Fatumata Soukouna Coker
Chairperson, CreditRegistry Nigeria
Mrs. Fatumata Soukouna Coker has over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in the high-tech industry, including extensive global management responsibilities at IBM in the USA, African experience at Microsoft and Nigerian experience at Soft Solutions Limited, a Nigerian information technology solutions company. Her specialty in global and emerging markets has enabled her to work with a wide variety of companies in USA, Africa, India, and the Middle East. Mrs. Coker’s passion for technology is underpinned with about 10yrs with IBM in the USA. In 1999, she commenced as a Sales Territory Rep in the education industry covering the second largest school district in the US, quickly moved to Senior roles in IBM Public Sector by her 5th year had not only developed the sales enablement program across sectors, she was managing the sales enablement programs across all sectors with major impact.
In 2005 she was invited to join the IBM Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) worldwide team to develop and manage the brand’s global go-to-market strategy and rolled out the worldwide web strategy and programs across all sectors. Mrs. Coker passion for the continent led her to take role with a sabbatical leave from IBM for a short-term role for an IFC funded initiative in Ghana, the firm’s first fintech investment. She was than headhunted from IBM and joined Microsoft, from March 2008 – September 2010 as Partners Strategy and Programs Lead, Anglophone West Africa and her role quickly expanded to West, Central and East Africa (WECA), based in Lagos Nigeria with 90% of travel across the Continent. Where her achievements, included the growth of a competitive and loyal Partner Ecosystem across WECA, Partners revenue growth of over 200%, led channel strategy development of the WECA partner communities, whiles enabling long term regional capacity planning and sustainability, through programs like Microsoft Partner University, etc In October 2010, she was appointed Managing Director/CEO of Soft Solutions Limited (SSL).
She transformed the SSL brand and people capacity to become one of the leading information technology solutions providers and consultancies in Nigerian and West Africa, with major focus on the financial sector. Mrs. Coker is the Chairman of Afrinvest Securities Limited, a leading Nigeria based investment bank and December 2019 she was appointed Chairman Board of Director at CreditRegistry Services, after only serving 2yrs as Chairman of the governance and nomination committee of the board, CreditRegistry Services is a pioneer credit reference agency in Nigeria. She was appointed NED to the Board of Global Bank Liberia and chair of the audit committee 2023.
In 2023 NASD Plc Appoints Mrs. Fatumata Soukouna Coker as a Non-Executive Director. NASD Plc is the promoter of an Alternative Trading Network that seeks to ease secondary market trading of all non-quoted securities in the West African region, thereby stimulating growth through more efficient capital raising processes. She also participates in start-up forums and IT incubators across the globe, including faith base organizations as well and is a very active member in her communities, sharing her expertise with the LBS Executive MBAs and American University of Cairo Business School Undergrads; She is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ReEnergy Africa and the Vice Chairman of CIO Club Africa Board of Trustees; She is on the National Planning committee of the Institute of Board of Directors (IoD) Nigeria and a member the NESG Technical Subcommittee.
A Mentor for undergrads at GBS, Emory University, she’s passionate about the electrification of the continent and creating a seamless payment and settlement solution across Africa. Mrs. Coker was presented with a Honorary Doctoral and Fellowship from the Joint Senate of the Africa Institute of Public Administration, (AIPA, Ghana) and the London Bridge Business School, (LBBS, UK) at the 8TH AIPA Transformational Leadership Fellowship Induction and Doctoral Investiture June 2021 and She got a Personal Invitation to Participate at the European International University, Paris – France Top Leadership workshop, got nominated and received Honorary Doctorate Degree Growth and Sustainability Strategies For Top Leaders, Professionals & Entrepreneurs Oct 2021. In 2022 She was nominated and awarded “Olutoyin Olakunri Woman Director of the Year” from the prestigious IOD, Nigeria.