Total Appoints First Nigerian Woman to its Executive Management Team

Total E&P Nigeria has announced the appointment of its first indigenous female Executive Director, Mrs. Edith Ofili-Okonkwo.

A statement by the firm said Ofili-Okonkwo was appointed Executive Director, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs. She was also appointed into the board of Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, a sister company of Total E&P.

Ofili-Okonkwo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1980, and obtained a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Lagos in 1987.

She joined the then Elf Nigeria in 1981 and worked in the Exploration Department, which was responsible for exploration, administrative facilities/budget and cost control from 1981 to 1994.

The statement noted that Ofili-Okonkwo as Head, Compensation and Benefits/Personnel Administration, responsible for compensation and benefits from 1994 to 2000. She was appointed Personnel Manager from 2000 to 2003, and became Employee Relations and Benefits Manager from 2003 to 2005.

On August 22, 2005, she was appointed Deputy General Manager, Human Resource, and was responsible for manpower development, career management and training. She was appointed General Manager, Human Resource in March 2009, a position she held responsibly until December 2, 2011 when she was elevated to the rank of a director.

In the same vein, Mr. Olubunmi Obembe, has been appointed Executive Director (Gas Business and Commercial), Total E&P.

In the capacity, he will oversee the company’s interest in LNG; domestic gas and power; and crude oil commercial businesses.

Obembe holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Port Harcourt. He had earlier attended the famous Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti.

He joined the company in 1980 as a Petroleum Engineer and served the company in various capacities locally and overseas in the first 21 years of his career, culminating in his appointment as Production Engineering Manager in 1998.