By Bisi Bamishe
At a well organised epoch ceremony, which promises to be a night to be remembered in Nigeria, Mr Tope Smart will be installed the 47th president of Africa Insurance Organization (AIO).
Already, all hands are on deck by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) which is led by Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, to make the great event, colourful and memorable one.
His installation will take place during the closing ceremony of the 47th conference and annual general meeting of the Organization on September 8th, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.
Gentle, easy going and soft-spoken, Mr Smart is known to be one of the hard working managing directors in the insurance industry in Nigeria. His track record is evident by the positive performance of NEM Insurance Plc., the company he heads as the Group Managing Director / Chief Executive officer.
The company’s performance for 2020 operations surged above local and foreign challenges to earn the board chairman Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, endorsement of excellent results of gross premium of N22bn, an increase of 12% over 2019 N19.8bn.
There is no gainsaying that he is capable of steering the African region Insurance ship for the next 12months.
Once again, Nigeria will be on the pinnacle of insurance global map as he becomes the helmsman of the African regional body, the highest ruling insurance organisation in Africa.
Mr Smart who became the Vice President of AIO on June 12, 2019 in Johannesburg, will be taking over the mantle of leadership from current President, Delphine Traore, Chief Operations Officer of Alliance Africa.
Speaking with Bisladnews on how he feels about the great task ahead of him, Mr Smart replied, “I feel excited. It is an opportunity for me to turn my dreams into reality, God helping me. It is a good initiative for Africa.”
With his mind set on properly positioning the insurance market, the legacy he wants to leave behind is that of improved penetration of the market.
According to him, it is an opportunity for him to work with insurance professionals in Africa and beyond.
A rare breed insurer, Mr Smart is an astute professional who believes very strongly in the entrenchment of insurance in the mind of every Nigerian. He is an Associate member of both the Chartered Insurance Institute of London and the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria. He is a Council member, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Council member, West African Insurance Companies Association (Ghana).
A man of many parts, Mr Smart presently, sit on the board of several companies among which are; RegencyNem Insurance (Ghana) Limited and NEM Asset Management Limited.
Mr Smart who is the immediate past Chairman of Nigeria Insurers Association, is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.
A graduate and an award winner from the University of Lagos, he also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he has won several awards amongst which are; Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Lagos, University of Lagos Alumni Association Golden Jubilee Special Recognition Award amongst others.
He is also a two time winner of the Businessday Newspaper Top 25 CEOs award.
