Ogbemi Ofuya appointed Axxela CEO as Bolaji Osunsanya retires

Axxela Limited, a gas and power portfolio company, says it has appointed Ogbemi Ofuya as its new group chief executive officer (GCEO).

In a statement on Sunday, the company said Ofuya will take over from Bolaji Osunsanya, who has retired from the role.

According to the statement, Osunsanya will work closely with Ofuya until December, after which he will transition to serve on the board of Axxela as a non-executive director.

“After more than two decades of outstanding leadership at Axxela, and a distinguished career spanning over 35 years across consulting, financial services, banking, oil and gas, Osunsanya will be retiring from active service having recently attained the age of sixty (60) years,” the statement reads.

Speaking about the outgoing CEO, Boye Olusanya, chairman of the board of Axxela, said Osunsanya’s exceptional leadership has had a significant positive impact on Axxela.

“With his extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, proven leadership capabilities, and deep understanding of Axxela business, I am confident that Ogbemi is well positioned to reimagine Axxela’s go-forward strategy and lead the company into the future,” he said.

On his part, Osunsanya said it has been a privilege to lead the team at Axxela over the past twenty years.

“Our collective achievements have propelled the company to an industry-leading position, and I’m looking forward to its exponential growth under the new leadership,” Osunsanya said.

Speaking on his appointment, Ofuya expressed gratitude to have been appointed by the board to lead the organisation “at such a pivotal time”.

“I am committed to driving the company forward and further strengthening our position as a leader in the energy sector as we navigate the opportunities ahead,” he said.

According to the statement, Ofuya is currently a partner at Helios Investment Partners, a private equity firm, and a non-executive director at Axxela Limited — boasting of about two decades of experience in the oil and gas, energy infrastructure, and power sectors.

He has worked in the execution of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), debt, and equity transactions at Goldman Sachs International.

Prior to joining the private equity space, he also worked for ExxonMobil and Standard Chartered in project management and strategy positions.

He holds a master of business administration (MBA) from London Business School as a Mo Ibrahim scholar and a bachelor of engineering (BEng) in civil engineering from the University of Benin.