Chinyere Gloria Iroegbunam: More Women in Positions of Power Would Be Helpful

Chinyere Gloria Iroegbunam, General Manager, Legal and Company Secretary for Lekoil Nigeria Limited, is a member of the New York State Bar Association. She’s also a proud member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and the Nigerian Bar Association. Iroegbunam holds firmly to the conviction that the world would be a better place if more women held the reins of power.

Iroegbunam, an alumnus of the University of Uyo and Columbia University School of the Arts, in this interview with MARY NNAH, talks about her role as a female leader in Lekoil and how she leverages the position to ensure women thrive just as their male counterparts.

As a woman in top management, what would you say are some of the critical areas of your role as Head, Legal and Company Secretary at Lekoil?

My roles are very broad and they cover a wide scope but for the sake of this interview, I think I could summarise it as follows: I report directly to the CEO and I’m responsible for advising the CEO, and general executive management, of which I’m a member, and also advising the board on corporate issues.

Other things I’m responsible for are our litigation and dispute management, and contract advisory roles to some degree. However, we have a contractor team that does reporting-like legal functions as well – general advice on transactions, legal strategy, contract negotiations to some degree, and corporate governance and compliance.

As a leading career professional, what is your approach towards mentoring and encouraging younger women to attain the pinnacle in their careers?

 To offer valuable advice, it should stem from practical insights gained through personal experiences. It’s crucial to avoid dispensing guidance in a vacuum and instead ground it in realistic and pragmatic considerations. If I were to advise a young career professional, reflecting on what I wish I had known earlier, I would emphasize the need to acknowledge that the professional landscape may not always offer a level playing field. Anticipating this reality can be empowering; understanding that the journey might not be tailored to one’s preferences and may entail challenges and inconveniences.

A key mindset shift involves recognizing that expectations should be tempered, minimizing the potential for disappointment. Being aware that the path may not always be convenient prepares individuals for the obstacles they may encounter. This awareness fosters a proactive approach, understanding that some effort, perseverance, and perhaps even a bit of assertiveness might be necessary, especially when compared to male counterparts. It’s essential to clarify that this perspective is not rooted in sexism but rather an acknowledgement of existing dynamics.

In seeking a mentor, my preference would be for someone firm and demanding. I’ve observed that women often thrive under pressure, and having a mentor who challenges and pushes can lead to substantial growth. The ideal mentor, in my view, is someone who identifies my strengths and weaknesses, guides me to enhance my skills, and offers direction when needed. Whether through direct instruction or by pointing me toward resources for self-improvement, a mentor should actively contribute to my professional development.

Crucially, I seek a mentor who not only recognizes my shortcomings but provides constructive feedback on how to address them. This involves challenging my mindset and fostering an understanding that the journey will not always be smooth. I believe that such an approach, grounded in constructive challenges and support, aligns with how women tend to perform at their best – under pressure.

This perspective has proven valuable in my journey, especially when mentored by accomplished women who employed a similar approach. Emphasizing challenging mindsets, pushing for improvement, and imparting practical skills, has significantly contributed to my growth. This approach, I believe, holds the potential to positively impact the lives of younger women navigating their careers. It’s not about making the path easier but equipping them with the mindset and skills to navigate challenges and strive for excellence, recognizing that, indeed, women often excel under pressure.

A lot of work has gone into increasing the number of women in management positions, what would you advise the government to do to improve it further?

When you want to tackle a problem or when you want to provide a solution, my advice would always be to go to the root cause. So, if we’re advising the government or making some propositions on what they can do to support women, this would be my approach. Why do women feel they are not supported? Why are women having challenges? For example, you know that women are required, and expected, and it is our nature, to raise children. It’s a heavy responsibility, and you’re expected to be great at your career at the same time. One should not negate the other or draw from the other. So, we want to have a government that does not just design policies, but a government that will also be serious about implementation.

