Leading digital payments company, Mastercard, has appointed Folasade Femi-Lawal as the new Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa, taking over from Ebehijie Momoh, who has held the position since 2019.
As Country Manager, Folasade’s job is to drive the Mastercard’s strategic vision, innovation and growth agenda, in addition to strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders, and helping the company achieve its goal of building a more connected and inclusive digital economy in West Africa.
Who is Folasade Femi-Lawal?
Folasade Femi-Lawal holds over 25 years of experience from serving in financial services, management consulting, telecommunications, and business advisory services. An alumnus of the Obafemi Owolowo University, London Business school, and Harvard Business School Executive Education, Folasade’s knowledge and experiences have afforded her leadership skills that she has displayed through her ability to meet business growth objectives consistently.
Starting out her career as a consultant at Pricewaterhousecoopers in 1998, Folasade quickly rose up the corporate ladder. She has successfully led initiatives in Mobile Financial Services and Digital Banking Strategy at First Bank, Nigeria, over the past decade, and while serving as the Head of Cards & Messaging Business, was instrumental in growing the card subscriber base and market share.
Prior to her tenure at First Bank, Folasade served as a principal analyst at Airtel Nigeria, and CEO at Lugar Ricos Nigeria Ltd. At Airtel, she managed the development of the automated Balanced Scorecard for the company, and the issuance of the Regional Balanced Scorecard for 8 Regions in the Operations Group.
Folasade also advocates inclusive growth and empowerment, particularly for women and children. She has undertaken philanthropic works and mentorship roles with organisations like Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WimBiz), the United States, White House Initiative – Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and FirstBank Women Network.
Her works have seen honoured with the Outstanding Women in Management award by the United Nations Association in Nigeria and named one of the Top 50 Women in Management Africa by Women in Management Africa. She also currently serves as an Official Member of the Forbes Business Development Council.
Beyond professional pursuits, Folasade enjoys singing, writing, and spending quality time with her family.
By Derrick Kafui Deti – Digital Economy Magazine
