Cecilia Akintomide is a seasoned executive with expertise in Development Finance, Corporate Governance, Law, and General Management. She is an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Boards of (i) FBN Holdings Plc., one of Africa’s leading financial services holding companies, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, and operating in various African countries and the United Kingdom; (ii) Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA), a state government agency, focused on promoting development and investments; (iii) CcHUB Growth Capital, Nigeria’s first social innovation fund, supporting high potential early stage businesses; and (iv) SWAgCO, an agricultural sector investment company. She is also a member of the Board of Regents of Covenant University, one of Nigeria’s leading universities, and a member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria.

Cecilia was Vice President Secretary General of the African Development Bank (AfDB), where she provided leadership for the dynamic relationship of the AfDB and its then 80 member states, and served as Secretary to the Boards of Directors and the Ministerial Boards of Governors. She was a member of the Presidential Council, as well as the Operations and the Senior Management Coordination Committees. She was also Vice Chairperson of the Operations Crisis Management Committee and Chairperson of the Annual Meetings Committee and the Committees for the Elections of the President and Executive Directors. Cecilia also served as the Head of Private and Public Sector Projects and Policy, in the General Counsel & Legal Department of the AfDB, working on the legal aspects of projects, programs, and development policies. Prior to the AfDB, Cecilia practiced law in Lagos, Washington D.C., and New York, at the law firms of O. Thomas & Co.; Thompson & Co.; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, with a focus on Business Reorganizations, Corporate and Commercial Law.

Cecilia holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ife (now OAU); Master of Laws from the University of Miami Law School; Master of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and an Executive MBA from TRIUM (a combined program by LSE, NYU and HEC). She was also admitted to the Nigerian Bar and the New York State Bar.

Cecilia is an ardent champion of Girls and Women’s Economic Empowerment, and is passionate about corporate governance, the accelerated and sustainable development of African countries, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. She is a member of WIMBIZ (Women in Management and Business and Public Service), and serves on the WimBoard Committee and the WimBiz Endowment Fund Committee. She mentors, is a deacon, and a member of the church choir. She received gold and bronze medals in swimming, and was accorded the National Award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development. In addition, in 2019, Cecilia received the African Business Law Icon of the year award.