Hafsatu Lawal Garba: Nigerian Amazon As TAJBank’s New Non-Executive Director

PROFILE

James Madaki

On July 3, 2023, Hafsat Lawal Garba, CEO of Sure Health Laboratory and Diagnostics, was appointed a non-executive director fo TAJBank, one of Nigeria’s value-driven financial institutions. The recent appointment illustrates the essence of her diligence, competence, and elegance. An outstanding executive leveraging diverse skills and expertise contributing to Nigeria’s economic ecosystem. Overseeing operations, strategic planning, risk management, business development and financial management, she provides leadership that drives growth and profitability while maintaining the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

Hafsat is a female Nigerian business champ who has continued breaking the glass ceiling.

Her appointment as a non-executive director of TajBank will further allow her to showcase her deftness in investment management, operations management, portfolio corporate governance, financial forecasting, risk mitigation and management, startup strategic planning and thinking, and asset management. She will also bring to bear performance management, process improvement and optimisation.

Her appointment as a non-executive director of TAJBank is pursuant to the provision of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, Articles 2.2.3 of the CBN Code of Corporate Governance and Principle 6 of the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance 2018.

Based on the appointment, she will serve for not more than three terms of two years each and will be for an initial term of two years. The TAJBank appointment will mean that during her tenure, “including when you become subject to re-election under the Articles of Association of the bank or the law, your performance as a director may be reviewed in accordance with processes agreed by the board from time to time.”

Hafsatu is expected to adhere to the rules and principles guiding directors and other major stakeholders of the financial institution, as the bank is an ethical financial institution. As a non-executive director, Hafsatu, the cofounder and director of Monkey Town Bistro Limited, will ensure that the board has the required skills and experience.

In her new role, Hafsatu will help to develop proposals on the bank’s strategy, set values and standards for the bank and establish systems for its communication and monitoring, monitoring the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and ensuring that the necessary financial and human resources are in place to enable the bank meet those goals and objectives and; satisfying yourself that systems for identification and management of risks are robust and appropriate.

As TAJBank’s non-executive director, Hafsatu will attend board and committees, annual general meetings and site visits to operational facilities. An intrepid C-executive will help the bank to raise its bar. Enterprising and creative, Hafsat will bring on board her personal touch and professional ingenuity to the bank.

Leading Sure Health Laboratory & Diagnostics Limited, Hafsatu grew the business from three employees to more than 13 employees, with assets worth over N150 million, establishing strategic business partnerships with more than 15 reputable organisations within the first year of operations and drove the acquisition of 4,000 unique clients within the first year of operation.

In addition, Hafsatu sits atop Tenerif Global Trade, overseeing its ‘internal trader development’ programmes to develop the skills of internal and external trade masters and managers. She was instrumental in distributing more than 10,000 metric tonnes of Nigerian grains, increasing the direct growth index on sales of grains and commodities nationwide thrice within a year. Hafsatu, as a portfolio manager of multimanager strategic and tactical portfolios, achieved more than N1.2 billion in assets and commodities.

TAJBank has tapped the right person with the professional and interpersonal temperament in Hafsatu. As a non-executive director of Trobell International Nigeria Limited since 2016, she successfully completed five cycles of the crude oil pre-shipment inspection contract spanning over seven years and still running. Hafsatu was instrumental in the company’s renewed crude oil pre-shipment inspection contract on a periodic and temporary basis, with renewals staggered around months.

As Trobell’s director, Hafsatu executed contracts and rendered all reports flawlessly, leading to high customer satisfaction. She maintains a team of highly experienced professionals with over 100 years of combined experience in the oil and gas sector. Among her high points at Trobell is successfully optimising client services by deploying cutting-edge information management technologies, including customising and deploying a pre-shipment inspection and documentation system for crude oil inspection.

Hafsatu also acquired and maintained partnerships with reputable organisations such as S&P Global Platts, International Organisation for Standardisation, and Barian Systems Limited, including providing a wide range of services to clients, including pre-shipment inspection services, vessel loading and discharging inspections, bunker surveys, tank and compartment cleaning, well wash testing, pipeline fabrication and construction, clean-up of oil spills, and provision of marine logistics, etc.

The new TAJBank non-executive director has depth in pedigree and academic laurels, with CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership QFC Personal Development and Strategic Manager. She has a Master of Art in Luxury Brand Management (Merit) from Regents University, London, with the capability to maximise my knowledge about the current luxury brand industry and make structured predictions of its future. She attended the City University London, London, with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Economics between September 2011 and September 2014. She graduated from Bellerbys College, Cambridge Business Foundation, from September 2010 to June 2011 and British International School, Lagos IGCSE, from September 2004 to June 2009.

TAJBank’s profile will further rise in the coming days.

Last year, Hafsat was awarded a Certificate of Satisfaction and Award of Excellence by the National Association of Northern Nigerian Students (NANNS) in recognition of her immense contribution towards national development, educational upliftment, youth engagement and service to humanity. She was also recognised for her sagacity, uprightness, diligence, disposition of duties with absolute fairness, and accountability alongside humanitarian services. Known for her vision, humility, courage, commitment to people’s well-being, growth and development, prudence, competence and charisma in all her dealings, the Trobell non-executive director often positively exacts her influence.

Her Laboratory, Sure Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Ltd., is a world-class modern diagnostic centre with a state-of-the-art facility and advanced equipment; 21st-century modern tools and equipment make it stand out, offering it an edge over other laboratories within the country. The lab’s core value showcases accuracy and precision within a short turnaround time. It is recorded to be one of the fastest-growing laboratories in the country, serving over 3,000 clients and releasing over 8000 test results within its first year of operations. Sure Health Laboratory provides all kinds of medical investigations, professional medical consultation services, home services, corporate and domestic health packages for individuals and businesses, respectively, and micro-clinical services within its scope.