By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos
Leadway Assurance has appointed Mrs. Adebisi Lamikanra as the new Chairperson of its Board of Directors, marking a historic milestone as she becomes the first woman to hold the position in the company’s 54-year history.
The announcement follows the retirement of General (Rtd.) Martin Luther Agwai, CFR, whose nine-year tenure as Board Chairman helped position Leadway among West Africa’s most trusted financial services institutions.
Lamikanra, a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), brings close to forty years of strategic leadership, advisory expertise, and corporate governance experience to the role. Her trailblazing career includes becoming the first female Partner at KPMG Nigeria, where she later served as Head of Advisory Services and Lead for the African Region Advisory Practice.
She has provided strategic consulting to major local and multinational organisations, shaping transformation across multiple sectors.
An alumna of the University of Lagos and the Lagos Business School, she has also completed advanced executive programmes at Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and the Kellogg School of Management.
Her corporate influence extends across the Nigerian business landscape, with board roles at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Evercare Hospital Lekki, and Nestle Nigeria.
Industry observers say her appointment underscores Leadway’s commitment to governance excellence and its steady transition into a future defined by innovation, digital transformation, and deeper financial inclusion.
In his farewell remarks, outgoing Chairman General Agwai expressed confidence in Lamikanra’s capability to steer the company into its next phase of growth.
He described his time at the helm as an honour, highlighting milestones such as Leadway’s restructuring into a holding company, regional expansion across West Africa, and sustained leadership in Nigeria’s insurance sector. His tenure, he noted, was anchored on stability, innovation, and strict adherence to governance principles values he believes Lamikanra is uniquely placed to reinforce.
Lamikanra, in her response, said she was honoured to assume leadership at a defining moment for both the company and the wider insurance industry.
She paid tribute to General Agwai’s leadership and thanked the Board and stakeholders for their trust. She emphasized the company’s strong legacy of trust, resilience, and innovation built over five decades, adding that the future would be guided by collaboration, digital transformation, sustainable growth, and a renewed commitment to financial inclusion.
Her appointment, she noted, aligns with Leadway’s long-standing culture of excellence and its ambition to remain at the forefront of Nigeria’s evolving financial services landscape.
As the industry continues to navigate regulatory reforms, technology shifts, and changing consumer expectations, her leadership is expected to strengthen the company’s strategic direction and deepen its national impact.
With a career marked by firsts and a reputation for disciplined execution, Lamikanra’s arrival as Board Chair signals Leadway Assurance’s readiness for a new chapter one shaped by diversity, high-level governance, and a forward-looking approach to insurance in Nigeria.
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