Leading pan-African investment company, Heirs Holdings, has announced the appointment of Obinna Ufudo and Sola Yomi-Ajayi as non-executive directors, reinforcing its focus on strong corporate governance and long-term value creation across Africa.
The company said the appointments add significant depth in finance, energy, global markets, and enterprise governance to its board at a time of continued expansion across key sectors.
Sola Yomi-Ajayi brings more than three decades of experience in financial services, regulatory engagement and enterprise risk management. She previously served as an executive director at United Bank for Africa (UBA), where she was also CEO of UBA international business and country CEO for UBA America. Her board experience spans UBA United Kingdom, the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), and the OECD Blue Dot Network Executive Consultation Group.
Her past roles include membership of the sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee of the US Export-Import Bank and the board of trustees of the Institute of International Banking in the United States. Yomi-Ajayi holds an MBA from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and executive certifications from Wharton and Harvard Business Schools.
Obinna Ufudo joins the board with over 30 years of leadership experience across banking, investment, energy and corporate transformation. He previously served as executive director and chief operating officer of Heirs Holdings and later as president and group CEO of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp), where he led a major turnaround and oversaw the acquisition of the Ughelli Power Plant.
Ufudo is also founder and chairman of Atiat Leasing Limited and co-founder and chairman of LoanBook Limited. His academic background includes executive and postgraduate qualifications from Wharton School, the University of Reading, and IESE Business School. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Commenting on the appointments, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, founder and group chair of Heirs Holdings, said the new directors embody the firm’s “africapitalism philosophy.”
“We are pleased to welcome Obinna Ufudo and Sola Yomi-Ajayi to the board of Heirs Holdings. Their depth of experience and proven track records will further strengthen our leadership in pan-African proprietary investment and support the development of our diverse portfolio,” Elumelu said.
Heirs Holdings operates across energy, power, banking, insurance, technology, real estate, hospitality and healthcare, with investments in 24 countries worldwide. The firm is driven by africapitalism—the belief that the private sector plays a critical role in Africa’s economic and social transformation through long-term, sustainable investment.
