Her emergence is more than a leadership change it is a defining milestone that signals the rising influence of women at the highest levels of Nigeria’s financial services industry and underscores the evolving face of capital market leadership.

With close to two decades of distinguished experience spanning stockbroking, investment banking, private equity, real estate, wealth management and business development, Fiona brings deep market insight, global exposure and a proven track record of delivering growth and market impact.

She began her career at one of Nigeria’s prominent Stockbroking firms, where she built a solid foundation in capital market operations and foreign investor deal flows.

She later joined FBN Capital (now FirstCap) as Head of Sales Trading, playing a pivotal role in managing both international and domestic institutional deal flows. In 2015, she was appointed Managing Director of African Alliance Securities Nigeria, where she drove significant expansion in market share, client base, and cross-border transactions.

Since joining First Securities Brokers Limited in 2016, she has led a remarkable transformational growth, positioning the firm among Nigeria’s top-tier brokerage houses by 2018 through enhanced execution capabilities and increased global investor participation.

Beyond executive management, Fiona has held several board and board committee roles and currently serves on the boards of First Funds (the private equity arm of FirstHoldCo Group), NGX Real Estate Limited (a subsidiary of NGX Group), Japtini Logistics, and Awabaah (a micro- pensions business). She is also a member of the Statutory Audit Committee of the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS).

An advocate of continuous learning and thought leadership, Fiona has received executive education from MIT Sloan School of Management (USA), IESE Business School (Spain), and INSEAD (France). She is a Doctorate candidate at Afe Babalola University Business School.

Her professional affiliations include being a Chartered Stockbroker, Chartered Accountant, and Chartered Director, she is also an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, she also serves on the Curriculum Review Committee of Lagos Business School and has been a mentor on the WIMBIZ Women on Boards Programme for four consecutive years.

Beyond corporate leadership, Fiona is deeply committed to philanthropy, supporting multiple institutions and sponsoring the education of young people reflecting her passion for inclusive growth and generational impact.

Her leadership philosophy is guided by enduring principles, excellence in execution, a refusal to settle for mediocrity, and an unwavering commitment to integrity and fairness.

Fiona’s presidency comes at a pivotal time for Nigeria’s capital market, as it navigates increased global integration, regulatory evolution, and rapid digital innovation.

As President, she is poised to advance strategic priorities including deepening the market, strengthening professional standards, enhancing investor confidence, and nurturing the next generation of capital market professionals.

Fiona will assume office on April 30, 2026, with her formal investiture scheduled for June 25, 2026, where key stakeholders across Nigeria’s financial ecosystem are expected to gather to mark this historic leadership transition.

The state-of-the-art facility is designed to empower partners and resellers to move beyond traditional distribution, providing the immersive, hands-on environment needed to architect and deploy cloud and AI solutions tailored specifically to African market needs.

Through the Centre, partners will be onboarded to a structured journey that guides them in securing official Google Cloud accreditation and certification.

Beyond technical training provided by both Liquid C2 and Google, the centre will also serve as a collaborative hub, allowing them to work alongside specialist engineers to architect bespoke solutions.

Once finalised, these solutions will be brought to market through Liquid’s robust distribution network.

This expansion not only opens new commercial avenues for partners but also acts as a catalyst for high-value job creation and the rapid maturation of Africa’s technology ecosystem.

The Partner Experience Centre provides the partner and reseller ecosystem in Africa with direct access to enterprise-grade technologies such as Gemini Enterprise, and the “Gemini Playspace” for rapid AI experimentation.

It also provides specialist expertise to prototype, test, and scale digital solutions in real-world environments.

The centre is a testament to Liquid C2’s commitment to strengthening its role within the partner ecosystem in Africa, as it supports partners in overcoming infrastructure constraints, skills gaps, and complexity barriers that often slow digital transformation efforts across the continent.

As demand for advanced digital capabilities grows, the Partner Experience Centre serves as an innovation hub where enterprises, startups, academic institutions, developers, and public-sector stakeholders can co-create locally-relevant solutions, fostering a sense of shared progress and community across Africa.

The facility also provides industry-specific platforms tailored to sectors including financial services, healthcare, and retail. These platforms demonstrate how AI-enabled solutions can reduce operational risk, improve efficiency, enhance customer engagement, and unlock new growth opportunities across African markets.

“At Cassava Technologies, we believe the future of Africa’s digital transformation will be shaped through strong ecosystems that combine global innovation with local infrastructure and expertise,” said Ziaad Suleman, senior vice president, Cassava Technologies and CEO, South Africa & Botswana.

“The Partner Experience Centre powered by Google Cloud creates a practical environment where organisations can explore, test, and scale solutions that deliver real business value. By combining our infrastructure, expertise, and continental reach with Google Cloud’s advanced technologies, we are helping to democratise access to AI and cloud capabilities for enterprises across Africa.”

“This is a pivotal moment in our commitment to Africa’s digital future,” said Tara Brady, president, Google Cloud EMEA. “The Partner Experience Centre is a testament to our belief in the power of a strong partner ecosystem. By combining our advanced AI capabilities, including our Gemini models, with Liquid C2’s localised expertise, we are not just building a facility; we are building a hub for innovation that will empower businesses, create jobs, and deliver the benefits of digital transformation to every corner of the continent.”

