Heirs Holdings has appointed Obinna Ufudo and Sola Yomi-Ajayi as Non-Executive Directors, adding two senior executives with deep experience in finance, energy, governance, and global markets to the board of the pan-African investment company.
The appointments underscore Heirs Holdings’ focus on strengthening corporate governance as it expands across multiple sectors and geographies. The firm said the new directors bring complementary skill sets shaped by decades of leadership in banking, investment, regulation, and enterprise risk management.
Ms. Yomi-Ajayi brings more than 30 years of experience across financial services, governance, regulatory engagement, and risk oversight. She previously served as an Executive Director at United Bank for Africa and later as Chief Executive Officer for UBA’s International Business, alongside her role as Country CEO for UBA America. In those positions, she oversaw cross-border banking operations and regulatory relationships in major international markets.
Her board and advisory roles reflect a strong global orientation. She currently sits on the boards of UBA United Kingdom and the Business Council for International Understanding and is a member of the OECD Blue Dot Network Executive Consultation Group, which promotes quality infrastructure investment. She has also served on the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee of the United States Export-Import Bank and on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Banking in the United States.
Ms. Yomi-Ajayi holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University. Her professional credentials include fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute in the United Kingdom and membership of the Association of MBAs. She has also completed executive programmes in corporate governance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and leadership at Harvard Business School.
Mr. Ufudo brings over three decades of leadership experience spanning banking, investment, energy, and corporate transformation. He previously served as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at Heirs Holdings, giving him direct familiarity with the group’s investment philosophy and operating model.
He is best known for his tenure as President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria, where he led a turnaround of the conglomerate and executed the acquisition of the Ughelli Power Plant, one of Nigeria’s largest thermal power assets. That transaction is widely regarded as a milestone in the country’s power sector reforms.
Beyond his corporate roles, Mr. Ufudo is the Founder and Chairman of Atiat Leasing Limited and Co-Founder and Chairman of LoanBook Limited, reflecting his involvement in financial services innovation and capital access. His academic background includes advanced executive and postgraduate qualifications from the Wharton School, the University of Reading where he was a Chevening Scholar, and IESE Business School. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Commenting on the appointments, Heirs Holdings Founder and Group Chair Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, said the board additions align with the group’s long-term strategy. He described both directors as exemplars of Africapitalism, the firm’s guiding philosophy that positions the private sector as a driver of economic growth and social value in Africa.
According to Mr. Elumelu, the combined experience of Mr. Ufudo and Ms. Yomi-Ajayi will strengthen the board’s capacity to guide portfolio development and support Heirs Holdings’ role as a pan-African proprietary investment firm.
Heirs Holdings operates a diversified portfolio spanning energy, power, banking, insurance and financial services, technology, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare. The group has operations in twenty-four countries worldwide and invests with a long-term horizon, providing strategic capital, sector expertise, and operational support to its portfolio companies.
The latest board appointments come as Heirs Holdings continues to scale its investments across Africa and internationally, placing renewed emphasis on governance, institutional depth, and experienced oversight to support sustainable growth.