Dr. Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu, Chief Marketing Officer of Heirs Insurance Group, has shared key leadership insights from the recent Heirs Holdings Group Leadership Council, highlighting the importance of ownership, governance, execution and organisational culture in building resilient and high-performing institutions.
In a reflection published on her LinkedIn page following the leadership gathering at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Okoli-Okpagu described the council as a testament to Heirs Holdings’ commitment to cultivating a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing among its leaders.
According to her, one of the defining strengths of the Group is its deliberate investment in developing leadership capacity through the exchange of ideas and experiences.
“One of the strengths of Heirs Holdings is its intentional approach to knowledge sharing, especially among leaders. You cannot sit in a room filled with brilliant minds, diverse experiences and decades of lessons, and not leave with something tangible,” she wrote.
The leadership council, convened by Heirs Holdings Chairman Tony O. Elumelu, featured leadership conversations led by Peter Ashade, Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital Plc, and Chijioke Okwuokenye, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc.
Reflecting on Ashade’s presentation, Okoli-Okpagu said the executive encouraged leaders to adopt an ownership mentality rather than merely managing organisations.
“Lead as an owner, not simply as a manager. Every leader must weigh decisions and make the right calls as though the business were theirs,” she quoted.
She also highlighted his emphasis on leadership as resource management, noting that “leadership is 10% technical competence and 90% resource management.” According to her, Ashade further stressed that recruitment remains one of the most critical responsibilities of any leader, advising executives to “never delegate one of the most consequential decisions a leader makes: getting the right person into the right role.”
Another lesson that resonated strongly with the Heirs Insurance executive was the importance of execution.
“Strategy is common. Execution is the competitive advantage. The difference is often not who has the best idea, but who can consistently turn ideas into results,” she quoted Ashade as saying.
Okoli-Okpagu also reflected on the leadership philosophy shared by Okwuokenye, describing his emphasis on sincerity as an unexpected but powerful principle for organisational transformation.
“This one surprised me, because sincerity is not often discussed as a leadership principle. His point was simple: a sincere heart can leapfrog progress,” she noted.
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She said Okwuokenye also underscored the importance of strong corporate governance, arguing that while processes are important, consistent adherence to those processes is what ultimately builds enduring institutions.
Beyond governance, she highlighted stakeholder engagement and organisational culture as essential pillars of sustainable leadership. According to her, Okwuokenye stressed that leaders must be able to align diverse interests and earn stakeholder trust, while ensuring that corporate values are reflected in everyday behaviour rather than remaining aspirational statements.
“Values only become culture when people live them, not just when they are said,” she quoted.
Summarising her key takeaways from the leadership council, Okoli-Okpagu said both leadership presentations converged on a common objective—building organisations capable of delivering sustained growth while remaining resilient in an increasingly dynamic business environment.
“As someone deeply interested in how companies retain agility, I found that these playbooks ultimately point to two outcomes: delivering steady growth while building long-term resilience,” she wrote.
She concluded that truly agile organisations succeed because they combine rapid, informed decision-making with long-term institution building, adding that “agile leaders do the same: they successfully combine short-term growth with long-term resilience.”
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