About Us

Mr. Olakunle Alake is the Group Vice President, DIL Businesses. He started his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a firm of Chartered Accountants, in September 1984 and resigned in 1990 to join Liberty Merchant Bank Limited, a financial institution of the Dangote Group, as the Financial Controller.

In August 1993, he was appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive of Liberty Merchant Securities Limited. He was the Management Consultant and part of the team that provided turn-around services for a smooth take-over of International Trust Bank Plc by the Dangote Group in August 1996.

In July 1997, he moved to the Group Corporate office as the Financial Controller and Head of Strategic Services. He was appointed to the Board as Executive Director and given responsibility for the Group strategy in 2001. In January 2007, he was appointed the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Group.

He was the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Dangote Industries Limited until March 2024. He serves on the board of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, and Dangote Cement Plc. Mr. Alake holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (1983) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

Mr. D.V.G Edwin is the Group Vice President, Oil & Gas and Fertiliser. He started his career in 1978, and he progressed to the level of Managing Director in 1989, in India. During his career in India in Industrial Management, his areas of focus were industrial engineering, cost reduction, human capital management, general management, and project management.

He had executed industrial projects funded by the World Bank. Mr. Edwin joined the company in 1992 as a General Manager and was promoted to General Manager in 1994 and Executive Director (Projects) in 1998.

In 2000, he became the Executive Director (Industries and Projects), with responsibility for supervising all the plants in the Group including the sugar refinery, cement terminal, salt plant, flour mills, pasta plant, packaging materials plant and textile mills. In 2002, he was moved to the position of Executive Director (Business Development) to oversee all the new projects.

He was the Managing Director/CEO of Obajana Cement Plc from 2004 to 2006. He was formerly the Group Managing Director / CEO of Dangote Cement Plc prior to being appointed to his current position. Mr. D.V.G Edwin holds a graduate and master’s degree in engineering from the Madras University in India and he is also a Chartered Engineer. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IITM, Holland.

Mr. David Bird is a global energy industry executive with extensive leadership experience across upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas operations, refining, petrochemicals, and LNG, spanning multiple continents.

He served as Chief Executive Officer of OQ8 (Duqm Refinery & Petrochemical Company) in Oman — a USD 9.5 billion independent joint venture between Oman and Kuwait, and the largest collaborative investment between two GCC countries. As CEO, Mr. Bird delivered the pace-setting, flawless start-up of the refinery, terminal, pipeline, and utilities, achieving sustained full production within six months of mechanical completion and within budget. He designed, built, and recruited the corporate and technical organisation of approximately 750 employees, and oversaw USD 4.2 billion in project financing, successfully completing the Lender Reliability Test and releasing over USD 4 billion in shareholder guarantees.

Previously, Mr. Bird served as Senior Vice President, Production Operations at Santos (Australia, 2018–2022), where he was accountable for the company’s national portfolio of oil and gas production, midstream pipeline and LNG, and downstream refinery operations (2,500 staff). He delivered record production alongside best-ever safety and cost performance, generating over USD 1.5 billion in free cash flow, and led the integration of ConocoPhillips Australia into Santos.

From 2015 to 2018, he held the role of Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain at Shell Australia, with end-to-end accountability for Shell’s operated assets, including the flagship USD 12 billion Prelude FLNG mega-project (3,500 staff, USD 15 billion revenue). He implemented a Continuous Improvement/LEAN culture delivering USD 70 million per year in cost savings and was a recognised champion of diversity and reconciliation.

Mr. Bird’s earlier career at Shell included senior leadership roles as Head of Operations in Singapore (Shell’s largest fully-complex refinery and petrochemical site, >500k bbls/day), Commissioning & Start-Up Manager for the greenfield USD 10 billion Motiva Port Arthur refinery expansion in the USA, Sales & Supply Manager for Asia, Pacific & Middle East, and Plant Manager at Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest refinery in South Africa.

