Yemisi Izuora
Insurance Meets Tech (IMT), Nigeria’s foremost platform for dialogue on innovation and transformation in the insurance industry, congratulates Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu on her historic election as Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) and Mr. Akinjide Orimolade on his investiture this week as the 53rd President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).
Their emergence accentuates the renewal of leadership across the industry’s most influential professional bodies, following the earlier elections of Mrs Ekeoma Ezeibe at the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) and Dr Joyce Odiachi at the Professional Insurance Ladies Association (PILA).
These transitions come at a time when the insurance sector is in the midst of its most consequential transformation in a generation, driven by the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025, an ongoing industry-wide recapitalisation exercise and a renewed regulatory push by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to deepen penetration, strengthen market conduct and reposition insurance at the heart of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The leaders now at the helm will not merely inherit their institutions. They will steer them through reform.
History was made at the NIA with the election of Mrs. Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Rex Insurance Limited, as the Association’s 27th Chairman and the first woman to hold its highest office. Her ascension is a landmark for the Nigerian insurance industry, a signal that the sector’s future will be shaped by inclusive leadership and widening possibilities for women across its ranks.
At the CIIN, the industry’s foremost professional and training institution, Mr. Akinjide Orimolade, Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Limited, assumes office as the 53rd President and Chairman of Council. A chartered insurer with nearly three decades of experience across underwriting, brokerage and executive leadership, his election reflects the Institute’s enduring commitment to raising professional standards, deepening technical competence and preparing the next generation of practitioners for an industry being remade by reform and technology.
These latest transitions join a wider renewal of leadership across the industry’s institutional landscape. At the NCRIB, Mrs Ekeoma Ezeibe, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Trust Insurance Brokers Limited, serves as the 23rd President and Chairman of the Governing Board, making her the third woman to lead the Council in its 63-year history. Her emergence is a testament to her professional excellence, integrity and visionary leadership within the broking community, and to the confidence her peers had in her ability to steer the Council through a period of profound industry transformation.
At PILA, Dr. Joyce Odiachi, Acting Managing Director of International Energy Insurance (IEI) Plc, serves as President. Her election crowns a distinguished career defined by resilience, competence and strategic vision, and positions her to extend PILA’s enduring legacy of empowering women and nurturing the industry’s future leaders.
Extending his congratulations, Odion Aleobua, Convener of Insurance Meets Tech and Chief Executive Officer of Creato Urban, said, “This is a defining moment for our industry. The four most influential institutions welcome new leaders against the backdrop of the most ambitious reforms the insurance sector has seen in decades. Their emergence is an invitation to build an insurance industry that is stronger, more trusted and more relevant to the everyday Nigerian. It will take exactly this calibre of leadership to answer that invitation. We are especially proud to witness the NIA’s first female Chairman take office, a milestone that tells every young woman in this industry that no room is closed to her.”
“Over the years, we have enjoyed longstanding and productive relationships with all four of these reputable institutions, whose participation has consistently enriched the quality of dialogue and thought leadership on the IMT platform. As we look ahead to the landmark 5th Edition of Insurance Meets Tech this September, we look forward to deepening collaboration with the new leadership in driving innovative solutions, supporting the industry through this reform era and advancing inclusive growth across Nigeria’s insurance and financial services landscape,”Aleobua concluded.
IMT extends its sincere appreciation to the outgoing leadership of the NIA, CIIN, NCRIB and PILA for their invaluable contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria’s insurance industry.