Leadership

Our board is fully engaged, collaborative and adopts a rigorous transparent decision-making process to create long-term stakeholder value.

Meet our Board of Directors

Henry Odein Ajumogobia

Chairman

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero

Managing Director/CEO

Defolu Olufon

General Counsel

Ibrahim Waziri

Non-Executive Director

Richard Egan

Non-Executive Director

Emmanuel Etomi

Executive Director Corporate Services

Casper Kaars Sijpesteijn

Non-Executive Director

Fola Adeola

Non-Executive Director

Daniella Obiesie-Uijlenhoed

Non-Executive Director

Juliet Ehimuan

Independent Non-Executive Director

Management Team

Our management team is fully committed to sustainable value and supports the long-term interests of partners, employees, customers, suppliers, and the communities where we do business.

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero

Managing Director/CEO

Emmanuel Etomi

Executive Director Corporate Services

Olatunbosun Oni

GM Operations

Darlington Okougha

GM Finance

Defolu Olufon

General Counsel

Segun Owolabi

GM Development

John Alamu

GM Engineering & Capital Projects

Yetunde Taiwo

GM, Integrated Gas Development

Abimbola Ayinde
GM Corporate Finance & Upstream Commercial

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The heart of our busines is defined by a set of five core values which solidify the foundation we run our business on.

Henry Odein Ajumogobia

Chairman

A senior partner in the leading corporate/commercial law firm of Ajumogobia & Okeke that he co-founded in January 1984 and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2003, having been called to the Nigerian Bar in 1979. He was also a member of the Paris based ICC International Court of Arbitration and ICC International Commission on Arbitration between 2001 and 2006.

Mr. Odein Ajumogobia entered public service, following his appointment as Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice between 2003 and 2007 and was appointed Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum) and Head of Nigeria’s delegation to OPEC from July 2007 to December 2008. He also served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between January 2009 – April 2010 and as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 6, 2010, until the dissolution of the Federal cabinet on May 29, 2011.

Mr. Ajumogobia has received numerous honours and including the National award of Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR).

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero

Managing Director/CEO

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero is a seasoned Oil & Gas professional with a sound knowledge of scenario and strategy development and execution. He leads FIRST E&P’s drive towards the attainment of a sustainably successful integrated oil and gas business in Nigeria and delivering on its corporate strategy.

Prior to embarking on the entrepreneurial journey, Ademola was the President of BG (British Gas) Nigeria with responsibility for the Integrated Gas, Exploration & Production businesses of the BG Group in Nigeria. Before BG, he spent about 20 years with Shell, where he occupied significant roles in several countries which included Nigeria, The Netherlands, and the United States of America. His last role in Shell was as Business Director / Board Executive of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited (SPDC) where he was responsible for Corporate Strategy & Planning, Commercial, JV Management, Information Technology and the Exploration portfolio. And prior to this, he spent three-and-a-half years in the Shell Group corporate head offices as the VP for New Business Development in Africa where he was accountable for new country entry strategies for Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and East/West Africa, as well as growing existing positions in Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon.

In these management and executive roles, Ademola provided leadership over diverse technical and commercial teams, country business units, focused on value creation and supporting Business Governance objectives of the respective companies.

Ademola brings integrity, a sound business head, and a wealth of invaluable leadership experience and capability to FIRST E&P. He has a Bachelor of Science (Offshore) Civil Engineering degree from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, and a Master of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, University of London, England. He is married with two children.

Defolu Olufon

General Counsel

Defolu has over 20 years’ experience as a lawyer. Defolu’s experience in several legal roles covers dispute resolution, corporate & commercial law and energy law whilst working as an Associate and Senior Associate at Aluko & Oyebode and as the Legal Counsel/Company Secretary of BG Nigeria (Nigerian branch of BG Group Plc, UK).

Since inception of the Company in July 2012, Defolu has been the General Counsel, where he has led the legal team to support the Company’s bids for numerous oil and gas assets in divestment rounds involving International Oil Companies, from which the Company has been successful in acquiring interests in five (5) Oil Mining Leases.

Defolu has worked in challenging environments such as China and Nigeria and also worked in Singapore and the United Kingdom. His expertise is focused on upstream matters relating to Production Sharing Contracts, Joint Operating Agreements, Farm-In and Farm-Out Agreements, Drilling Services Agreement, Shareholders Agreement relating to LNG projects as well as Corporate Governance issues.

