Mrs. Adeolu Adewumi-Zer
Global Strategist and Transformation Leader
Adeolu Adewumi-Zer most recently served as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for Allianz Nigeria Insurance Ltd (Allianz Nigeria), a subsidiary of the German multinational Allianz SE.
In the wake of sustained losses at Allianz Nigeria, Adeolu was brought in to stabilize the business and lead a transformation effort that would shift the company onto a clear path to profitability. During her tenure, Allianz Nigeria delivered an underwriting profit for the first time in three years, accompanied by double-digit growth in their retail portfolio. As a transformational leader, she also drove HR best practices within Allianz Nigeria, including formalizing a flexible work-from-anywhere HR policy for all employees, thus elevating Allianz Nigeria to become an employer of choice, confirmed via the 2022 CIPM HR Best Practice Awards.
Prior to this role, Adeolu served as the first and only female member of the Allianz Nigeria board as Non-Executive Director. Concurrently, she was the Regional Head of Mergers, Acquisitions and Transformation Africa for the Allianz Group where she led the acquisition of what is now Allianz Nigeria in 2018.
Adeolu is a US-trained actuary and business consultant with over two decades of professional experience. Her career has seen her move from the USA to hold executive positions in Europe, Asia and now Africa. She is a member of the Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoD Nigeria), the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), the Nigerian Actuarial Society (NAS), and Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), amongst other local and international professional bodies, and additionally volunteers mentoring services to several organizations. Before exiting the insurance sector, Adeolu was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in Insurance in Africa by the African Insurance Organization (AIO).
A Nigerian and self-described Afro-optimist, Adeolu believes the growth and transformation of Africa can best be accomplished by empowering Africans to create measurable social impact and together generate shared value via purposeful growth and investment across the continent. With this conviction, she combines her robust executive schedule with speaking engagements, talent and leadership building and volunteer coaching and mentoring, aiming to raise the next generation of great African leaders.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Adeolu is married with two children. In her limited spare time, she is a lifelong runner, a voracious reader and loves discovering new countries and cultures