University Management Council
The University Management Council assists the Vice-Chancellor in discharging his duties and is responsible to the Governing Council for the development and implementation of the Strategic Plan, the annual objectives and the financial budgets of the University. It also has responsibility for the day to day management and administration of the University.
Matters referred to the Governing Council of the University, appointments of members of Management Boards of faculties and schools (except Deans, who are appointed by the Governing Council), and appointments to the Senate of non-ex officio members, have to be approved by the University Management Council.
Members of University Management Council
Prof. Enase Okonedo
Professor Enase Okonedo, FCA, is the Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University from 2020 – 2021. She was the Dean of Lagos Business School (LBS) from July 2009 until December 2020. Before her appointment as dean, she held various leadership positions and was a full-time faculty member at the School, teaching courses in Corporate Finance as well as Problem-Solving and Decision-Making.
As Dean, she was instrumental in transforming Lagos Business School to a globally recognized and a foremost business school in Africa gaining global accreditations and rankings.
A seasoned educator who has paved the way for women in leadership in various sectors, she is recognised internationally and serves on boards in the management education sector including the boards of Global Business School Network (GBSN); United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UNPRME); and the Academic Advisory Board of Blatnavik School of Government, University of Oxford. She has also served on the board of Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC, owners of the GMAT exam) and held leadership positions on the boards of AACSB International as Secretary-Treasurer, and the Association of African Business Schools where she was Chairperson.
Highly regarded in Nigeria’s business community, Professor Okonedo serves as an independent non-executive director on several boards. She is also the President of AIFA Reading Society – a society committed to achieving sustainable education in Africa by promoting and supporting a reading culture and a member of the Panel of Advisors, Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG).
She is a professor of management and holds a doctorate degree from International School of Management (ISM), Paris; an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona and a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Benin.
She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); the Institute of Directors (IOD); the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN) as well as the International Academy of Management (IAM).
She is an active public speaker and has presented at numerous conferences globally on issues of management education in emerging markets. She is also widely published in academic journals and is the author of two books – The Determinants of Stock buying Behaviour of the individual Investor in the Nigerian Equity Market (2011) and The Art of Decision-Making; A Guide to Executive Decision-Making in Africa (2020).
Prof. Chris Ogbechie
Chris Ogbechie is a Professor of Strategic Management and the Dean at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University. He is also a visiting professor at Strathmore Business School, Nairobi, Kenya.
Professor Ogbechie has a first-class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manchester University, an MBA from Manchester Business School and a PhD in Business Administration from Brunel Business School in the UK.
On January 1, 2021, he became the fourth dean of Lagos Business School where he has responsibility for setting the strategic direction for the School, as well as overseeing all academic and administrative matters.
He has vast experience in marketing, strategy and corporate governance derived from his work as Head of Marketing/Sales at Nestle Nigeria and his consulting work with Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyan firms over the years. While in Nestle, he held international positions in Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland.
Professor Ogbechie teaches strategy, sustainability and corporate governance at the Lagos Business School and Strathmore Business in Nairobi, Kenya; he is also the founding Director of the School’s Sustainability Centre. His research interests are in strategy in turbulent environments, strategic leadership, board effectiveness, and corporate sustainability. Professor Ogbechie has been involved with several start-ups. He was Chairman, Board of Directors, Diamond Bank Plc and is on the board of several private and public companies including; Red Star Express Plc (FedEx), National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc. (NASCON), Health Partners and Palton Morgan Holdings.
He has several publications in financial services marketing, strategic planning, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance. His first book “Strategic Marketing of Financial Services in Nigeria” (2011) provides essential information for marketing practitioners, especially in the financial services sector, for improving the effectiveness of their marketing. His second book “Re-engineering the Nigerian Society through Social Marketing” (2012) is his contribution towards changing societal values in a positive way.
Professor Ogbechie has penned several journal papers on corporate governance and sustainability notably: ‘How Large is Too Large and How Small is Too Small? Exploring Kuznets Inverted-U Relationship and Optimal Board Size in Nigeria Company Boards.’ International Journal of Business and General Management, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs: A Shift from Philanthropy to Institutional Works?’ Journal of Business Ethics and ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Nigeria: Western Mimicry or Indigenous Practices?’ Journal of Corporate Citizenship.
He has also presented various papers on corporate governance at international conferences. His paper “Corporate Governance Practices of Publicly Quoted Companies in Nigeria” is published in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. And his journal article “Board Characteristics and Involvement in Strategic Decision Making: The Nigerian Perspective” is included in Emerald’s peer-reviewed reading list of quality journal articles and book chapters. Besides teaching and researching, he is involved in community service and philanthropy.
Mr. Ikechukwu Don Ogbuike
Mr. Ogbuike is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria with more than 26 years of post-qualification experience. A product of the Institute of Management and Technology, where he graduated in 1992 with a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy. He obtained an MBA from the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 2000.
His work experience has largely been in the Oil & Gas industry starting with the erstwhile Texaco Nigeria Plc which eventually transformed into ChevronTexaco where he wore different hats at different points in time. When ChevronTexaco sold their downstream operation in the West Africa sub-region, he transited to MRS and was there for three years before finally joining Invensys Systems Limited which transformed to Schneider Electric Systems Limited as Finance Manager, where he was until his current assignment.
