The Board of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Gbenga Oyebode, as its new Chairman with effect from May 18, 2023.
Oyebode, who was first appointed to the board on February 24, 2014, and David Ifezulike, who retired as chairman on that day, has served on the Statutory Audit Committee, Nomination, Governance and Remuneration Committee as well as the Board Audit and Risk Management Committee of the company.
The appointment of Oyebode, who qualified as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1980, was announced to shareholders and other stakeholders at the Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos on May 17, 2023.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), and the Nigerian Leadership Initiative, he holds a Master of Laws degree and is the co-founder of the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode, and Chairman of Okomu Oil Palm PLC, Teach for All, and the African Philanthropy Forum.
He is also a Director of both CFAO Nigeria and Lafarge Africa PLC as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foundation.
Ifezulike who holds a Masters in Management Science and a Diploma of Imperial College, London, was appointed to the Board of Nestlé Nigeria PLC on December 22, 2000. He became the Chairman of the Board on May 10, 2013.

He joined Nestlé Nigeria on January 1, 1980 and worked for over 26 years in various capacities and locations including Nigeria, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, and Ghana. He was on an international exchange programme as Factory Manager of Nestlé Ghana between May 1999 and April 2003.
He retired from Nestlé Nigeria as the Executive Director, Industrial Development in October 2006.
A statement by the company expressed the board’s appreciation of the board to Ifezulike “for his contributions to the growth of the company and wished him success in his future endeavours.”
The board “also expressed confidence in the ability of the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Oyebode, to further contribute to the development of the Company and wished him personal satisfaction in his new role.”