Chief Executive Officer

A well-rounded Legal & Corporate Practice Professional with over 20 years of proven and progressive managerial experience in various aspects of commercial/corporate law such as Oil and Gas, Power/Energy, and transaction/Regulatory matters with a very strong work ethic. Huge experience with Corporate/governmental authorities and regulatory agencies. A resourceful and astute Legal Practitioner with special expertise in Power, Oil & Gas/Energy law with sound Commercial and Corporate experience in consulting, and advisory services with a strong work ethic.

Detail-oriented, enthusiastic, passionate, knowledgeable, observant, able to provide interpretation and practical advice to clients on corporate and governmental regulations, with a client-focused and can-do attitude resulting in a consistent record of exceeding customer expectations. Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with ambitions to deliver outstanding results.

A preponderance of her experience has been derived from working in the Nigerian Power Sector, and oil and gas in managerial roles. She is the current pioneer CEO/Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), managing the interest of over twenty-six (26) Generating Power Stations, and interfacing with various stakeholders associated with the power generation operations.

Dr Ogaji prior to her current role, was the Team Lead for the Regulatory and Transactions Monitoring Unit of the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), involved in the transaction monitoring, evaluation and facilitation for the completion and handover of the vertically unbundled PHCN Assets to private owners and monitoring and evaluating the activities of the investor's, benchmarking them against the various agreements and business plans.

Her role involved monitoring agencies, like NERC, NBET, TCN, NDPHC, NELMCO and so on, as well as working with development partners such as World Bank, AFDB, USAID, GIZ, NIAF, Power Africa, NEXANT, DFID, writing concept papers, TORS for requisite contractors, drafting and reviewing management contracts such as the Manitoba Contract for the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the novation agreements transferring obligation of PHCN to NBET & liabilities to NELMCO, World bank PRG on gas etc. Dr Ogaji is also highly skilled in the art of negotiations, stakeholder management/public relations, oversight of complex budgets, business management and problem-solving.

She also doubled as the Legal adviser to the PTFP and its Chairman. Her portfolio covers all the elements of the privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria's successor companies, been implemented by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). She possesses extensive exposure to working in Nigeria and the UK with deep regulatory knowledge of the power sector and the various oil and gas agreements such as oil pipeline licensing Gas transportation agreements, gas purchase agreements, and regulations coupled with the analytical ability to interpret various orders and regulations issued by NERC.

Dr Joy Ogaji was also the pioneering lead of legal and regulatory for the UN/FGN-funded Hydro-Carbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) for the cleanup of Ogoni oil spills, housed under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum following the UNEP report for the Ogoni in Niger Delta clean up. Dr Ogaji, as part of her role, developed all the preliminary documentation for the start-up of the HYPREP projects.

She interfaced with several international and national organizations such as John Hopkins University of the USA, Cranfield University, UK, Bincom Nigeria Limited and several other consultants and agencies.

Dr Ogaji is an articulate, focused professional who has a proven history of gathering and analyzing information and then using the results of that analysis to make effective decisions and find innovative solutions to problems.

Dr Ogaji possesses strong post-qualification experience which allows her to play an important and visible role in all areas of her profession. She has very good managerial, interpersonal, communication, negotiation/mediation skills which are vital when carrying out her day-to-day responsibilities.

Dr Ogaji is committed to excellent delivery and can prioritize tasks to ensure projects are completed beyond expectations. She is passionate about fostering and driving healthy workplace culture that ensures everyone brings their best self to work and has led and contributed to multiple initiatives to promote the same.

Dr Ogaji holds a first degree in law (LLB) from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt; a Bachelor's degree in Law (BL) from the Nigerian Law School; a Master's degree in Environmental law (LLM) from De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. Her PhD from Warwick University, UK focused on the Viability of Applying Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Processes in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

Dr Ogaji practised commercial and corporate law after her Call to the Nigerian Bar. She was later called to the England and Wales Bar in the United Kingdom; she worked with several Solicitors firms as head of the department as well as a partner in Stanley Richards Solicitors, UK. She was also a lecturer with Coventry University, teaching Oil and Gas law and regulation as well as supervising several postgraduate research works at the master's degree level.

Dr Joy is passionate about the Energy/power sector in Nigeria and Africa. She is a much sought-after resource person on energy/power – electricity-related issues. She is a front-line speaker at most conferences in the African region on energy/electricity. She is a seasoned and transformational leader, leading the Power Generation Association with her requisite, historical and residual knowledge of the Nigerian Power sector end to end.

She is a High-Capacity Individual committed to Self-Growth, Continuous Improvement and Excellence. An effective Communicator and Integrator, she has demonstrated competence in driving cross-functional alignment, external & internal stakeholder management, written and oral communication skills and the ability to influence across strata.