The collaboration will focus on three core pillars of transformation:

• Accelerated Partner Enablement: The centre acts as a dedicated Proof-of-Concept (PoC) hub designed to dismantle historical market barriers. It provides localised training, hands-on technology interaction, and business support, leveraging Liquid’s capabilities to offer local currency billing and credit to manage financial complexity for resellers.
• AI and Technology Innovation: A primary focus is empowering partners to build and deploy advanced AI solutions. The facility features a dedicated “Gemini Playspace & AI Solutions” to certify technical staff, alongside integrated “Solutions Pods” where partners can demonstrate complete technology stacks to win complex enterprise bids.
• Economic Growth and Job Creation: The partnership is a direct investment in Africa’s tech workforce. By strategically broadening the partner network, the initiative will foster deep, localised expertise and act as a catalyst for new economic opportunities, creating a significant ripple effect of job creation for certified engineers and other tech professionals across the continent.

As a business of Cassava Technologies, Liquid C2 has always been at the forefront of bringing cutting-edge digital technologies to African businesses, both directly and through its partner ecosystem.

This first-of-its-kind Partner Experience Centre is yet another milestone that reflects the company’s commitment to partnerships that leverage its continental footprint to serve a broader base of organisations.

Aligned with this, Cassava continues to expand digital inclusion across Africa through its integrated portfolio of connectivity, cloud, cyber security, and digital solutions, ensuring that a broad spectrum of organisations, regardless of size or sector, can access and benefit from advanced technologies, thereby enabling more inclusive participation in Africa’s digital economy.

According to a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the president will use the period to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.

He said the leave is part of Tinubu’s annual vacation, but he is expected to engage in consultations during the break and will return to Nigeria after the leave ends.

Onanuga said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his yearly leave.

”He will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.

‘’He will return to the country after the leave expires.”

For records, on Wednesday, May 8, the president returned to the country after more than one week. President Tinubu left Abuja on April 23 for the Netherlands on what the Presidency described as an official visit.

According to his ex-special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the visit was on the invitation of the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. While there, Tinubu engaged in high-level discussions with the Prime Minister and the Dutch royalty, including His Royal Majesty, King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima.

Thereafter, he proceeded to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a special World Economic Forum, WEF, meeting scheduled for April 28 and 29.

With the compelling theme “Security in the Spotlight: Safeguarding Digital Frontiers through QA,” the conference aims to address the critical role of quality assurance (QA) in enhancing the security of digital ecosystems.

Why Attend TestNigeria 3.0?

Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Boye Dare, president of NGSTQB, said that the recent CrowdStrike incident, where a defect caused widespread disruptions for banks, hospitals, and airlines, underscores the urgent need for rigorous QA processes.

“Millions of PCs displayed ‘blue screens of death,’ highlighting the essential role of comprehensive testing.

“CrowdStrike has since committed to enhancing their software testing protocols, improving error handling, and adopting staggered deployments to prevent future issues”.

Mr. Dare said that TestNigeria 3.0 will provide attendees with the insights and tools to prevent similar disruptions in their own organisations.

Key Benefits of Attending:

• Learning from CrowdStrike’s Experience: Gain valuable insights into preventing large-scale outages. Understand the importance of thorough testing, robust error handling, and strategic deployment to safeguard your organisation against similar issues.

• Expert-Led Sessions and Panels: Engage with industry leaders and experts in software testing and security. Participate in discussions covering the latest advancements, strategies, and technologies to enhance your QA processes.

• Networking Opportunities: Connect with professionals across various sectors. Exchange ideas, share experiences, and build collaborations that can drive innovation and improvement in your QA practices.

• Cutting-Edge Trends and Innovations: Stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in software testing. Learn how to integrate security into your QA processes to protect your digital frontiers and ensure the resilience of your software systems.

• Professional Development: Benefit from the expertise of NGSTQB, a leading organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in software testing in Nigeria. Discover how the Test Maturity Model integration (TMMi) can aid in test process improvement and compliance.

Conference Highlights:

• Elevating Security Consciousness in QA Practices: Prioritise security at every stage of the software development lifecycle to proactively identify and mitigate risks.

• Integrating Security Testing into QA Processes: Incorporate methodologies like penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and code review into your QA processes to address security weaknesses before they can be exploited.

• Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Foster collaboration among QA professionals, cybersecurity experts, and industry stakeholders to collectively tackle evolving security challenges.

• Regulatory Compliance and Governance: Align QA processes with regulatory mandates such as NDPR, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO/IEC 27001 to demonstrate commitment to safeguarding sensitive data and protecting privacy rights.

• Empowering Stakeholders through Education and Training: Equip QA professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the complex landscape of security and QA through continuous learning and professional development initiatives.

Special Guest of Honour:

“We are honoured to welcome Sen. Salisu Shuaibu Afolabi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybercrime, who will declare the conference open. We will also welcome Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, the Chairman House Committee for ICT and Cybersecurity who will deliver the Keynote Address.

“The presence of these great lawmakers underscores the importance of this event and the critical role of QA in national cyber resilience”, he said.

The organisers – NGSTQB:

The Nigerian Software Testing Qualifications Board (NGSTQB) is dedicated to promoting excellence in software testing and quality assurance in Nigeria. As a member of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB®) and the local chapter for The TMMi Foundation, NGSTQB strives to enhance professional standards and practices in software testing through certification, education, and collaboration.