Oba Otudeko, CFR, is the founder of HGL and one of Nigeria's most distinguished business leaders. Over more than five decades, he has built and stewarded one of the country's most enduring business groups, with significant investments across telecoms, manufacturing, energy, real estate, and financial services.

As Chairman, he provides strategic counsel, institutional memory, and ensures continuity of the Group's founding values and long-term vision. Otudeko served as the founding Board Chairman of Econet Wireless — now Airtel Nigeria — and has played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria's modern business landscape. 

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Obafemi Otudeko is a seasoned finance and investment professional with more than 25 years’ experience across investment, capital markets and corporate development. He has led several of HGL’s most significant investments and transactions, including its partnership with Bharti Airtel and subsequent divestment from Airtel Nigeria, the listing and capital raise of Honeywell Flour Mills, the financing and opening of the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Lagos, and the sale of Honeywell Flour Mills to Flour Mills of Nigeria.

As Managing Director of HGL, he has led the Group’s transformation into a strategic investment holding company and provides strategic direction and oversight across its portfolio. His board experience includes Airtel Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria and Honeywell Flour Mills.

Obafemi began his career at PwC and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He holds a BA (Hons) in Accountancy Studies from the University of Huddersfield, is an alumnus of London Business School and INSEAD, and a member of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council.

Otu Hughes is an investment professional with more than 25 years’ experience across principal investing, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, operations and strategy in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. He oversees HGL’s investment portfolio, including the deployment of capital and performance of portfolio companies.

Before joining HGL, he was a Partner at Iroko Capital, where he led its investment banking and financial advisory business. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Investment Banking at Oceanic Capital, and earlier worked in the United States with KeyBanc Capital Markets, Deutsche Bank Alex Brown and Lehman Brothers.

Over his career, Otu has advised on more than US$12 billion in mergers and acquisitions and US$2 billion in financing transactions. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Oluwayemisi Busari is a commercial lawyer with nearly three decades of experience across corporate law, governance, litigation and complex transactions. She has advised on major cross-border and domestic deals, including capital raising for an investment in Nigeria’s first GSM operator, legal advisory on a US$100 million national power electrification and transmission project, and negotiations for international hotel management and energy services joint ventures.

She has served on the boards of Airtel Nigeria and FBNBank Sierra Leone. At HGL, she manages engagements with government and regulatory bodies and has previously led Group Legal and Regulatory Affairs, with responsibility for legal matters across the Group and its companies.

Oluwayemisi began her career at Irving and Bonnar/Bentley Edu & Co. She holds degrees in Law and English, an LLM from the University of Lagos and an MBA from Lagos Business School in partnership with IESE Business School. She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Institute of Directors and Institute of Corporate Governance.

Andrew Smith-Maxwell is an investment professional with more than 25 years’ experience in energy, infrastructure and global investment banking. He leads the Family Office, with responsibility for governance, asset stewardship, international investment oversight and long-term value preservation for the family shareholders. He also serves as the principal link between the family’s investment objectives and the Group’s execution capability, with accountability for performance reporting to the Group Investment Committee and family stakeholders.

Andrew was previously a Partner at Fieldstone Private Capital Group, advising on power and infrastructure projects across Africa. Before that, he built and led the Energy and Utilities Group at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, overseeing teams across the UK, Germany, Asia, Latin America and the United States. He has also served on the Board of Wessex Water following its acquisition by YTL Power International.

He holds a first-class degree in Engineering from Durham University and has spent his career focused on energy and infrastructure investment.

Kemi Adeoye is a financial strategist with more than 20 years’ experience across corporate finance, accounting, tax advisory and treasury management. At HGL, she has played a central role in major investments and initiatives, including developing the Group’s partnership with the Bank of Industry, advising on the acquisition of a majority stake in a port operations company, and leading the finance and tax workstream on the divestment of Honeywell Flour Mills.

She also oversees risk management and the effectiveness of controls and internal audit across the Group, and serves as a non-executive director of Ikeja Hotel Plc.

Before joining HGL, Kemi worked at Baker Tilly, where she led audit engagements for local and multinational clients across several sectors. She holds a first-class bachelor’s degree in accounting from Oxford Brookes University and an MBA from Lagos Business School, and is a member of ACCA and ICAN.

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Yewande Giwa is a legal and governance professional with more than 20 years’ post-call experience across commercial law, company secretarial practice and corporate governance. At HGL, she oversees the Group’s governance framework, board coordination, regulatory compliance and stakeholder relationships across its operating companies. She has also led sustainability initiatives, integrating environmental and social considerations into business strategy.

Yewande began her career at Banwo & Ighodalo before joining Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited, now Forte Oil Plc, where she oversaw legal matters within the real estate unit.

She holds an LLB from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master’s in Commercial & Corporate Law from the University of London, where she also earned a Certificate and Diploma in International Business Law. She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators of Nigeria and Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria.

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Olasumbo Abolaji is a commercial lawyer with two decades of experience advising on complex legal and regulatory matters across multiple sectors. As Chief Legal Officer at HGL, she leads legal advisory and dispute resolution across the Group’s portfolio companies, while overseeing commercial agreements, legal compliance and risk management.

Her role also involves managing relationships with external counsel, regulators and other key stakeholders, supporting the Group and its portfolio companies on matters that require both legal judgement and commercial awareness.

Before joining HGL, Olasumbo worked with leading Nigerian law firms, including Aelex Legal Practitioners & Solicitors. She holds an LLB from Obafemi Awolowo University and an LLM from Cornell Law School in New York. She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.

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Tomi Otudeko is a programme delivery and transformation leader with more than 20 years’ experience across operations, business development and organisational change. As Chief Operating Officer of HGL, she oversees operational excellence, technology transformation and strategic growth across the Group.

She previously led communications, CSR and digital transformation at HGL, and launched Itanna, its venture platform for early-stage technology businesses. Before joining the Group, she held leadership roles at First Bank of Nigeria, where she supported transformation across six African subsidiaries. As Head of Banking Services Improvement, she led projects that improved service delivery and reduced costs across the bank’s head office and 700 branches, generating approximately US$5 million in annual savings.

Tomi is a co-founder and trustee of Serving With Love, a charity focused on children’s digital literacy and nutrition. She holds a law degree from King’s College London and an MSc in Economics from the University of Manchester. She is a PRINCE2 Practitioner and has completed executive programmes at Stanford University and Harvard Business School.