T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017
27
BUSINESSWORLD
APPOINTMENT / AWARDS
RusselSmith Bags Chevron Environment and Safety Award At the recently concluded Chevron Contractor Line Management HES Forum, RusselSmith Group, a leading Integrated Oilfield Services company, received a recognition certificate in acknowledgment of projects concluded without recordable incidents over a one year period (January 2016 to December 2016) for the Nigeria/ Mid Africa Strategic Business Unit of Chevron Nigeria Limited. At the presentation of the certificate, which took place in Lagos, Chevron Nigeria Limited
lauded RusselSmith for quality and safety-focused service delivery on projects executed within the period. The event also saw other contractors being recognised for excellent service delivery. This commendation comes just after organisation’s recent celebration of the attainment of 3million man-hours with zero LTI in 2016. It reaffi f rms its commitment to excellent service delivery as an ISO 9001:2008 certified Integrated Oilfield Service Solutions provider incorporated to serve
the needs of the global Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry. In over a decade of its operations, RusselSmith is believed to have blazed a trail as a leader in innovation and quality in the oilfield services sector, with the introduction of several new technologies and the attainment of important milestones. In addition to Chevron Nigeria Limited, RusselSmith’s customers include other oil and gas giants Shell, ExxonMobil, Nigeria LNG and Total E&P.
According to the Senior Executive Vice President of RusselSmith, Kayode Adeleke, , “We are fully committed to safety and world-class service delivery standards at all times. Our mission is to promote a culture of excellence. That is our cutting-edge approach.” Adeleke also noted that the adoption of high safety standards by more Nigerian companies will ultimately improve the overall quality of service delivery and reliability in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
CELEBRATING WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE
L-R: Head Customer Experience & Analytics of Heritage Bank Plc, Kikanwa Akpenyi; CEO, Silton African Kitchen, Anthonia Ojenagbon; Group Head, Market Intelligence & Analytics of the bank, Cynthia Erigbuem; SME Consultant, Raliat A. Oyetunde; and CEO Thistle Praxis Consulting, Mrs. Ini Abimbola, during the event organised by Heritage Bank to mark the International Women’s Day tagged: “Be Bold for Change,” in Lagos…recently
Media Perspectives Appoints New COO Within two months of his elevation to the post of the General Manager of Media Perspectives, Jude Odia, regarded as one of Nigeria’s most promising media advertising executives, has been promoted Chief Operating Offi fficer (COO) of the agency. The former General Manager has played key roles in the growth of the frontline media agency. His wealth of experience in communications planning and brand strategy has helped Media Perspectives create noteworthy campaigns for MTN, NB Plc, Samsung, Procter and Gamble, among others. With his new appointment, Odia will be overseeing the administrative activities and general management of the agency. Industry watchers are not surprised over this development; as feelers revealed that he has paid his dues in the industry having been part and parcel of the agency’s origin, growth and development. Besides, he is also believed to the best man for the job based on his reputation as an erudite strategist with core strength in brand strategy, integrated communications, planning and end-to-end accounts management. He has led and coordinated account management teams across West
Africa that implemented many successful media advertising campaigns for leading multinational clients. He has also developed winning media strategies for multinational/ local brands in Nigeria and across the West Africa markets. Odia, an associate member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), has a solid academic background. He bagged his B.A Honours English/ Literature from the prestigious University of Benin. In 2016, he earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Bradford, UK. He is also a Lagos Business School alumnus. His professional sojourn began in 2001 as a presenter and producer with Minaj Broadcast International, now defunct. In 2003, he got his fi first agency job as a Media Executive, Research & Data Analyst at Initiative Media (now Sharemind Media). In March 2007, he was appointed as Head, Strategy & Planning at Capital Media. Barely one and half months after he joined the media agency, Odia called it quits and headed off to the banking industry. He was Group Head, Brand Management for FinBank Plc, between September 2008 and December 2010.
Winners Emerge in Lenovo Nationwide Promo As much as 39 Nigerians have emerged as winners of various prizes in the 2016 edition of the Lenovo National Promo. The campaign commenced on December 19, 2016, and culminated in an elaborate raffl f e draw which took place at Lenovo’s Lagos offi f ces on Friday, January 27. Four lucky individuals were announced as winners of star prizes of smart televisions while five more won laptops from Lenovo’s world-class range. 30 other finalists were rewarded with Lenovo Tablets and DVD players. To participate in the promo, customers were expected to purchase their Lenovo smartt phone from the recently opened Lenovo Experience Store in Ikeja, Lagos or any authorised Lenovo smartphone retail stores nationwide towards standing the chance of winning any one of the prizes. Participants in the promo were also rewarded with instant gifts including Recharge cards, Notepads, Gifts bags and much more at each point of sale during the promo. In a statement, Smartphones Business Lead for Lenovo Technologies West Africa, Mr. Manoj Rajasekharan, described the promo as a platform for Lenovo to connect as well as drive significant engagement with its Nigerian consumers.
