Deloitte West Africa has appointed Yomi Olugbenro as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant leadership transition at one of the region’s most influential professional services firms. Olugbenro succeeds Fatai Folarin who was appointed CEO on 1 June 2016.
The appointment places Olugbenro at the helm of Deloitte’s West African operations at a time when advisory firms are navigating tighter regulation, accelerated digital transformation, and heightened scrutiny of governance standards across financial services, energy, telecoms and the public sector.
The announcement quickly drew congratulatory reactions across professional networks. Reflecting on the importance of leadership mentorship, Aramide B., in a widely shared comment, wrote: “The first person who ever modelled good leadership to me was my first manager at KPMG… Eager. Overzealous. ITK as we call it.” The sentiment underscores the weight that leadership transitions carry within professional services ecosystems.
A Tax Leader with Institutional Depth
Before his elevation to CEO, Olugbenro served as West Africa Tax Leader and a senior partner at Deloitte. His career has been defined by deep technical expertise in corporate taxation, transfer pricing, regulatory advisory and tax dispute resolution.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). He studied at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and has built a reputation as a trusted adviser to multinational corporations, financial institutions and regulators.
Within Deloitte, Olugbenro has led advisory engagements involving complex cross-border structuring, fiscal reform interpretation and compliance frameworks for large corporates. He has also represented industry perspectives in policy conversations around Nigeria’s evolving tax architecture.
His appointment suggests continuity rather than disruption — an internal elevation that preserves institutional memory while aligning with Deloitte Global’s broader strategic agenda.
Why This Leadership Change Matters
Deloitte West Africa operates across audit and assurance, tax, consulting, risk advisory and financial advisory services. In Nigeria — its anchor market — the firm advises banks undergoing recapitalisation, energy companies restructuring portfolios following international divestments, and corporates responding to macroeconomic volatility.
Three dynamics make the CEO transition consequential:
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Regulatory Tightening: Audit quality, independence standards and compliance expectations are under increasing scrutiny globally and locally.
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Fiscal Reform Momentum: Nigeria’s tax reform discussions and revenue pressures have elevated demand for high-level advisory expertise.
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Digital Transformation: Clients are seeking data-driven transformation, automation and ESG-aligned governance frameworks.
A CEO with deep tax and regulatory grounding may be strategically positioned to steer the firm through these intersecting demands.
Market Signal: Continuity and Confidence
Professional services firms operate on reputation capital. Leadership stability signals reliability to clients navigating uncertainty. Olugbenro’s long tenure within Deloitte reinforces continuity at a time when advisory mandates are expanding in complexity and scale.
His mandate will likely include strengthening talent retention in a competitive professional services labour market, expanding technology-enabled advisory services, and deepening regional integration across West African markets.
YOMI OLUGBENRO: EXECUTIVE PROFILE SNAPSHOT
Name: Yomi Olugbenro
Role: CEO, Deloitte West Africa
Previous Role: West Africa Tax Leader, Deloitte
Professional Memberships: Fellow, ICAN; Fellow, CITN
Education: The University of Manchester (UK)
Core Expertise: Corporate tax strategy, transfer pricing, dispute resolution, fiscal advisory
Leadership Strength: Regulatory fluency + institutional continuity
