Speaker Bio
Uche Ofodile is a CEO who develops strategies to accelerate businesses, build value, and create the market’s most loved brands. For 15+ years, she has been the driving force behind transformative change in blue-chip multinational companies.
Raised and educated in the U.S., Uche accepted her first position in Nigeria as a Corporate Brand Manager. This was the first step on a path that led to a meteoric rise to senior leadership positions with some of the continent’s fastest-growing companies. As Chief Commercial Officer with MTS, Uche was instrumental in restructuring the business and relaunching the brand to capture game-changing growth. As Executive Marketing Director for a high-growth food and beverage start-up, she spurred significant top-line growth and introduced a first-of-its-kind retail initiative to support an aggressive growth plan.
One of her early hallmark achievements is the transformation of Vodafone Ghana from a struggling business into the country’s #2 telecom provider. As CMO, Uche was instrumental is delivering 3 consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth, resulting in awards such as “Telecommunications Company of the Year,” “Best Telecom Brand,” and “Most Admired Brand.”
Uche was then recruited to serve as CEO of Tigo DRC. In 18 months, she rebuilt the business strategy, positioned the company for strong revenue and market share gains, and revitalized the workforce. These strong commercial results catalyzed the acquisition of the company by Orange, the French multinational telecom giant. Her succeses on the continent led to a role as Regional Head for Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi initiative in Africa. There, she proved the viability of the program in Africa and developed the strategic plan to expand into new markets.
Uche then joined MTN Group as the CEO of Lonestar Cell MTN in Liberia. Recruited to lead one of the most difficult turnarounds in MTN history, she installed commercial growth, cultural, and organizational effectiveness programs to reinvigorate the business. She and her executive leadership team halted 5 years of revenue declines with 37% YOY growth and a staggering 1,000% EBTIDA improvement.
Today, she serves as the CEO of MTN Benin and is driving forward a transformation and growth agenda to modernize operations, deliver a more innovative brand and customer experience, and solidify the market position of the country’s #1 telecommunications provider. Recognized as MTN Group’s CEO of the Year in 2021, she accelerated the organization’s digital transformation, reinforced MTN’s investment in Benin with the “Beautiful Benin” brand campaign, achieved strong double-digit growth in the fintech business, and launched culture change and career development programs.
Throughout her career, Uche has built a reputation as a thought-leader in technology, business and entrepreneurship and is a two-time recipient of the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa award. She chairs the Board of Directors for both MTN Benin Mobile Money and the MTN Benin Foundation and serves as Vice President of the Board for Conseil National du Patronat Benin (Council of Benin Employers). She is also a member of the Board of Future Leaders Foundation, serves on the Expert Council for Africa Women on Board, and volunteers as a mentor for 75 x Elles, a UNICEF partnership connecting influential women with girls.
Uche earned a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College in New Jersey and a Strategic Marketing Diploma from Columbia University in New York.