Governance icon, Ukpanah, set for investiture as 30th president of ICSAN
Mrs. Uto Ukpanah
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) will hold the investiture of Mrs. Uto Ukpanah, FCIS, as the 30th President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
Mrs. Ukpanah, a distinguished legal practitioner and governance professional, is the first-ever recipient of the Global Corporate Secretary of the Year Award, instituted in 2024 by the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA), the umbrella body representing governance professionals across four continents.
A statement from ICSAN on Thursday said the award honours governance professionals whose impact resonates across corporate and international boundaries. According to the panel of eminent judges, Ukpanah was selected for her invaluable contributions to governance, strategy, ethics and innovative interventions which can be applied across global platforms.
Mrs. Ukpanah succeeds Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo, FCIS, ICSAN’s first female President, whose two-year tenure was marked by innovation, institutional reform, and landmark progress.
A seasoned Chartered Secretary, governance strategist, and sustainability advocate, Mrs. Ukpanah currently serves as the Company Secretary of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and the MTN Nigeria Foundation Limited by Guarantee. She has played a central role in positioning MTN Nigeria as a governance exemplar, guiding it to become the first and only company to list directly on the Premium Board of the Nigerian Exchange Limited. Her oversight also extends to MTN’s related entities such as MoMo Payment Service Bank Limited, XS Broadband Limited, and Yello Digital Financial Services Limited.
Mrs Ukpanah has devoted her career to championing the recognition of company secretaries as critical enablers of sound corporate governance. She has been actively involved in the development and implementation of corporate governance codes across various sectors in Nigeria, including:
Secretary to the Committee on Corporate Governance for Banks and Financial Institutions of the Bankers’ Committee, which developed the Corporate Governance Guidelines for that sector, subsequently adopted by the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2003.
Member of the Committee that developed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Code of Corporate Governance for Public Companies in Nigeria, 2011.
Member of the Presidential Committee on the Codes of Corporate Governance for the Public, Private and Not-for-profit sectors 2013.
Member of the Technical Committee on Corporate Governance set up by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria that developed the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance 2018.
In addition, Mrs Ukpanah has been involved in developing global best practice guidelines, particularly under the umbrella of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), including the UNGC Guidelines for Sports Sponsorship and Hospitality. She has served as a member of the UNGC delegation to the Kingdom of Morocco, the Russian Federation, the Republic of South Africa, the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa and was a speaker during the 15th Anniversary of the UNGC at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. She sits on several boards.
Under Mrs Ukpanah’s leadership, ICSAN is expected to continue its pursuit of excellence in promoting governance standards, capacity building and advocacy. Her presidency will focus on strategic goals, including strengthening ICSAN’s relationship with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors, as well as the construction of ICSAN’s new National Secretariat, among others.
The investiture ceremony marks a new chapter in ICSAN’s journey, with Mrs Ukpanah poised to build on the foundation laid by her predecessors.
