The newly inaugurated President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, Funmi Ekundayo, has promised to promote good corporate governance.
She spoke during her investiture was held in Lagos, which was attended by high profile people from the nation’s public and private sectors.
Speaking during her acceptance speech, Ekundayo acknowledged the contributions of the founding fathers of the institute, and pledged to take the professional body to greater heights.
She said, “Our members are the bedrock of every organisation. They can hold the board accountable and ensure that they do the right thing every time. We are now trying to change our name from the institute of chartered secretaries and administrators to the corporate governance institute of Nigeria.
“This is a global trend. We really need to get into the essence of what chartered secretaries do. Gone are those days when companies secretaries as it were, were just seen people who go into board meetings to take notes. Today, our members are well versed in different areas and can add value to their boards.”
The Chairman of the occasion, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Monetary Policy, Wale Edun, described the new ICSAN president as a pathfinder and an achiever that had exercised diligence throughout the course of her career.
According to him, the galaxy of high profile names who turned up to celebrate the occasion not only spoke to the convening power of the new president, but the positive impact she has had on humanity.
The keynote speaker, the Managing Director, Lotus Merchant Bank, Kafilat Araoye spoke on ‘Diversity, inclusiveness and corporate Governance as tools for sustainable development’.
She said many organisations were beginning to incorporate sustainability into their processes because they realised that they could do well by doing good.
In his goodwill message, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi described her emergence as the 29th president of the institute as well deserved.
The immediate-past President of the institute, Taiwo Owokalade, thanked the investee for the support she offered to the leadership of ICSAN during his tenure as president.