He is an expert on anti-corruption matters in challenging environments and has a very good understanding of the UK Bribery Act, U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Nigerian Anti-Corruption legislation. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Lagos and a Master of Laws Degree from the University College London.

Ibrahim Waziri

Non-Executive Director

Ibrahim has over 38 years post-graduation professional experience in the public sector, banking, oil and gas industries. With educational background spanning Accounting, Finance, Petroleum and Gas Economics, his work experience includes: Chairman of the Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN); Group Executive Director at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Deputy MD/CEO Nigeria LNG Ltd; Executive Director, Nigeria Gas Company Ltd; and Executive Director the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company. His earlier work experiences included Financial and Credit Analyst, Lecturer, and a former Member of the Nigerian House of Representatives.

Presently, he is the Managing Partner, Gulf of Guinea Petroleum Consulting Limited and serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of several companies. He is a Fellow, Institute of Directors (IOD) and his extensive experience across industries is brought to bear on his Board contributions.

Richard Egan

Non-Executive Director

Richard Egan represents Larny Investments Limited (a fully owned subsidiary of Vitol SA) on the Board of Directors of FIRST E&P. He has served as a Commercial Business Developer at Vitol since 2011.

Emmanuel Etomi

Executive Director Corporate Services

Emmanuel’s Human Resources Management experience spans over 20 years in the Oil & Gas industry both in Nigeria and Brunei. His Human Resources knowledge covers Resourcing, Employee Relations and Recruitment.

He led Shell’s Social Performance transformation agenda between 2004 – 2008. In 2008, he joined BG Nigeria as Vice President Social Performance, and was responsible for the development and implementation of the social performance standards of the BG Group in Nigeria. He was subsequently seconded to OKLNG as General Manager Sustainable Development and External Relations in 2010.

Casper Kaars Sijpesteijn

Non-Executive Director

An E&P Oil and Gas professional with over 40 years’ experience in the industry, primarily with Shell International, during which period Casper occupied several key roles, including General Manager of Shell Companies in Colombia and Venezuela and General Manager Development for Shell in Nigeria. Casper served as the pioneer Technical Director of FIRST E&P and spearheaded many innovations, before retiring from active duty in the Company in 2017, transiting to become a Non-Executive Director of the Board.

During his long career, Casper worked in many countries, including Brunei, The Netherlands, UK, Colombia, Venezuela, and in Nigeria. He has a wealth of industry experience and a track record in technical & operational delivery.

Fola Adeola

Non-Executive Director

Mr Fola Adeola is a seasoned finance professional with years of vast experience. Mr Fola Adeola is the Founder and Chairman of FATE Foundation. He is a Co-founder of the Guaranty Trust Bank Plc where he also served as a Pioneer MD, Chief Executive and Chairman for 12 years. Previously, he served as the Group MD and CEO at the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc from 2005 to 2006 and served as a Member of the Advisory Board of Advanced Finance & Investment Group LLC.

Fola acted in public service when he served as the Chairman of the National Pension Commission from 2004 to 2006 and also as a Commissioner on the Commission for Africa established by the former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair from 2004 – 2005.

Fola has degrees from the London School of Accountancy, the International Institute for Management Development, the Lagos Business School, and the Harvard Business School.

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero

Managing Director/CEO

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero is a seasoned Oil & Gas professional with a sound knowledge of scenario and strategy development and execution. He leads FIRST E&P’s drive towards the attainment of a sustainably successful integrated oil and gas business in the Nigeria and delivering on its corporate strategy.

Prior to embarking on the entrepreneurial journey, Ademola was the President of BG (British Gas) Nigeria with responsibility for the Integrated Gas, Exploration & Production businesses of the British Gas Group in Nigeria. He also spent about 20 years with Shell, where he occupied significant roles in several countries which included Nigeria, The Netherlands, and the United States of America.

In these management and executive roles, Ademola provided leadership over diverse technical and commercial teams, country business units, focused on value creation and supporting Business Governance objectives of the respective companies.

Olatunbosun Oni

GM Operations

Olatunbosun has over 30 years of E&P professional experience in the Petroleum Industry. Prior to taking up the role of General Manager Operations in FIRST E&P, he had a 28-year stint with Shell Nigeria in various roles running Maintenance, Engineering and Operations. The last half of his time with Shell was spent in SNEPCO Deepwater Operations in various roles as OIM, Production Superintendent and Operations Manager.