“The Lenovo National Promo is our way of showing our appreciation to our customers for their loyalty and support; they are the major reason for our successes in the past year. The initiative also demonstrates our commitment to providing Nigerians with additional value for every smartphone purchase. We look forward to rewarding our loyal customers with more initiatives of this kind,” he said. Rajasekharan added that Lenovo would continue to leverage on its expertise in mobile technology to improve the lives of its customers. The 2017 Lenovo National Promo builds on the wide success of the 2016 edition which saw 19-year old university undergraduate, Vivian Onyemaechi emerge as winner of the grand prize of a brand new Kia Rio in the fi final draw. The initiative was designed to make the holiday season more exciting for Nigerians. The January 27 raffl ffle draw marks the conclusion of the 2016 edition of the promo and was executed in partnership with key smartphone dealers in the country. The event was witnessed by representatives of the Lagos Offi f ce of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Lagos Zonal Offi f ce of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
SOAN Members Re-elect Ogbeifun as President Members of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) have re-elected Chairman/CEO of Starzs Group, Mr. Greg Ogbeifun as president of the association for another term of two years. Also re-elected was Mkgeorge Onyung as Vice President who defeated Alfred Okoigon with nine votes to eight. The election, which was witnessed by some offi f cials of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) led by the Head, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standard, Sunday Umuren also saw Eno William elected Financial Secretary/Treasurer. Speaking shortly after the election, which held in Lagos, Ogbeifun promised that the association under his watch, in the next two years will drive the collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the actualisation of a Nigerian crude tanker fleet. This, he said, will help create the platform to train cadets in international trade adding that the association will also provide its vessels to train cadets in collaboration with NIMASA and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron. Ogbeifun said SOAN will also engage NIMASA on the need to disburse the Cabotage vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) for indigenous shipowners’ to grow their fleet. Specifically, he said: “We are going to drive the actualisation of the crude tanker fleet vigorously for the benefit fi of our nation because that will begin to create the platform the country is looking for to train our cadets in the international trade. “NIMASA on their own cann not act on that fund; they need
people who need it for them to be able to release the fund. Almost all our members have contributed to that fund and we think they deserve to be given an opportunity to grow our fleet fl with that fund. That is going to be our number one assignment for this new executive. “We are going to continue with the cadetship scheme because without the cadets, there will be no ships and there will be no future of our maritime sector. We are going to articulate a strategy of bringing all our vessels to be available for the training of cadets and working with NIMASA and MAN Oron and other maritime institutions.” While calling for a review of the Cabotage act, Ogbeifun reiterated the need for NIMASA to help indigenous ship owners grow capacity in the industry. Ogbeifun identified lack of finance to grow their fleet and dearth of skilled and certificated seafarers as a major challenge. He added: “Most times we compete with foreign vessel owners for tenders and these people have very access to cheap fund for the tenders and when we contest against them with the type of interest rate we pay for our funds, then the playing field is not level at all. “Another challenge is the multiple taxes we are made to pay in foreign currencies. Instead of different people working on board our ships asking for different pays, we think the relevant agency can have a single window that captures all the taxes levies. The aspect of paying for these dues in dollars when we are in Nigeria is a very contentious one and we would like that reverse to make it easy for us to comply.”
OMD Emerges ‘Most Creative Agency Network’ Omnicom Media Group’s Agency OMD has been awarded the most Creative, Innovative and Effective Agency Network of the Year for the 11th consecutive time by the Gunn Report for Media. The Gunn Report for Media is the industry standard for evaluating media creativity, innovation and effectiveness. The report summarizes media agencies’ overall performance from January to December 2016 based on the results of global, regional and national Media creative award contests spanning over 40 markets in the world. Most importantly, it recognizes the vital role media agencies play in today’s highly competitive and fragmented media landscape. The rankings reflect a point system based on awards won in more than 50 annual award competitions worldwide. In addition to OMD leading the list with 632 points, PHD ( another agency within Omnicom Media Group) ranked #3, moving up 1 rank with 476 points. OMD and PHDs top ranking reflects recognition earned in 2016 by agencies in every region across its network.
Commenting on the findings, fi Isabelle Musnik, editor of the Gunn Report for Media, said: “Media agencies have become their clients’ key strategic partner. They are “creative orchestra conductors” at the intersection of technology and traditional media. The Gunn Report for Media shows that, while technology and data are fundamental to achieving results, insight, strategy and innovative ideas are essential to delivering them.” 2016 marked the year of data, mobile-only, apps, programmatic advertising and vertical video, to name a few. OMD is therefore proud to have continued to produce the most creative, innovative and effective work in the world for our clients, not only pushing the boundaries of innovation but delivering strong business results for our clients. “Our global culture cascades to local markets, with many local initiatives. We encourage our teams to produce works that deliver on objectives and help overcome Business Challenges”, says Tolu Ogunkoya, Regional Managing Director, mediaReach OMD