Company on the path of accelerated growth.
