Leadership Team

Dr. Vitus Ezinwa
Managing Director

Dr. Ezinwa is a seasoned business manager and human resource professional. He joined UAC of Nigeria PLC in 2018 as the Group Human Resources Director and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2021 with additional responsibility for Operations, Corporate Communications, Information Technology as well as Human resources.

He has worked as Group Human Resources Director at leading multinational corporations such as Promasidor Africa, Coca-Cola (Nigeria and Equatorial Africa), British American Tobacco (West and Central Africa), and Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group.

He is a co-founder and Director of HR Network Africa and was until 2014, a member of the Lagos Business School’s Advisory Board.

Dr. Ezinwa deploys his rich experience to the development and implementation of appropriate human resource strategies and operations to improve productivity and business performance at Grand Cereals Limited.

He is a member of the Advisory Board of Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, member of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) UK.

He joined the Board of Grand Cereals Limited on October 16, 2019 and currently serves as the Managing Director

Sola Dosunmu,
Company Secretary/Legal Adviser

Sola Dosunmu is a seasoned General Counsel, C-suite level business executive and qualified lawyer with over two decades experience in corporate & commercial law practice, company secretarial, governance, regulatory, fiscal, compliance and sanctions management, gained from multinational organizations and top-tier private legal practice.

Sola previously worked at SoDo & Jaythan Limited where he was the CEO/Lead Consultant. Prior to this, he served in various leadership capacities in the legal function of British American Tobacco (BAT), some of which include as Legal Director, West and Central Africa; Senior Regional Counsel, London; and Senior Regional Counsel, Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa. He was before this a Partner in the law firm of Dentons ACAS-Law. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) and chairs the Corporate and Regulatory Counsel Committee of the NBA-SBL as well as the Anti-Counterfeiting Collaboration of Nigeria (ACC).

Sola holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria.

Sola is responsible for delivering the strategic legal agenda of GCL. In addition, he provides general commercial advise to the business and ensures the successful delivery of functional and business objectives. He also acts as a trusted advisor to the Board of Directors.

Sumit Srivastava,
Head, Technical and Manufacturing Operations

Sumit is a seasoned professional who has expertise in managing complex manufacturing operations, bringing a wealth of experience in diversified and large-scale manufacturing operations within the Animal Feed and Food processing Industries across Africa and Asia. He has an extensive experience in managing operations of large-scale manufacturing facilities, new project management, business diversification, scaling up operations, quality management, procurement and strategic sourcing, market research, R&D, new product development and COGS optimization.

Prior to his appointment, Sumit had worked as the Factory Manager at Godrej Agrovet Limited, Operations Manager at Seba Foods Zambia Ltd., Regional HeadManufacturing & NPD at Sun Group of Companies; and General Manager – Food Division at Apple and Pears Limited.

Sumit holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Food Technology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Operations Management.

In his current role, Sumit has the responsibility of leading the Technical and Manufacturing Operations with a focus on ensuring best value and efficiency in all our production activities across our plants.

 

Esezobo Longe
Head, Human Resources

Ese brings with him a wealth of experience in Human Resources Management for over 16 years in areas of Leadership Development, Change Management, Performance Management, Talent & Organizational Readiness Assessment, Manpower Planning, Job Design/Evaluation and People Strategy Development.

His diverse and multi sector experience cuts across Telecommunications, FMCG, and, most recently, financial services with Access Bank Nigeria where he was the Head, Human Resources Business Partnering.

He has also worked with leading multinational companies such as MTN Nigeria, Unilever and British American Tobacco in various HR leadership roles.

Ese holds a degree in Finance from the University of Lagos.

In his current role, Ese will be responsible for the end-to-end HR and communication landscape for Grand Cereals Limited.

Adediran Aderemi
Director, People & Corporate Services

Ade is an experienced Business Manager with over 20 years of in-depth knowledge and Human Resource experience gained across the FMCG, pharmaceutical, Non-for Profit and manufacturing sectors. 

Ade holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Nigeria and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources – International (SPHRi).

In his current role, Ade has full responsibility for the continued development and implementation of our business agenda as it relates to People & the Corporate Function.

Abiodun Adetayo
Head, Risk & Compliance

Abiodun Adetayo joined Grand Cereals Limited on 1st of November, 2023 to oversee the Risk and Compliance Function of the Company.

Abiodun brings with him a wealth of experience in Risk & Compliance, Internal Control & Audit from over 15 years of holding strategic roles in these fields across various sectors. Prior to his appointment, he worked as Head, Audit, Risk and Compliance in C & I Leasing Plc, where he was responsible for establishing and enforcing control procedures and policies across all aspects of the company’s operations and subsidiaries

Abiodun is a HND holder in Accountancy from Lagos City Polytechnic Ikeja-Lagos State. He is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is also a Certified Internal Control Professional from the Internal Control Institute (Florida USA), Certified Risk & Compliance Professional from the International Association of Risk and Compliance (Washington DC USA) and a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) from the Institute of Management Consultants-Nigeria.

In his current role, Abiodun is responsible for leading the development and maintenance of the Company’s risk management framework in line with the Company’s risk appetite, across all functions.

Hadiza Abdullahi
Head, Supply Chain Services

Hadiza is an experienced Supply Chain Business Executive with over two decades’ track record of people leadership, strong commercial acumen, and competency in sales, human resource, business process & efficiency, supply chain (planning, procurement, warehousing & distribution) and customer relationship management. She comes with a wealth of experience from within the UAC Group and a track record of achievement.

Hadiza joins us after a short break, following her last position as Head of Supply chain at UAC Foods. Prior to her role at UAC Foods, she held various positions in different UAC subsidiaries, including National Customer Service Manager at Chemical and Allied Products (CAPL), Depot Manager at MDS Logistics, Business Services Manager at UAC Restaurants and Supply Chain Manager in the same company. She also held several positions at Grand Cereals Limited including National Customer Service Manager, Business Efficiency and Planning Manager, and Human Resource Manager.

Hadiza holds a B.Sc. degree in Economics from the University of Maiduguri and an MBA from the University of Jos. She is an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Fellow of the African Centre for Supply Chain, Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, Fellow of the Institute of Logistics Management of Nigeria. She is also a Certified Warehouse Manager.

In her role as Head of Supply Chain Services, Hadiza has full responsibility for leading the Supply Chain function, encompassing Procurement, Warehousing and Logistics.