He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, a Master of Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honours) from Imperial College London, and completed the INSEAD International Directors Programme. Mr. Bird is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE), and a Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Ms. Fatima Aliko-Dangote is currently the Group Executive Director of Dangote Industries Limited, in charge of Group Commercial Operations – Oil & Gas, providing commercial leadership across the energy businesses including the Dangote Refinery & Petrochemicals, Dangote Fertiliser and West Africa Exploration & Production, Upstream. She also continues to oversee the activities of the Group’s Branding & Communications, Strategic Procurement, and the general administration of the Group. She is also responsible for commercial operations across the Dangote Business Units.

In her previous role, Fatima was the Executive Director, Commercials at NASCON Allied Industries Plc, the leading player in Salt Refining and Marketing across Nigeria. She was responsible for developing and implementing NASCON’s Commercial Sales and Marketing strategy with additional oversight for Logistics, Transportation and Branding. As an Executive Director on the Board of NASCON, she provided guidance in ensuring strategic alignment with the Group, continued business growth and corporate governance compliance.

Prior to this, Fatima held multiple roles within Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) the parent company of the Dangote Group, as a Technical Specialist in Strategy where she worked with the various Businesses within the Group in charting relevant business growth strategies; as well as performed the role of Executive Assistant to the Group Executive Director, Business Development and Portfolio Management. She previously also held the position of Associate at Banwo & Ighodalo, one of the leading law firms in Nigeria.

She holds a law degree from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom and has attended leadership executive programmes from institutes such as the University of Columbia, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Cambridge. Ms. Aliko-Dangote is a Member of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Fatima is passionate about philanthropy and is involved with the Aliko Dangote Foundation. She is happily married with children.

Mr. Aliyu Suleiman is an established strategy and business transformation executive with over two decades of professional experience spanning management consulting, oil and gas, banking, and industrial conglomerates.

He currently serves as Group Chief Strategy Officer at Dangote Industries Limited, a role he has held since 2017, where he is responsible for Strategy & Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Transformation, and Change Management. In this capacity, he coordinated the start-up of the Dangote Refinery’s commercial operations, executed the sale of an equity stake in the Dangote Refinery to NNPC, led the acquisition of an oil services company, and drove new business development across multiple countries and sectors. He also developed and currently oversees the Group’s digital strategy.

Since 2019, Mr. Suleiman has served as a Board Member of Dangote Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, where he chairs the HR and Procurement Board Committees and supports the business unit’s management in establishing the new venture.

Prior to joining Dangote, Mr. Suleiman spent six years (2008–2014) at McKinsey & Company in the London office, rising to the role of Associate Principal (Junior Partner). At McKinsey, he led multiple engagement teams across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, advising global and regional financial institutions and national oil companies on strategy, operational turnaround, IT transformation, and organisational optimisation. Notable accomplishments include co-authoring the report “Nigeria’s Renewal: Delivering Inclusive Growth”, launched at the World Economic Forum Africa in 2014.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Suleiman worked as an IT Systems Engineer at Shell Nigeria (2001–2006), where he coordinated IT infrastructure support for over 8,000 users across more than a hundred locations. He began his career as an IT Project Engineer at International Trust Bank Plc., where he was promoted within six months for exceptional performance.

Mr. Suleiman holds an MBA (with Distinction) from INSEAD (Singapore/France, 2007) and a B.Eng. in Electrical/Electronics Engineering (Second Class Upper Division) from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Nigeria. He is also a graduate of the Shell Intensive Training Programme, where he was recognised as the best trainee in the Petroleum Engineering section. He is fluent in Hausa, English, and has intermediate proficiency in French.

Mr. A.B. Mahmoud is an accomplished legal practitioner and arbitrator with over 40 years of experience across private practice, public service, and corporate governance. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1980, he has been in private practice since 1993 and is the Managing Partner of Dikko & Mahmoud, a full-service law firm with offices in Kano and Abuja, advising clients across the public and private sectors.

He has led numerous complex transactions and high-stakes commercial litigations, including landmark cases before the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He also served as Special Prosecutor in EFCC/CBN banking fraud cases and advised the Central Bank of Nigeria on sensitive investigations in the petroleum sector.

A seasoned arbitrator, Mr. Mahmoud has acted as counsel, sole arbitrator, and co-arbitrator in major domestic and international disputes across oil and gas, telecommunications, construction, and investment sectors. He contributed to Nigeria’s Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 as a member of the National Arbitration Policy Committee. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), an ICSID Panel Member, and a member of the Energy Arbitrators List. He was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2001.