Even if it’s going to take little steps at a time, we’d like to see a government that would define policies that will help and be serious about implementing them across the board. For example, you could spread this approach across the board, so you look at it from the root cause. Like what are the challenges we may face while balancing home responsibilities and careers? How can you help? Very simple things can be done. Governments could encourage or mandate certain employers to have creches within their workplace environment, for instance. Although it seems like a small effort, what that does for you as a young woman who lives in, let’s say Ajah and works in Victoria Island, is that when she leaves her house in the morning, she can leave with her children, keep them in the creche where they are nearby, have somewhere she can pop in and just take a look, making sure that they are okay and then get back to work. With this, you solve several issues. You solve transportation issues; you solve expenditures on home care. You’ve also solved security issues because at the very least, you’re not leaving your children somewhere and then maybe there’s somebody not watching them properly or there’s a risk of somebody’s going to kidnap or molest them and all of that stuff. That way, your productivity will increase.

And that’s just one small thing, having a creche nearby. That’s a little effort that would go very far in helping women. So that’s a lot of peace of mind. Then for other issues, like women that are still in school. I think the government needs to be more serious about protecting women against sexual assault.

In the universities, and workplace environment, the way they can do this to ensure that is to have quick implementation of laws. And then when you make an example of one person, make sure that it’s clear to all the others so that nobody goes around harassing women. Women need to feel safe in their workplace, they need to feel that there are things that protect them. When they know that there is going to be accountability for anybody who goes against any of those things, women will feel safer.

I think also the idea of paternity leave should be implemented. Lekoil is a great practitioner of this, I think every firm should emulate that, it is a serious thing. The first few months of raising a child can be challenging so if women have their partners supporting them, the feeling that there is someone always there with them along the ride keeps them going. There should be specific tribunals, not just the National Industrial Court, but maybe tribunals that are dedicated to ensuring that women’s issues in the workplace are quickly prosecuted. We want to be sure that there is accountability for anybody who goes against the laws regarding women.

Regarding management positions, I’m not going to go as far as saying that a certain percentage of the workforce should be dedicated to women even though that would be helpful. But I think what is also important is that companies should be encouraged or compelled to ensure that women are supported to get to these management positions.

I think our labour laws need to be updated, especially for the management positions, because as far as I’m aware, labour laws in Nigeria are mostly for junior cadre staff and nothing designed towards management staff. So, things that will ensure companies push and ensure women get to those positions would be good. Lekoil exhibits a culture of inclusivity with a notable emphasis on gender diversity in management. A distinctive template is in place, demonstrating a commitment to empowering women in leadership roles. The board and senior management positions at Lekoil are predominantly occupied by women, exemplifying a progressive and inclusive approach toward fostering gender equality within the organization. Women can attain the positions, it’s just that they’re so busy juggling work and life and it’s hard for them to make the push.

How would you encourage young women looking to follow a path like yours?

It is nice to be admired but I wouldn’t like them to just tow my path; I’d like them to do better. You don’t reinvent the wheel; you improve the wheel. That’s the way I’d like them to think about it. What can they do better? What can they do that I didn’t do? Or what can they do to leverage some of the experiences I’ve had? I’d say, first of all, put yourself out there.

I think some of the challenges that we have and I think this may stem from our style of education, is that we focus a lot on precedents, what has been done before. What did this person do? What was the law here? What was the case decision here? What that does is that it stifles creativity. And I think it also stifles innovation.

So, what I would say to people coming after me who think that okay, you have attended a certain height and I’d like to do the same, is not to be compelled to stop at what has been done. Push the envelope a bit further, don’t feel caged by the examples of women who have come before you. Everything that has been done is done based on what somebody else has done before. Push further. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t think that what somebody has done is the only way. There are several other ways and you would only find out if you push yourself a little bit out there. I would also say don’t be too self-conscious or worry too much about what people think, that also cages you. You don’t know the depths of or the extent of just how much you can achieve until you make the push. The last thing I would say would be regarding work-life balance, I’d say don’t expect a level playing field. It’s not there. I’m not saying it should be accepted but don’t expect it because you will never see past the solutions that you can provide if you are fixated on that.

