Prior to joining the University of Kigali, she was a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Operations, Marketing, and Information Systems at Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria, where she also served as Academic Director of the LBS Sales Academy. She previously held the position of Associate Dean of Business Administration at the University of the People, California, USA, and currently serves as a member of its Business Administration Advisory Board. She also served on the Board of Directors of the University of Kigali prior to her appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in January 2024.
Professor Adeola holds a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Alliance Manchester Business School, United Kingdom. She earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nigeria and obtained a Barrister-at-Law qualification from the Nigerian Law School, after which she was called to the Nigerian Bar. Before transitioning fully into academia, she built a 14-year career in Nigeria’s financial sector, beginning at Citibank Nigeria and progressing to senior management roles.
Her interdisciplinary research spans marketing strategy, sustainability, tourism, gender studies, and digital transformation, with a strong focus on advancing African business concepts, indigenous practices, and inclusive development. She has authored, co-authored, edited, and co-edited over 150 academic and practitioner publications, including books, journal articles, conference papers, and business and marketing case studies, with publications in leading ABS-ranked journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, and the Journal of International Business Studies.
Her scholarly excellence has received extensive international recognition. She is ranked among the Top 2% of scientists globally in the Stanford–Elsevier Global Scientist Ranking. In January 2024, the Alper-Doger Scientific Index ranked her as No. 1 Scientist in Nigeria for Marketing, No. 6 for Business and Management in Nigeria, and among the leading scholars in Africa in both fields. SciVal (Elsevier) also ranks her among the Top 100 authors in Nigeria across all subject areas between 2020 and 2023. Her research has further been recognised through multiple Best Paper Awards at international conferences (2016–2019) and the Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Paper (2022).
Beyond research, Professor Adeola is widely recognised for excellence in teaching, executive education, and mentoring. She has taught extensively on full-time and Executive MBA programmes, owner-managers programmes, and doctoral programmes across Africa and internationally, including engagements with China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), University of Ghana Business School, and the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA). She has served as an External Moderator and Examiner for MBA and PhD programmes in Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, and was a Visiting International Fellow at the Open University Business School, United Kingdom, and a Paul R. Lawrence Fellow in the United States.
She has provided consultancy and policy advisory services to numerous organisations across Africa and globally, including Afreximbank (African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network – AfSNET), the International Labour Organization, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, among others. She has also contributed to international consulting engagements through the Centre for Global Enterprise (USA), supporting internationally renowned organisations in the United Kingdom, North America, and Asia. She is the founder of the Digital Business Tutelage for Women Empowerment in Africa Initiative (DBTWEAi), a non-profit platform supporting women’s economic empowerment.
Her leadership and impact have been recognised through several prestigious honours, including the Female Achievers Recognition Award (2022), The Peak Performing Woman of the Year Award (2023 – Executive Education), the Most Influential Women in Sustainability Award (2024, WASD, London), and recognition as one of the 50 Most Influential Educators in Global Hospitality (2025) by the International Hospitality Institute.
Professor Adeola serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Nigeria; a Non-Executive Director at IITA Business Incubation Platform (IITA-BIP); Trade Advisor to the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce; and is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria, and the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria.
PROFESSIONAL/OTHER CERTIFICATES:
ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS:
INVITED SPEAKER ROLES
CONSULTANCY
EDITORIAL ROLES AND BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Prof. Adeola has published extensively. She has over 150 publications consisting of journal articles, books, book chapters, and case studies. The following is a list of her selected publications from 2016 to 2024
Google H Index: 30
Google i10 Index: 55
Books
Books Chapters
Scholarly Journal Articles (Chartered Association of Business Schools – ABS-Rated Journals Only)
Articles in Other Scholarly and Professional Journals
Case Studies
Other Contributions:
WHITE PAPER:
Contributed to “LESSONS FROM COVID-19 FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: Applying an interdisciplinary approach in developing strategies to motivate behaviour change, tackle misinformation and address inequality in times of crises” by Springer Nature (2023). Recognised in the acknowledgements for expert consultation. Available at: https://irp.cdn-website.com/be6d1d56/files/uploaded/SN_Lessons_from_Crises_WP.pdf
POLICY ADVOCACY PAPER:
As ILO’s National Consultant in 2022, led the preparation of the ‘National Assessment of Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria’ report for the International Labour Organization. Conducted comprehensive research and analysis, synthesising findings to inform policy recommendations. See: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—africa/—ro-abidjan/—ilo-abuja/documents/genericdocument/wcms_863586.pdf
Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing, Tourism & Hospitality, Sustainability, Indigenous Entrepreneurship, Sustainability (Climate Change).
Website:
www.ogechiadeola.com
ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ogechi_Adeola
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogechi_Adeola
Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2Rdd1rYAAAAJ&hl=en