Claire Ighodaro

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

is a Nigerian chartered management accountant. She was the first female president of the

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the global professional management accounting body, based in the United Kingdom. CIMA offers training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects. It is focused on ...

(CIMA) and previously the financial director of

BT Broadband BT Broadband is a broadband service offered by BT Consumer; a division of BT Group in the United Kingdom. It was formerly known as BT Total Broadband, BT Yahoo! Broadband and BT Openworld. With the introduction of BT Infinity, the Broadband packag ...

. Ighodaro is presently a non-executive director of Flood Re, XL Catlin Insurance Company UK Limited, and the Pennon Group PLC. She is a trustee of the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

and an independent board member of the UK Trade & Investment Executive Board. She is a board member and Audit Committee Chair of Lloyd’s of London and a non-executive director and Governance Committee Chair of

Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...

. In 2008, she was awarded with a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (

) for services to business.

Education and early career

Ighodaro studied at Queens College Yaba Lagos Nigeria from 1964 to 1968, and at St Anne's School Ibadan from 1969 to 1970. She studied accounting at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

. She started her career at Otis Elevators in London in 1979. In 1984, she moved to

British Telecom BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-li ...

to work as a Management and Development Accountant. She was subsequently promoted to senior project manager in 1988, where she led the development of one of the first handheld job-reporting systems for field engineers. In 2000, Ighodaro was made financial controller of British Telecom Open world, the United Kingdom's first mass-market broadband internet launch, and of portal, channel and interactive TV development.

Non-executive directorships and advisory roles

Since becoming

first female president, and Chair of the executive board, Ighodaro has served on a variety of directorships and advisory positions. At

, she served as a non-executive director and chair of the governance committee. At the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

, she served as a council member and audit committee member. She served as a non-executive director and chair, audit committee of

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gover ...

. She is also a board member of the

International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) develops and promotes the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards). The IESBA also supports debate on issues related ...

. Ighodaro is a member of the FCO Diplomatic Excellence External Panel and Iddas (Savile Group PLC). At Lending Standards Board, she serves as a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee. She is also a council member and chair of the audit committee of

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

. She is a board member and chair, audit committee of The British Council and the chair of the London Learning and Skills Council. Ighadaro is a non-executive board member and chair, audit committee of the UK Trade & Investment.

Honors and awards

In 2007, Ighodaro was ranked 5th in the

New Nation ''New Nation'' was a weekly newspaper published in the United Kingdom, UK for the Black British community. The newspaper was launched in November 1996 by Richard Adeshiyan, the founding Editor who gave the title its name. the newspaper was Bri ...

’s power list of 100 leading black role models. In 2008, she was awarded a

for services in business. In 2015, Ighodaro was granted a 'doctor of the university' from

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

Personal life

Ighodaro is married with three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ighodaro, Claire Living people Year of birth missing (living people) British diaspora in Nigeria Nigerian accountants Nigerian women accountants University of Lagos alumni BT Group people Merrill (company) people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People associated with the Open University