Nigeria’s Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) has been placed under the reins of a new managing director/CEO in the form of Jane Egerton-Idehen, an exemplary figure who has repeatedly proven herself as an accomplished and dynamic leader in various sectors of the technology and telecommunications.
While the above paragraph has sung a few of her praises, some may ask, who exactly is Jane Egerton-Idehen, and why does she deserve to be CEO of NIGCOMSAT?
Jane Egerton-Idehen was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Her zeal to learn and excel took her through the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) from 1988 to 1994 for her SSCE, before offering an Electronic Engineering program at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Her education did not end there, Ms Egerton-Idehen also holds an engineering degree and a master’s degree from Warwick Business School in the UK, as well as an executive education from both Harvard Business School and Yale School of Management.
The knowledge she gained at these institutions, granted her the necessary skills to venture into the telecommunications industry. In her nearly 20 years in the communication field, her work has taken her across Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia. Major telecommunications companies Jane Egerton-Idehen has worked with include Avanti, Ericsson and Nokia-Siemens, where she honed her skills in sales and management.
Managing to climb her way up the corporate ladder by dint of hard work and determination, Jane Egerton-Idehen has served as the Head of Sales (Middle East and Africa) at Meta, Country Manager for Nigeria, and the Regional Sales Director at Avanti Communications Group PLC.
Jane Egerton-Idehen’s knowledge of technology and her skillset in managing teams and crisis has also made her a strategic advisor, making her a valuable asset to any organisation she works with. Her successful exploits in the corporate field have recently seen her celebrated as one of Nigeria’s 50 Leading Ladies in Corporate Nigeria by Leading Ladies Africa.
When Jane Egerton-Idehen is not rampaging through male-dominated corporate fields, she writes motivational books and advocates the empowerment of women and girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
She leads the NGO, “Women and Career”, and has authored the book “Be Fearless: Give Yourself Permission To Be You”, which can be counted among the various initiatives she has undertaken to inspire and empower her fellow women to excel in male-dominated STEM fields, making a significant impact on the industry.
She is also a co-founder of IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) in Nigeria, an international professional organization aimed at promoting women engineers and scientists and inspiring girls to pursue a career in engineering.
Jane Egerton-Idehen is married to Egerton Idehen, and the two have a son, Asher, and a daughter, Sarah, who inspire Jane to continue to push for diversity in male-dominated fields.
As the new MD/CEO of NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen brings to the table her former leadership experiences at Meta and Avanti, which will help her effectively lead the organization. Her strategic vision, innovative thinking, and passion for empowering others prove that she holds all the qualities needed to achieve NIGCOMSAT’s mission of advancing communication and digital solutions in Nigeria.
By Derrick Kafui Deti – Digital Economy Magazine
