Natural Leader: At a Young Age, PU Was President of the Law Society of Great Ife!

The Man Paul Usoro, SAN- Leadership, Integrity, Corporate Governance Experience Paul is a natural leader and a consummate boardroom person whose deep analytical mind and illustrious leadership skills are well appreciated in all the Boards he sits. He has, at various times, served on the Boards of several blue-chip companies including: Premium Pensions Ltd, CR Services (Credit Bureau) Plc (representing Zenith Bank Plc), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Boards of PZ Cussons Plc, Airtel Networks Limited, Marina Securities Ltd, Access Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading banks. Paul is a pioneer director of Airtel Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s leading mobile telephone company, having been appointed to the Company’s Board in 2001, then known as Econet Wireless Networks Limited; the company has over the years undergone major ownership and structural changes prior to being acquired by Bharti Airtel of India in 2010.  Paul was the only pioneer director of the company that survived the several changes in ownership of the company until his resignation from the Board in February 2018. Even at a young age, Paul contested for and won the Presidency of the Law Society of Ife, becoming the first student from Nigeria’s ethnic minorities as at that time to occupy such office. He breaks down barriers and glass ceilings. Chairmanship of Boards and Critical Board Committees Paul’s robust leadership experience in the boardroom are listed hereunder. Chairman, Board of Marina Securities Limited. Chairman, Access Bank Plc Board Remuneration Committee.   Chairman, Access Bank Plc Board Governance & Nomination Committee. Chairman, PZ Cussons People & Governance Committee of the Board. Member, Access Bank Plc Board Audit Committee. Member, Access Bank Plc Board Risk Management Committee. Member, Access Bank Plc Board Risk Credit & Finance Committee. Past Chairman, Airtel Board Audit Committee. Past Chairman, Premium Pensions Limited Board Audit Committee. Past Chairman, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc Board Audit Committee. Exposure in the boardroom as chair of key committees refined Paul’s skills on essential development and growth factors for successful organizations with focus on corporate governance, strategic thinking and financial accountability. On 22nd February 2018, Paul was awarded the Corporate Governance Rating System (GCRS) “Rating Certificate” by the Board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and The Convention on Business Integrity. The award of the Rating Certificates was in recognition of Paul’s excellent scores in the Fiduciary Awareness Certification Test (FACT) of the CGRS administered to directors of Access bank as part of the CGRS certification exercise in Nigeria. The leadership and membership of corporate board committees gives Paul the opportunity to implement skills acquired in the executive trainings he has attended over the years some of which are listed below: Making Corporate Boards More Effective, Harvard Business School, Boston, USA (November 2014), Audit Committees in a new Era of Governance Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, (July 2013) Leadership Best Practices, Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, Finance for Executives Program at the Fontainebleau Campus of INSEAD, France (April 2017) Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Executive, Columbia Business School in New York, USA (March 2018).