Don’t be afraid to speak up, even if it’s a room full of men who are older than you, which has often been my case at Lekoil. I’ve often been the only female voice in either a management meeting or when I’m advising the board. I’m the youngest but everybody has been blessed with a different brain and different ideas. If you don’t speak, nobody’s going to know. So put yourself out there. Don’t worry about what anybody else is going to say.

What is one thing you wish you could change for Nigerian women if you could?

It would be nice to see more women in more positions of power. I think that would be nice. I feel that women should be allowed to govern. I think just the thought that this woman has done it – it gives you more audacity. And it gives you more strength and drive to push past that place where you think you would be stuck.

You have had an illustrious career up to this point, what key lessons would you say you have picked up through the years?

The key lesson I would say I picked up through these years is that there is no room that you cannot walk into and speak your mind. There is nobody that is above you. There’s nobody you can’t approach. Any limitations you have exist in your head. Yes, there might be protocol and all that you have to adhere to but as a person, know that there is nobody above you. There’s nothing you cannot do if you set your mind to it.

Do you agree with the data that the role of company secretary is dominated by women and are you happy with that?

I would say that there are skills required to be a company secretary and then there are some attributes that come naturally to women. It just seems to align. At Lekoil, we practicalize equal opportunities. Several colleagues of mine are men and are company secretaries but the thing is, being a company secretary requires several things. It requires loyalty, confidentiality, ability to multitask, it requires a high degree of emotional intelligence bearing in mind that you’re not just advising on legal issues; you are managing several personalities within the board. But there you are, you have to navigate all of those people, and then now you have to bring in your skill as a lawyer. All of these require a lot of multitasking, require a lot of emotional intelligence, confidentiality, and sensitivity about how you manage all these persons and still make sure you get the job done. That is something that comes naturally to women. So, if women are the ones that are picked for these issues, it just seems natural.  If you look at Lekoil, for example, on the board, I think we have the best female representation in the industry, at least amongst the indigenous companies. If you include the company secretary, we have 50% female representation. And then we’re chaired by a woman. I don’t know any other company in Nigeria that is chaired by a woman. And that’s just because of the natural skills that she has. So, it’s not a question of whether I’m okay with it, it’s just that we’re good at it. And if someone is good at something, why not get the best for that job?

Can you tell us a bit about your childhood fantasy and has anything has changed about it?

Growing up, I thought I was going to be a doctor. And that was because when I was younger, I witnessed my mom go through some health issues. I can’t remember exactly what the issue was. But I just know that she wasn’t around for several days. They didn’t tell me where she was. I was the only one at home. All my other siblings had gone off to boarding school. I was the youngest and was quite close with my mom. And I just know that she was not in the house. And then one of my cousins came back from a lesson and told me, ‘Oh, your mom is in our hospital.’ I followed her to the hospital because I wanted to find out where my mom was, I told her that she had been there for days. I’m not sure of what kind of surgery she had to go through but she was touch and go for a minute. So, I promised her that I’d be a doctor so that I could always look after her. That was my very noble intention until I entered chemistry class in SS1 and fell asleep immediately after the Chemistry teacher started talking. That’s when I knew that the sciences were not for me. Then I began to evaluate what my other career options could be. And I had an uncle who had always told me from when I was four or five that I was going to be a lawyer but actually, I used to be very angry at my uncle because I wanted to be a doctor and I thought he was interfering with my plans. But it just seemed like the natural thing for me to do. So, here I am, a lawyer, doing what I was supposed to do. So, is my life going as expected? I do teach children now and then – that is my pastime. I don’t think my career would have charted the great course it has now if I hadn’t spent that time grooming myself as a lawyer.

Yes. I knew I’d work in the oil and gas industry. Yes. I knew that I would start working in a law firm because I thought it was important for me to get the groundwork done. I see the time spent working as a young lawyer at a law firm as time I spent as an apprentice.