Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell Group, Dr Ayoola Oba Otudeko.
Some say that successful entrepreneurs are born and not made. Others argue that good entrepreneurs can be trained and nurtured into achieving success. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. It is an undisputed fact however that starting up and building a successful business—large or small— requires a combination of talent, vision, energy, perseverance, timing, a great deal of tenacity and dexterity. These are evident in the achievements of the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell Group, Dr Ayoola Oba Otudeko.
Education:
Otudeko was born on August 18, 1943. Realising early, his passion for business and management, he attended Leeds College of Commerce where he graduated in 1968. Over the years, Otudeko in pursuit of honing his management skills, attended management courses at several prestigious institutions, amongst which are the Harvard Business School, the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Arthur D. Little School of Management, the London Business School and he bagged a doctorate degree at Olabisi Onabanjo University.
Career:
Otudeko is a highly successful Nigerian investor and entrepreneur whose domestic and foreign interests cut across diverse sectors of the economy. He is a self-made man in the field of manufacturing and telecommunications. Professionally, he is a chartered banker, chartered accountant and chartered corporate secretary. In addition to being the CEO of Honeywell, Dr Otudeko is the Group Chairman, FBN Holdings Plc. He also presently serves as Chairman of Delmar Overseas Ltd, Chairman of Fan Milk Nigeria PLC, Chairman of First Trustees Nigeria, and Chairman of Airtel Nigeria. He is currently a member of the Office of Distinguished Friends of the London Business School (UK).
The dynamic industrialist, at various times, had also served on the Boards of Central Bank of Nigeria from1990 to 1997; Guinness Nigeria Plc. From 1999 to 2003; British American Tobacco Ltd from 2001 to 2004 and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, headquartered in Lome, Togo from 2002 to 2010. Between September 2006 and August 2009, he was the 16th President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He was the Chancellor of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State from 2001 to 2010
Business:
Through sheer tenacity and dexterity, Otudeko in 1972, founded and built the Honeywell Group – a foremost indigenous conglomerate which has developed a solid track record in the Nigerian business environment; successfully establishing thriving, world-class companies which are market leaders in their respective sectors.
The Group initially began operations as a trading concern, importing and marketing commodities such as: baking yeast, stock fish, glass and steel rods, among others. Today, the Honeywell Group has evolved into a diversified enterprise with businesses across major sectors of the Nigeria economy, namely: foods and agro-allied; real estate, infrastructure, energy and services. Through additional portfolio investments, the Group is also a significant provider of capital to other sectors of Nigeria’s economy including financial services, telecommunications and security management.
Honeywell Group is a conglomerate of businesses with chains of companies like; Honeywell Flour Mills, HOGL Energy Ltd., Pivot Engineering Company Ltd., Uraga Real Estate Ltd., Anchorage Leisures Ltd., Pavilion Technology Ltd.; Broad view Engineering Ltd., Hudson Power Ltd., Uraga Power Solutions Ltd., and Honeywell Resources International Ltd. Operating from offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, the Group employs over five thousand local and expatriate staff.
Achievements and Awards:
In recognition of his numerous contributions to the development of the country, Dr Oba Otudeko was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in year 2000, in 2002, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and in 2011 his National Honour was upgraded to Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).
* The six winners of the Africa CEO Forum Awards. Otudeko (Mid-Left)
Otudeko was voted as Business Person of the Year 2015 by the Board of Leadership Newspapers, “for his relentless appetite for risk, his zeal to impact lives by creating jobs and transforming the business landscape with legacy projects and his philanthropy.” The business mogul who was recently awarded the 2016 Africa CEO of the year by the Africa CEO Forum for his outstanding contributions to the development of the African continent is renowned for being in the Forbe’s lists of Africa’s 50 richest people, ranking 46th with a net worth of $575 million as of 2014.
With his grand achievements and outstanding accomplishments in the fields of business, finance, industry and management, it is only accurate to describe Dr Ayoola Oba Otudeko, as a man of uncommon dexterity.