Esther Akinnukawe is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of MTN Nigeria. She joined MTN Nigeria in 2012 as General Manager, Business Partnering and Services and became Human Resources Executive in 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and an MBA from IESE Business School, Universidad de Navarra, Spain. Akinnukawe has more than two decades of experience spanning consulting, banking, academia and human resources.

Her earlier career included roles at Andersen Consulting, Lagos (now Accenture), Société Générale Bank, Trust Bank for Africa and FCMB. Before joining MTN, she was a faculty member at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In this interview, she speaks on

You have built a career across consulting, banking, academia and human resources, and now serve as Chief Human Resources Officer at MTN Nigeria. What were the defining moments or experiences that shaped your leadership journey and the leader you are today?

Looking back, the defining moments were not necessarily the promotions or titles, but the experiences that stretched me beyond what I thought I could do. My career has taken me through consulting, banking, academia and telecommunications, and each experience exposed me to different people, expectations and ways of thinking. My time at Lagos Business School was particularly formative. Teaching forces you to think deeply about how people learn, how organisations work and how decisions affect people. At MTN, I have had the opportunity to apply those lessons at scale. Ultimately, I have come to see leadership as a responsibility to create value through people. The title may change, but that responsibility remains.

You joined MTN Nigeria in 2012 and progressed from General Manager, Business Partnering and Services to Chief CHRO. What do you believe enabled that progression, and what leadership lessons did the journey teach you?

Three things have been important: competence, consistency and continuous learning. When you are given an opportunity, you have to deliver, but you also have to be prepared for the next level of responsibility. I have always tried to understand the business beyond HR and position the function as a strategic partner that contributes directly to business performance. I have also learnt that progression is never entirely an individual achievement. Along the way, people challenge you, open doors, tell you uncomfortable truths, and give you opportunities to grow. My biggest lesson is simple: never become so comfortable with what you know that you stop evolving.

As a woman who has risen to the executive level of one of Nigeria’s biggest companies, what do you believe remains the biggest barrier to women reaching the top of corporate organisations?

I would not reduce it to one barrier. It is a combination of structural issues, cultural expectations, personal circumstances, and unequal access to opportunities, networks, and sponsorship. At MTN, we have been deliberate about addressing these through inclusive recruitment, development, mentorship, leadership opportunities and practical interventions that support women at different stages of their careers. I also distinguish between mentorship and sponsorship/advocacy. Mentorship provides guidance; sponsorship/advocacy creates opportunity. Progress accelerates when leaders actively recommend talented women for critical roles and ensure they are represented where important decisions are made.

EDGE Advance is an important recognition of the progress we have made, but it is not the destination. The goal is an environment in which women can thrive and progress without having to make unnecessary choices between their careers and other important aspects of their lives.