Mr. Ogbuike also is an author and writes under the pseudonym of Chijioke Ogbuike. His current works in fiction include ‘Expelled’ – published both online and in hardback in 2012; The Betrayal – published online in 2021, with a soon to be hardback in the same year; poetry anthologies with the title ‘Pregnant Thoughts’ – published both online and in hardback in 2014, ‘Life is a homily’ – published online in 2021. He has also had some adventures as an independent musician under the pseudonym of Don Ketchy with three albums – Fortune N The Slave, A Cut Above The Rest and Let Me Be – currently online to his credit.
He is married with children.
Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya the Dean of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University. He has an impressive background and extensive experience in academia. He is passionate about imparting knowledge and has lectured at the University for over 15 years. He received his PhD in Communication from the University of Navarra. Before this recent appointment, Dr Obiaya was the Director of PhD Programmes at the School of Media and Communication. He has also served the School in different capacities.
Dr. Oni is an Information Systems professional with experience in analysing the impact of the digital world on business operations at every level. She joined the faculty of the School of Management and Social Sciences in 2014 and became Dean in October 2020.
She holds a doctorate in Information Systems from Brunel University. Her thesis focused on effective diffusion of innovation technologies among individuals and Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) and she has subsequently produced outputs outlining best policy and practice for governments, SMEs and technology service providers.
Dr Oni teaches Introduction to Computer Science and Management Information Systems to students in 100, 200, 400 levels and also teaches executive students. She is interested in and is currently investigating smart homes and sustainability, social media use by organisations, digital ecosystems and knowledge sharing. She is a member of The Digital Economy ‘Communities and Culture’ Network+ which explores digital transformations.
Dr Darlington Agbholor joined Pan-Atlantic University in 2016 as a member of the SMSS faculty of the School of Management and Social Sciences where he taught Leadership and Elements of Management. In October 2020, he became the pioneer dean of the School of Science and Technology.
Prior to joining Pan-Atlantic University, he had been a co-creator and later Director of a social enterprise, the Institute for Industrial Technology (IIT), which has become a reference institution in the development of middle-level technical manpower for the industrial sector of the economy. He is a member of the IIT governing council. He has over 15 years management experience in the non-profit sector.
Dr. Agholor graduated in Mechanical Engineering, later obtained an MSc in Industrial Engineering, both at the University of Ibadan and then a Doctorate in Industrial Management at the University of Navarre, Spain.
His current research is in mentoring and competency development.
Mrs Nneka Okekearu
Mrs Nneka Okekearu is currently the Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University.
She joined the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) in 2004 as the centre manager and has contributed immensely to the growth of the unit. She also occupies the role of Deputy Director and Head of Gender at EDC.
In her role, she has managed several projects such as the Goldman Sachs 10,000 women project in Nigeria and Liberia, The World Bank WomenX programme piloted in Pakistan and Nigeria and more recently ExxonMobil Foundation and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Road to Growth programme.
Before her foray into Entrepreneurship development, Nneka had worked as a business development executive for a mid-sized telecommunications firm, where she increased sales by 35% after two consecutive loss-making years. Nneka Okekearu is also an IFC Business Edge and SME Toolkit trainer. She brings over two decades of business experience to bear in her challenging and dynamic executive coaching and training work.
Nneka Okekearu has mentored over 500 women entrepreneurs, and serves on several boards, which include the Assembly hub, a catalytic platform aimed at strengthening the capacities of creative entrepreneurs, Recycle Points, an award-winning recycling social enterprise focused on the climate and environment and the Yemisi Shyllon Museum for Art.
Dr. Adaora Ijeoma Onaga
Dr. Adaora Ijeoma Onaga is the Director of the Institute of Humanities, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU). She holds an MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan where she studied medicine and surgery under the Mobil scholarship for deserving students. She specialised in Internal Medicine and Nephrology at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan from 2005-2011. During her speciality training, she was awarded the O.O Elegbeleye Prize for the best candidate in the National Medical College Examinations in May 2008 and again in May 2011 the A.F.B Mabadeje Prize for the best candidate in the National Medical College Examinations (Renal medicine). She is a fellow of both the National Postgraduate Medical College and the West African College of Physicians.She holds an M.Sc. Degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy, with a Summa cum laude (9.9/10). Her licentiate thesis was a study of the Phenomenology of Illness in S K Toombs. She also holds a PhD in Philosophy awarded in October 2020 from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome with a Summa cum Laude (10/10).
Dr. Peter Bamkole
Dr. Peter Bamkole is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Admin) at Pan-Atlantic University. Prior to his appointment to his current role in June 2024, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the University. Dr. Bamky pioneered the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan-Atlantic University in January 2003 – now one of the top enterprise development centers in Africa. Trained as a Mechanical Engineer in the UK, with MBA from IESE Business School in Spain and alumnus of Lagos Business School (Chief Executive Program), his 40 years’ cognate experience spans both public and private sectors (Oil Industry, Water supply and Education). He obtained his PhD in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the International School of Management (ISM) in Paris and consults widely in Sub-Saharan Africa on entrepreneurship development and practice.
Dr. Bamky is a fellow of the Corporate Governance Society of Nigeria and a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors. He currently chairs the board of Education Collaborative – West Africa Hub, Nigeria Climate Innovation Center, International Breweries Foundation and Global Entrepreneurship Network, Nigeria. He is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Zenith Bank, member of IIT Governing Council and Lagos State Research and Innovation Council among others.
His current book “Built by Enterprise” is a culmination of two decades of developing entrepreneurs in Nigeria.