Darlington Okougha

GM Finance

Darlington’s Finance Management experience of over two decades cuts across Downstream, Service, Power and the Upstream sectors of the Oil and Gas industry gained at Texaco Nigeria; Schlumberger Nigeria as Treasurer, and Divisional Controller, AES Corporation as Country Financial Controller; and until recently BG Nigeria.

His most recent career at BG Group in Nigeria commenced in 2006 as Chief Accountant, and in 2009 he took up the role of Finance Manager at BG Group’s significant North Sea portfolio based in Aberdeen Scotland, a position he held until his return to Nigeria in late 2011 for the position of Head, Finance, and Information Technology.

Defolu Olufon

General Counsel

Defolu has over 20 years’ experience as a lawyer. Defolu’s experience in several legal roles covers dispute resolution, corporate & commercial law and energy law whilst working as an Associate and Senior Associate at Aluko & Oyebode and as the Legal Counsel/Company Secretary of BG Nigeria (Nigerian branch of BG Group Plc, UK).

Since inception of the Company in July 2012, Defolu has been the General Counsel, where he has led the legal team to support the Company’s bids for numerous oil and gas assets in divestment rounds involving International Oil Companies, from which the Company has been successful in acquiring interests in five (5) Oil Mining Leases.

Defolu has worked in challenging environments such as China and Nigeria and also worked in Singapore and the United Kingdom. His expertise is focused on upstream matters relating to Production Sharing Contracts, Joint Operating Agreements, Farm-In and Farm-Out Agreements, Drilling Services Agreement, Shareholders Agreement relating to LNG projects as well as Corporate Governance issues.

He is an expert on anti-corruption matters in challenging environments and has a very good understanding of the UK Bribery Act, U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Nigerian Anti-Corruption legislation. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Lagos and a Master of Laws Degree from the University College London.

Segun Owolabi

GM Development

Segun is a seasoned upstream oil and gas Business leader and a competent E&P professional with over 31 years’ experience covering both onshore and offshore areas including deepwater.

Prior to joining FIRST E&P, he was the Shell Share Representative and Business Opportunity Manager for Non-Operated Ventures and OML 135. Segun had several roles in both Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Ltd and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd including Asset Lead, Development Delivery Manager, Front-End Development Manager, Business Opportunity Manager for Deepwater and Shallow water assets.

Segun is skilled in asset maturation in diverse technical environments, managing operation performance, setting up improvement plans to achieve top quartile results and building a strong partnership with stakeholders.

 

John Alamu

GM Engineering & Capital Projects

John is an accomplished engineering and project management professional, with over 34 years post-graduation experience,30 of which have been in the Petroleum Industry.

He worked for Shell both locally in Nigeria and overseas for a cumulative of about 17 years, with his experience spanning major appraisal/concept studies, front-end engineering, detailed engineering, installation/construction, and commissioning of major oil & gas production assets, including pipelines.

During Q4 2007, John joined Oando Plc, a leading indigenous integrated energy company, where he worked for about 7 years, his last position being the Chief Engineering and Technology Officer for the Oando Group and a member of the Group Leadership Council. While in Oando, John successfully managed and delivered major projects, including the 18-inch x 128km East Horizon Gas Pipeline, 12-inch x 38km Greater Lagos III Gas Pipeline, two power plants at Akute, Ogun State and Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State. He also delivered a 5MMscf/d Compressed Natural Gas Plant, sited at Ilasamaja/Itire, Lagos State.

John joined FIRST E&P in September 2014 as Chief Engineer and he is currently the General Manager, Engineering & Capital Projects.

 

Yetunde Taiwo

GM, Integrated Gas Development

Yetunde is a Chartered Engineer and an Oil & Gas leader with over 30 years inter- functional experience. She has worked with top multi-national, independent, indigenous and state companies like Chevron, BG, Seplat and NNPC, respectively, in dynamic and complex transactions, executing strategies to deliver business outcomes. She has demonstrable breadth and depth of experience in the Gas business having led the Seplat/NGC JV multi-million-dollar ANOH project to final investment decision in 2019.

