By Stephen Onyekwelu
Copyright businessday
It was a night of light, music, and leadership as BusinessDay Media Limited, in partnership with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), hosted the Top 25 CEOs & Next Bulls Awards 2025 on Thursday, September 25, at Centre Point, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The evening recognised chief executives and high-potential companies that did not merely endure Nigeria’s most testing economic year in recent memory – but transformed adversity into opportunity.
Leadership in a Year of Headwinds
The 2024 financial year will be remembered as one of the most unforgiving in Nigeria’s modern economic history. With fuel subsidy removal rewriting cost structures, naira volatility reshaping balance sheets, inflation surging to multi-decade highs, and record interest rates tightening liquidity, corporate Nigeria faced storm after storm.
Yet, amid these macroeconomic tremors, a select group of leaders stood out, not by playing defence, but by scaling the odds with bold strategy, operational discipline, and foresight.
“These awards are not about survival,” Frank Aigbogun, publisher, BusinessDay, said. “They are about CEOs who turned crisis into competitive advantage. That is the kind of leadership that moves markets, sustains jobs, and inspires confidence in Africa’s largest economy.”
Read also:BusinessDay celebrates Nigeria’s Top 25 CEOs, ‘Next Bulls’
Celebrating the Top 25
From listed giants to agile innovators, the Top 25 CEOs Awards spotlighted leaders who delivered exceptional shareholder value, expanded capacity, and deepened their companies’ relevance in a turbulent economy.
Among the awardees were:
Pharm. Patrick Ajah, MD/CEO, May & Baker Nigeria Plc
Catherine Nwosu, MD/CEO, Africa Prudential Plc
Wole Oshin, GMD, Custodian Investment Plc
Andrew Ikekhua, MD, NEM Insurance Plc
Roger Brown, CEO/ED, Seplat Energy Plc
Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, GMD/CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc
Haruna Musa, MD/CEO, Jaiz Bank Plc
Together, these leaders represent resilience across sector, from financial services and insurance to energy, fast moving consumer goods, and real estate.
The Next Bulls: Tomorrow’s IPO Stars
A signature feature of the evening was the unveiling of the Next Bulls – privately held, fast-growing companies on the cusp of listing, seen by investors as Nigeria’s next IPO success stories.
This year’s honourees include:
Peter Ejiofor, Founder/MD, Ethnos Cyber Limited
Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, MD/CEO, Rex Insurance Limited
Winifred Akpani, FCA, KSS, OFR, MD/CEO, Northwest Petroleum & Gas Company Limited
These companies embody the innovation and risk appetite critical to reshaping Nigeria’s private sector and positioning the economy for future growth.
Beyond Trophies: Music, Meaning, and Momentum
The ceremony was more than plaques and photo ops. It was a celebration of rhythm, resilience, and renaissance. Guests were treated to a rousing live performance that underscored the evening’s theme: leadership, like music, requires harmony, timing, and adaptability. “We have been making soul-lifting music for over a decade and occasions such as the Top 25 CEOs Awards offer us opportunity for impact,” Adeneye Dayo John, team lead, Bluenote Entertainment, said.
A Benchmark for Corporate Excellence
Now in its eighth year, the Top 25 CEOs Awards has become an authoritative benchmark for corporate leadership in Nigeria. Powered by research from the BusinessDay Research & Intelligence Unit (BRIU), and validated by analysts, investors, and journalists, the awards remain one of the few research-driven recognitions in the Nigerian business calendar.
In an era where markets crave clarity and investors demand confidence, recognising leaders who have scaled the odds is not just celebration – it is strategy.
By spotlighting these CEOs and Next Bulls, BusinessDay reaffirmed a simple truth: when leadership meets adversity, entire economies find new pathways to growth.
