Company -Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group

Location- Ilupeju, Lagos, Nigeria (Group Head Office)

Reports To -Group Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, with a dotted line to the Board Audit & Risk Committee

Direct Reports -Head of Financial Reporting, Head of Treasury & Tax, Head of FP&A, Head of Internal Control, Investor/Corporate Finance Lead

Employment Type Full-time, Senior Executive / Group Leadership Team

About Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group

Incorporated in Nigeria in 1988, Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group has grown into one of the country's most trusted names in the edible oils and agro-industrial sector. The Group refines and supplies a wide portfolio of products including refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, olein, soybean oil and stearin, as well as soybean meal, soy lecithin and palm kernel de-oiled cake used across the poultry and animal feed value chain.

Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group' products are certified by Nigeria's leading regulatory bodies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). Operating from its Lagos base with a growing manufacturing and distribution footprint, the Group is scaling its operations, sharpening its capital discipline and building the institutional and governance backbone required to support its next phase of growth across Nigeria and the wider West African market.

Job Purpose

The Group CFO is a member of the Group Leadership Team and serves as the principal financial steward of Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group and its subsidiaries. The role is accountable for the integrity of the Group's financial reporting, the strength of its balance sheet, the discipline of its capital allocation and the robustness of its risk and control environment.

Beyond stewardship, the Group CFO is a strategic partner to the Group MD/CEO and the Board, translating commercial ambition into a credible financial roadmap covering funding strategy, working capital optimisation, cost competitiveness, M&A and portfolio decisions, and long-term value creation for shareholders. The role also carries direct responsibility for building institutional-grade finance capability — systems, controls, talent and reporting discipline — appropriate for a company of Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group' scale and ambition.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Co-own the Group's strategic and business plans with the Group MD/CEO, ensuring financial rigour underpins growth, capacity expansion, and diversification decisions.

• Lead the development of the Group's medium- and long-term financial strategy, including capital structure, funding mix and dividend policy.

• Advise the Board and Executive Committee on capital allocation, investment appraisal, pricing strategy and margin management across the product portfolio.

• Evaluate and lead M&A, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships, including due diligence, valuation and post-transaction integration.

Financial Planning, Reporting & Analysis

• Oversee annual budgeting, rolling forecasts and long-range financial planning across the Group and its subsidiaries.

• Ensure timely, accurate and IFRS-compliant consolidated financial statements and management accounts for the Board, shareholders and regulators.

• Drive commercial and manufacturing cost analytics, including cost-of-goods and input-cost sensitivity (palm oil, soybean, energy), to protect and improve margins.

• Deliver Board-ready reporting packs, KPI dashboards and variance analysis that translate financial performance into actionable business insight.

Treasury, Funding & Capital Markets

• Manage the Group's liquidity, banking relationships, working capital and cash flow, with particular attention to FX exposure given the Group's reliance on imported raw materials and equipment.

• Structure and negotiate debt facilities, trade finance and supply-chain financing to support operations and expansion at competitive cost.

• Lead engagement with banks, DFIs, rating agencies and, where relevant, capital markets, positioning Leading Edible Oils & Agro-Industrial Group for future financing rounds or a potential public listing.

• Own the Group's hedging strategy for commodity price and currency risk.

Risk, Controls, Tax & Compliance

• Establish and continuously strengthen the internal control framework, segregation of duties and financial governance across all Group entities.

• Ensure full compliance with Nigerian tax legislation (FIRS, LIRS), statutory filings, and regulatory requirements from bodies including NAFDAC, SON and NESREA insofar as they carry financial or reporting implications.

• Oversee enterprise risk management, insurance strategy and business continuity planning from a financial perspective.

• Manage the external audit relationship and ensure timely resolution of audit findings and management letter points.

Organisational & People Leadership

• Build, mentor and lead a high-performing finance organisation across reporting, treasury, tax, FP&A and internal control.

• Champion the adoption of modern ERP, financial systems and automation to improve the speed, accuracy and integrity of financial data.

• Instil a culture of financial discipline, accountability and commercial ownership across the wider business, not only within the finance function.

• Represent the Group in engagements with shareholders, lenders, regulators and other external stakeholders.

Must-Have Attributes

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or a related discipline; MBA or relevant Master's degree is an advantage.

• Certification: Professional accounting qualification — ICAN, ACCA, CPA or CFA (or equivalent) — is mandatory.

• Experience: Minimum of 15-18 years of progressive finance leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a CFO, Group Finance Director or comparable senior finance role.

• Industry background: Prior experience in FMCG, agro-industrial, manufacturing or edible oils/commodities businesses in Nigeria or a comparable emerging market is strongly preferred.

• Capital markets exposure: Demonstrable track record of raising debt or equity capital, managing banking relationships and structuring trade/working-capital finance in the Nigerian market.

• Regulatory fluency: Deep, current understanding of Nigerian tax law, FIRS/LIRS compliance, IFRS reporting standards and the regulatory environment for FMCG/agro-processing (NAFDAC, SON, NESREA).

• FX and commodity risk management: Proven ability to manage naira volatility, import-dependent input costs and multi-currency exposure.

• Systems: Experience implementing or upgrading ERP systems and driving finance digitisation/automation.

• Leadership: Demonstrated experience building, leading and developing high-calibre finance teams.

• Integrity and stature: Impeccable personal and professional integrity, with the gravitas to engage confidently with the Board, lenders, auditors and regulators.

Good-to-Have Attributes

• Capital markets readiness: Direct experience preparing a company for an IPO, bond issuance or significant capital raise.

• M&A / transaction experience: Hands-on involvement in mergers, acquisitions, or greenfield/brownfield capacity expansion projects.

• Regional exposure: Exposure to operations beyond Nigeria, particularly ECOWAS or broader Sub-Saharan African markets.

• ESG/sustainability: Understanding of sustainability reporting, ESG frameworks and responsible sourcing relevant to agro-commodities.

• Commodity hedging expertise: Familiarity with commodity hedging instruments for palm oil, soybean and related agricultural inputs.

• Board exposure: Experience serving on or presenting to formal Boards and Audit & Risk Committees.

• Family-business / governance transition experience: Prior involvement in family-owned or founder-led businesses transitioning toward institutional governance structures.

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