Prior to joining FIRST E&P in Jan 2023 as the General Manager, Integrated Gas Development, Yetunde was the Managing Director of Seplat East Onshore Ltd (a fully owned subsidiary of Seplat Energy, Plc) and member of Seplat Energy Senior Leadership team. In her 7 years at Seplat, Yetunde was the General Manager, Gas from 2015 – 2018, Managing Director of ANOH Gas Processing Company from 2018 -2020, and Director New Energy from Jan 2021 to July 2022. As General Manager, Gas, Yetunde developed a commercial gas business that grew Seplat’s operated gas production capacity from 300MMscf/d to 525MMscf/d, and today supplies enough gas to underpin one third of Nigeria’s domestic on-grid power generation.

Yetunde’s passion lies in developing and leading young talents for career advancement and leadership.

Abimbola Ayinde

GM Corporate Finance & Upstream Commercial.

Abimbola has over 20 years experience spanning Energy and Corporate finance, Investment Banking, Strategic Business Planning and Organizational Development. Abimbola joined FIRST E&P as a Corporate Planning and Business Performance Manager and has held several roles within the Company with responsibility for Corporate Finance, Petroleum Economics and M&A Activities.

Prior to joining FIRST E&P, Abimbola was Vice President, Investment Banking at FCMB Capital Markets Limited. Over her work experience, Abimbola has been responsible for leading various capital raising, public listings and mergers and acquisition efforts on behalf of private and public companies across various industries in Nigeria with a more recent focus on oil and gas sector.

She has a master’s degree in business administration from Manchester Business School, UK and a first degree in Biochemistry from University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Abimbola is committed to supporting the education and wellbeing of children with absent or underprivileged parents and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Special Foundation, a charity focused on educating Nigerian children.

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Juliet Ehimuan

Non-Executive Director

Juliet Ehimuan is Director of Google in West Africa. She was named by Forbes as one of the top 20 power women in Africa, by the London Business School as one of 30 people changing the world; and featured in the BBC Africa Power Women series, and on CNN Innovate Africa.

With over 25 years experience primarily in Technology, Oil & Gas, and New Media industries across Europe, Middle East and Africa; Juliet is a leading voice on Innovation, Transformation, and Leadership. She has received numerous awards for outstanding contribution to the digital landscape in Africa. Under her leadership, the Google team has made a significant impact on local content development, infrastructure deployment, and digital capacity building.

Juliet has degrees from the London Business School, University of Cambridge; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She was awarded IT Personality of the Year in 2012 by the Nigeria Computer Society, Digital Personality of the year 2016 by Marketing World; and received a 2015 Titans of Technology award from TechnologyAfrica.

She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and recently published 30 Days of
Excellence, a leadership and effectiveness guide.

Daniella Obiesie-Uijlenhoed

Non-Executive Director

Daniella Obiesie-Uijlenhoed is currently a Director & Partner in Danicees FZ, an oil & gas servicing company based in Nigeria & the UAE. She is also on the Board of Directors of FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited, an upstream oil & gas producing company in Nigeria.

Born in Nigeria, Daniella has a Master’s degree in Business Administration & a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Calabar. She obtained her first degree is from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication.

Daniella started work with the banking industry in 1997. Her work experience includes positions in Federal Mortgage Finance, New Nigeria Bank & Zenith Bank PLC which she left at mid-management level to join Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Company in 2005 as a stakeholder management liaison between SNEPCo and NNPC/NAPIMS on the Bonga South-West project.

She would later move to the Contracting team as Head, Office Services, managing the processing & subsequent approvals through the various team lines for all SNEPCo office contracts in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, & Warri.

In 2009, Daniella took a hiatus from Shell Nigeria and worked with Oman Oryx Construction Company, UAE as the Head Corporate Services, responsible for handling all permits and stakeholder management engagements between the company and the Ministry of Energy & Minerals in Oman.

Daniella returned to Shell Nigeria in 2012, working within the strategy & portfolio team for SNEPCo office & governance policies Nigeria, until her voluntary exit from the company in 2015 to join her husband at Danicees and focus on her family.

Daniella is passionate about the formal & non-formal development of young people in Nigeria. She has been a Trustee and Director on the Board of the Duke of Edinburgh award for young people in Nigeria since 2018. The parent organization for the award was founded in 1956 in England by the late Prince Philip the 1st Duke of Edinburgh.

Daniella views external relationships as key enabler to corporate success and is a team player dedicated to personal delivery and organizational goals. She is a hands-on, high-energy individual who uses her unique interpersonal skills to generate value for organizations and their stakeholders, balancing the strategic agenda with the requirements for optimal delivery.