Abiola Laseinde is a strategic corporate governance expert and serial entrepreneur whose multifaceted career is united by a singular passion: shaping the future of business and recognising those who drive it. As the founder & CEO of Edniesal Consulting, she channels this vision into The CIO & C-Suite Conference and Awards Africa — an initiative she founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to honour the architects of digital transformation. As a pan-African benchmark, the awards reflect Laseinde’s lifelong entrepreneurial drive and her commitment to elevating the unseen leaders behind organisational success. For Laseinde, this journey is the culmination of early lessons in entrepreneurship and a deep-seated mission to give value and visibility to the professionals who ensure seamless digital progress.
Q: Are you open to taking the award ceremony outside Nigeria anytime soon?
Abiola Laseinde: Yes, we are open to it, but it’s more than just hosting an event abroad. The awards are an African invention, something spiritual for us. We actually considered hosting it outside Nigeria last year, Kenya or South Africa, but the financial requirements were overwhelming.
Q: So the challenge is mainly financial?
Abiola Laseinde: Absolutely. We are shy about asking for money, and taking the platform abroad doubles the cost. Last year alone, we spent almost N16 million hosting the event locally without an external event planner. If we factor in forex and logistics, the cost becomes even higher. Unless a major global sponsor, like Microsoft or Dell, fully supports it, we prefer not to downgrade the experience.
Q: What makes the experience so important to you?
Abiola Laseinde: Quality. If we wanted to ‘just do an event,’ we would have left Nigeria already. The awards must feel grand, intentional, and world-class. We won’t go abroad to embarrass ourselves.
Q: What inspired the creation of the CIO and CISO Club?
Abiola Laseinde: By the second edition of the awards, we realised many winners wanted a platform to give back. That led to the creation of the CIO & CISO Club in 2021, though it became properly active by 2026.
Q: What pillars guide the club?
Abiola Laseinde: Four key pillars are capacity building. Tech and non-tech professionals should gain value so that even my grandmother can understand our conversations. Advocacy, we want a seat at the table when digital policies are being designed across Africa. Research and development to deepen knowledge and reinforce learning, and a centre of expertise, a think tank that governments can rely on for digital leadership and advisory roles.
Q: What role do you personally play in the club?
Abiola Laseinde: I’m only a trustee. The club is governed by its members. Our Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Fatsumata Fuka, and the current president — the third so far — is Olusegun Itogadda, founder of IT Horizon.
Q: You also founded a women-focused network. Why?
Abiola Laseinde: By the second year of the awards, we noticed that 90% of nominees were men. That imbalance pushed us to create the Ladies in Tech & Leadership Network. Women weren’t nominating themselves, so we had to intentionally seek them out.
Q: What strategies did you use to engage women?
Abiola Laseinde: We started casual dinner clubs, wine, laughter, and karaoke to make them comfortable. We personally called female CIOs and told them, ‘You must show up so younger women can see you’. We expanded the network, held brutally honest sessions, and even took members to Kenya to connect with East African women in tech.
Q: What are your plans for 2026?
Abiola Laseinde: We are going to Rwanda. But this time, they will pay for the experience. No more freebies, we want a serious commitment. If Nigerian women don’t show up, we’ll highlight women from other African countries.
Q: How many entries do you get?
Abiola Laseinde: Out of over 500 global entries, only about 200 are from Nigeria. Many African women are still holding back. We’re working to change that.
Q: You’re active in 15 countries. Are others requesting to host?
Abiola Laseinde: Yes. Some countries ask, ‘you have awardees from here, why not host the ceremony here?’. As we expand into 20–22 countries, that question becomes louder. We are open, especially to South Africa but financial support is key.
Q: How do nominees from other countries join the event?
Abiola Laseinde: They pay their own flights. When they arrive, we host curated tours. Microsoft Africa Experience Centre, FCMB SOC and dinners. Many come for the first time and tell us the event exceeds their expectations.
Q: What inspired the CIO & C-Suite Awards Africa in the first place?
Abiola Laseinde: During the pandemic, everyone celebrated medical frontline workers, but no one celebrated the tech frontline workers who kept the world running. People worked from home comfortably, but tech teams were risking their lives maintaining systems and fighting cyber-attacks. Some died in silence. That troubled me deeply. I wanted to honour the individuals behind Africa’s digital resilience.
Q: Your background isn’t in tech. How did the industry respond?
Abiola Laseinde: I was driven by pure determination. Firms like EY and PWC saw the sincerity and supported me immediately. The awards focus on individuals, not organisations, celebrating the humans behind the infrastructure.
Q: What category is the most competitive?
Abiola Laseinde: Financial services. Banks write strong technical entries. Telecoms are close behind because they now function like full tech solutions providers.
Q: Do people win multiple times?
Abiola Laseinde: Rarely more than twice. The judges are strict.
TheCable Lifestyle: What have been the toughest challenges?
Abiola Laseinde: Partnership consistency. Some years, companies sponsor everything: the hall, plaques, branding, and exhibition stands. But in 2023, nine partners pulled out due to economic pressures. We even considered cancelling because we refuse to reduce quality.
Q: Were people sceptical about the awards in the early days?
Abiola Laseinde: Very. Some nominees didn’t attend because they didn’t believe it was real. One CIO only showed up after confirming with a colleague. Marketing departments also resisted because the awards put CIOs, usually behind the scenes, in the spotlight. It disrupted internal office dynamics
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