Our Board

Olalekan (“Lekan”) is an international businessman, engineer and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LEKOIL Nigeria, an Africa focused Oil exploration and production company. Since inception, he has built the company to a producing Exploration and Production company with over a billion barrels of oil equivalent and natural gas resources across four assets. He is also founder and chairman of Cambridge Growth Partners with investments in Natural Resources, Mining and Agriculture.

Lekan is co-founder of the Lekan and Tomi Akinyanmi foundation with charitable activities in early education, STEM and Music development. He serves on several boards including the Global Fund for Widows and the American International Insurance Company (AIICO).

Lekan is especially passionate about the well-being of widows. This compassion was influenced by the challenges his mother faced when she was widowed at the time of his father’s passing after forty-six years of marriage. Lekan’s mother, who was a traditional High Chief (the second highest ranking woman in that order) in his hometown of Ile-Oluji in Ondo State, Nigeria, had to push back on an insulting and unjustified onslaught from some members of her late husband’s extended family who attempted to lay claim to some of his properties. Through her entrepreneurship abilities and the support of her children she reached a settlement with the relatives. The entire episode was not justified but even the King of the town was supportive of that settlement. The importance of this event begged the question for Lekan: “If this can happen to a woman of this caliber in society – highly educated and powerful, then what options are available for other women who do not have resources if they happen to go into widow-hood?”. This is what drives his compassion for widows.

Lekan’s compassion stretches to other women’s issues. He has quietly supported abused, distressed, and displaced women on education, employment and various legal matters. Of note are the anonymous efforts has coordinated to rescue women from abusive relationships and resettle them. In addition to this he supports women’s advancement and development in various areas and programs including business and politics.

In business Lekan is a trailblazer with over 20 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. He was the International Energy Sector Head at Alliance Bernstein L.P. in New York (Global asset manager with over $800 Billion under management during his tenure) with direct responsibility for a $1Billion Energy and Natural Resource Portfolio.

Prior to that he was a member of the #1 institutional investor-ranked team of analysts covering the oilfield services industry as an Associate Director at UBS Investment Research.

Lekan has held Engineering and operational roles within Schlumberger in a career that spanned Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Oman and Scotland.

Lekan graduated with first class honors from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and also holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.