Ibukunoluwa Abiodun Awosika(born Bilkisu Abiodun Motunrayo Omobolanle Adekola on December 24, 1962) is a Nigerian business woman, motivational speaker, and an author. She was former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Born as the third child of seven children in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Ibukun completed her primary and secondary school education at St. Paul's African Church Primary School, Lagos and Methodist Girls' High School, Yaba respectively before she proceeded to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where she graduated with a B.Sc in Chemistry although she had initially wanted to study Architecture and also ended up taking elective courses in Accounting. She holds post graduate and MBA certificates upon the completion of several business programmes at the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School - University of Navarra.
While on her compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps service (NYSC) in Kano state, Ibukun Awosika worked as an audit trainee at Akintola Williams & Co. which later became Deloitte, but returned home after the service and joined Alibert Nigeria Ltd., a furniture company, as showroom manager. In her quest to be independent, she established a furniture manufacturing company called Quebees Limited in 1989 before it evolved into The Chair Centre Limited and later SOKOA Chair Centre Limited following a venture merge with SOKOA S.A and Guaranty Trust Bank in 2004.
A fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and Aspen Global Leadership Network, Ibukun Awosika is a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, member of the board of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund and former Chairperson, Board of Trustees of Women in Management, Business and Public Service. In 2011, she co-founded the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, a career centre established in order to checkmate the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
On September 7, 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria following the resignation of Prince Ajibola Afonja.
Ibukun Awosika is member of IESE's International Advisory Board (IAB). She also sits on the board of Digital Jewel Limited and Cadbury Nig Plc.
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