In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the London Business School (LBS) Alumni Community Nigeria hosted a private brunch and fireside chat in Lagos, spotlighting Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, as the guest of honor.
The exclusive event brought together an elite group of C-suite executives across finance, FMCG, investment, and other sectors for a powerful discourse on leadership, resilience, and the collective responsibility to “Accelerate Action”, the 2025 global Women’s Month theme.
As the first female CEO in Fidelity Bank’s history, Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe has become a beacon of bold, values-driven leadership. Drawing from a distinguished career built in a traditionally male-dominated industry, she shared candid reflections on her journey—emphasizing discipline, self-belief, and strategic risk-taking.
“I have personally never acknowledged the gender glass ceiling in my career—or in anything in my life,” she stated. “When something looks like a barrier, I see it as motivation to go even harder.”
Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe’s leadership at Fidelity Bank has been transformational. Under her stewardship, the bank has achieved record-breaking financial performance while driving innovation, diversity, and financial inclusion. Her session resonated deeply with attendees, many of whom saw their aspirations and experiences reflected in her words.
She underscored the importance of embracing failure as a growth tool, maintaining balance between career and family, and championing equity as a leadership principle.
“Learning to balance family and career is not just important for business success, it’s important for success in life,” she noted. “Don’t fear failure. It’s part of the process. Every misstep has taught me something that helped me get better.”
A staunch advocate for gender inclusion, Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe acknowledged the progress being made in the Nigerian banking sector, citing that 11 of the 26 commercial banks are now led by women, but emphasized the need to go further.
“That’s progress, but we must not stop there. We want to see that number go to 14, 15, and beyond.”
In his closing remarks, Akintayo Sanwo-Olu, President of the LBS Alumni Community Nigeria, praised Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe’s impact and reaffirmed the network’s mission: “As a community, we’re not just talking about change—we’re building it. At LBS, we are committed to empowering more women to lead across industries and actively changing the narrative around gender and leadership.”
The forum was more than a celebration—it was a clarion call to action, inspired by one of Nigeria’s most transformational leaders.