He previously served in the Kano State Ministry of Justice (1979–1993), rising to Attorney-General and holding key roles including Director of Public Prosecutions and Solicitor-General.

Mahmoud has extensive board and leadership experience, having served on the boards of major institutions including MTN Nigeria Plc, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, and Nigerian Exchange Limited (as Chairman). He also served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Kano University of Science and Technology (2013–2022).

He was President of the Nigerian Bar Association from 2016 to 2018, where he led significant reforms and strengthened international partnerships. He continues to serve in advisory roles for leading foundations and governance initiatives and is a frequent speaker at professional and policy forums globally.

Dr. Mutiu Sunmonu is a distinguished corporate leader with over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, primarily with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he held senior leadership roles across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. He holds a first-class degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Lagos.

He served as Managing Director of SPDC and Regional Vice President (Production) from 2008, and later as Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, combining both roles. During his tenure, he oversaw multi-billion-dollar operations, managing four subsidiaries and a workforce of over 4,000 employees. Under his leadership, Shell Nigeria contributed approximately $70 billion to national revenue between 2009 and 2013. He was the most senior African executive within the Shell Group at the time and was widely recognised for driving operational excellence, innovation, and sustainable business practices.

Dr. Sunmonu retired from SPDC in 2015 after 36 years of service and was awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2014. Following his retirement, he has built a strong portfolio career in corporate governance and strategic advisory, serving in key leadership roles across multiple sectors. He is Chairman of Petralon Energy Nigeria, ChampionX Nigeria (an Ecolab company), Coronation Insurance Plc, The Alpha Mead Group, and Bloombreed Schools, Port Harcourt. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Air Peace and Northridge Engineering Limited, and as Executive Advisor to Greenville LNG. In academia, he is Chancellor of McPherson University.

Dr. Sunmonu is the President and Co-Founder of The Sage Centre for Leadership Excellence, where he promotes transformative leadership and corporate governance across West Africa. He is also the Founder of the Mutiu Sunmonu Foundation, through which he advances education and leadership development, including co-founding Bloombreed Schools and supporting academic excellence initiatives in Nigerian universities.

A respected thought leader and mentor, he is known for his values-driven leadership style, commitment to sustainability, and passion for developing future leaders.

Mr. Adedapo Segun is a seasoned finance executive with over 35 years of extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, spanning financial management, corporate strategy, and large-scale enterprise transformation. He is currently Chief Financial Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, where he plays a pivotal role in driving financial performance, capital structuring, and investor relations for Nigeria’s foremost energy company.

He has held several senior leadership roles within NNPC Limited, including Executive Vice President (Downstream), Chief Finance & Investor Relations Officer, and Treasurer, where he provided strategic oversight on financial planning, treasury operations, regulatory compliance, and funding strategies across the organisation.

Prior to joining NNPC, Mr. Segun built a distinguished 25-year career at Chevron Corporation and Chevron Nigeria Limited, serving in multiple finance and operational roles across Nigeria and the United States. His experience covered financial forecasting, reporting, capital project accounting, payroll management, and business coordination, equipping him with deep technical and operational expertise across the energy value chain.

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), he is highly regarded for his expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, treasury management, regulatory affairs, and process automation. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from Lagos State Polytechnic.

Mr. Segun brings strong boardroom competencies in financial governance, strategic planning, and value creation, with a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering sustainable financial outcomes in complex, capital-intensive environments.

Mr. Viswanathan Shankar is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the dynamic growth markets of Africa, Middle East and Asia.

He previously served as CEO – Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas, and member of the global board of Standard Chartered Plc and prior to that, he served as Head of Investment Banking for Asia Pacific at Bank of America.

His past appointments in non-executive roles include the boards of the Inland Revenue Authority Singapore; Enterprise Singapore; Majid Al Futtaim Holdings and Vice Chair of the Future of Banking Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum.

Shankar is also currently a non-executive director of Gateway Delta Development Holdings, Mauritius and Fund for Export Development in Africa, Egypt. He was awarded the Public Service Medal by the government of Singapore in 2014.

Mr. Shankar obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1977 and a master’s degree in business administration in 1979 from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.