BAT NF - Board of Directors

The responsibilities of our Directors include: validating strategies, ensuring accountability and compliance with regulations, maintaining fiscal oversight and promoting the activities of the Foundation. The day-to-day management of the Foundation is the responsibility of the General Manager.

The current Chairman of the BATNF is Mrs. Adebisi Lamikanra, her predecessors were (Dr.) Chief Kola Jamodu (OFR.), Dr Joseph Sanusi, Dr Christopher Kolade (CON), Chief Kola Daisi (CON), and Chief Olu Akinkugbe, pioneer Chairman of the BATNF.

Chairman, BATN Foundation

Mrs. Adebisi Lamikanra is a result-oriented professional with over 36 years’ experience providing advisory services to various public and private sector clients (including financial services, consumer/industrial markets, manufacturing, energy and natural resources, technology and government) within Nigeria, and the African region. Admitted as Partner in Andersen Nigeria in 1998. She was a member of the board of the West African Practice, Chair of the Audit Quality Committee for the region and a member of the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Practice.

A Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; she commenced her professional career as an auditor to companies in several sectors of the economy. Retired as the Head of Advisory Services in KPMG Nigeria on 30 Sept 2020, and was also the lead for the advisory practice in the African Region.

She has a vast business network in Nigeria and across Africa and has developed strategic relationships with stakeholders across key sectors in both the private and public sector – well recognized in the business community in Nigeria. Extensive experience in stakeholder management, strategy design and execution, driving/enabling business transformation and enterprise growth.

She is passionate about developing people - coached and mentored several professionals occupying executive and senior positions in the business community. Currently active as mentor to Women who are aspiring for board positions. 

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Lola Cardoso is an influential and innovative C-suite Executive and Non-Executive Director with over 23 years of experience driving transformative revenue growth, spearheading business change and strengthening governance, oversight and planning for global organization. She’s a Strategic Board Advisory who enhances governance, clarity and insight to CEOs/ Executive management teams.

Lola was on the advisory board of Kearney’s Global in United State for 9 years, later promoted as the Director of Strategic Planning. In 2013, she joined the advisory board of Union Bank of Nigeria as a trusted advisor to the CEO and the board. She was later promoted as the Chief Digital and

Innovation Officer at Union Bank where she spearheaded the bank’s digital transformation and designed business turn around initiatives.

In 2020, her responsibilities were expanded to include the leadership of the Retail Bank. She later joined the Bank’s Board of Directors and served on the Finance, Credit, and Governance board committee. 

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Yarub joined Rothmans in 1996 as a Management Trainee. His career began in TM&D with roles in Yemen and Saudi Arabia followed by numerous roles in Brands across both the Middle East and the Lucky Strike IBG. In 2009, Yarub moved to Egypt as Head of Marketing and in 2012 to Kazakhstan as Area Head of Marketing Caucasus & Central Asia.

Yarub then spent a year in EEMEA Region as Marketing Deployment Manager before moving to Nigeria as West Africa Marketing Director in October 2016. He was appointed Area Director for West Africa Area (now West & Central Africa Area) in April 2019.

Yarub enjoys travelling, good food and exercise. He is married and has two sons.

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Odiri was promoted to the position of External Affairs Director for West and Central Africa Markets effective 1st July 2021, responsible for driving the external affairs and communications strategy in line with BAT Group positions within West and Central Africa Markets.

Odiri is a lawyer, holds a master’s degree with Honors in International Relations from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England and a Chartered Secretary. She has over 20 years working experience cutting across Oil and Gas, Telcom and Tobacco Manufacturing sectors.

She joined BAT Nigeria in July 2006, as a mid-career recruit and rose through the ranks holding various positions within the Legal department, last position held was Head of Legal for the West Africa Area. She was subsequently appointed Head of Government Affairs, West Africa Area (WAA), following the Legal and External Affairs merger.

In 2018, Odiri was seconded to the BAT Indonesia within the Asia Pacific Region, as the Head of Marketing Legal Indonesia, and subsequently as Senior Regulatory Special Projects Manager.

In December 2020, Odiri was appointed to the Americas and Sub Sahara Region, as Senior Regional External Engagement and Campaign manager.

Odiri is married with two lovely daughters. She is a runner and cyclist who is also passionate about investment, Interior designing, cooking, and baking. She also enjoys meeting people and mentoring younger ladies to climb up the corporate ladder.

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Nomore Mapanzure holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honors) Degree from the University of South Africa. He is a Chartered Accountant (ICAZ and SAICA).

He joined the British American Tobacco Group in 2004 and has held several senior finance roles in various BAT markets.

Nomore is currently the Head of Finance for the BAT West and Central Africa Area.

He began his career with BAT in 2004 as Treasury Manager in BAT Zimbabwe. Since then, he has held several finance roles covering Operations, Commercial Finance and Cluster finance roles which included Head of finance for Tunisia, Libya and Sudan (an acquisition) in North Africa, Head of Finance Southern African Markets, and more recently Marketing Finance Controller for East and Southern Africa.

In these roles, he has successfully executed strategies that have enabled the markets he supported to profitably navigate volatile operating environments and mitigate negative impacts to BAT.

Nomore is married with three boys.

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Mrs Spencer-Obatoyinbo joined Rothmans in 1997 from the pharmaceutical industry and moved to British American Tobacco after the merger of the two companies. Since then, she has held various marketing and general management roles across Africa including Head of Trade Marketing and Distribution and later Marketing Director, in Nigeria.

In 2007 she moved to British American Tobacco Egypt as General Manager, was appointed Area Director of British American Tobacco West Africa in April 2010 and moved to her current role in 2012. Mrs Spencer-Obatoyinbo was appointed to the board of the BATNF in September 2010.

Board Member, BATN Foundation

Mrs Okereke studied Law in the UK and was called to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1988. In 1996 she was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple.) In 2000 she re-qualified as a solicitor and was admitted to the Law Society of England and Wales. Mrs Okereke worked as a commercial litigation solicitor at a firm in the City of London, before joining British American Tobacco in 2001 as Legal Director.

In 2005 she took on additional responsibility as Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Director, where she drove BAT Nigeria’s social responsibility programme and initiated the charitable projects of the BATN Foundation (BATNF.) She was appointed to the board of the BATNF in February 2003 and is currently the Group head of global policy, based at the British American Tobacco headquarters in the UK.

General Manager, BATN Foundation

Oludare Afolabi Odusanya, holds a bachelor’s degree in Plant Physiology and Crop Production from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta FUNAAB and obtained an MBA in Agribusiness from the same institution. He has a strong passion and desire for agribusiness and human development with great emphasis on smallholder farmers and youths. He is a native of southwest Nigeria. Mr. Oludare has worked as Programme Manager and Consulting Coordinator at the Business Incubation Platform of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA) HQ. Nigeria.

Part of his enormous portfolio availed him the opportunity to lead production teams and new business start-ups, develop and review business plans, business modelling techniques and exit strategies for youths who want to start their independent agribusiness enterprises, as well as hands-on experience in several agricultural value chains.

Oludare has facilitated several national and international symposiums in Agriculture from laudable platforms such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and many more.

He also chaired as an agribusiness facilitator, enumerator, and advocate as well as enlisted in volunteer organizations like the REJEUFEA (Youth and Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship Network) Africa, where he served for 4 years as Nigeria Country Ambassador/Agro Community Facilitator