Dr. Ije Jidenma is an accomplished management consultant and professional. Her areas of specialization within her over 30 years of post-graduation career span across Human Resources Management, Organizational Development, Psychometrics, Learning & Development, Corporate Governance and Leadership. She also has been involved in multidisciplinary transformation and change management initiatives.
She holds a PhD in Psychology with specialization in Psychometrics from University of Lagos. She is the Founder and Chief Executive of Leading Edge Consulting, a leading Human Resources & Organizational Development firm which she founded over two decades ago and has consulted widely for SMEs, indigenous companies, multinationals, the Public Sector, Multilateral organizations and International Non-Governmental organizations.
She is also a Partner at Kestria Global (Executive Search Partners) ranked as the largest and fastest growing Executive Search alliance in the world with footprints in over 90 cities of the world, across six continents. She led its EMEA Energy, Natural Resources & Infrastructure practice. Through this role, she ensured that the African perspective is captured in the cross-border engagements. A Psychologist and a firm believer in the even distribution of talents across the human race, she has worked assiduously in her various spheres of influence to elevate the African trajectory and narrative, bringing the same to the global stage to enrich humanity. Earlier on in her career, she had worked in operational capacities as a Training and Development Officer with the Industrial Training Fund from 1983-1986 and as a Senior Consultant with Price Waterhouse (now PwC) from 1986-1990. She later worked in Executive capacities as Head of Human Resources (inclusive of local & offshore training) as well as Head of Strategic Planning of Merchant Bank of Africa before she left the Bank in 1995 in pursuit of her doctorate degree.
Dr Jidenma was subsequently appointed a Senior Lecturer by ESUT Business School where she taught Organizational Behaviour on a part-time basis to MBA students and helped berth that Institution’s post graduate programme in Human Resources Management. She also facilitated programmes on an Ad hoc basis at the Lagos Business School. Dr Jidenma’s functional expertise over the years has grown to include Psychometrics, Leadership Development, Human Resources Management, Organizational Development, Strategic Planning and Corporate Governance. She has led Joint-Ventures across continents. She has also grown to be a trusted Board Advisor and has led Top Management and Board-level engagements for numerous clients some of which are Board Retreats, Board Compensation Advisory, Board Evaluation and Executive Search & Selection as well as Non-Executive Director search and selection in various sectors of the economy.
Dr Jidenma has served on several profit and not -for -profit boards where she has brought her expertise, deep knowledge and exposure to bear. These include First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, Benola (Cerebral Palsy Initiative) etc. Dr Jidenma makes profound contributions in Nigeria’s not- for-profit sector, adding immense value as a change agent and notable game changer. Dr Jidenma is currently a Director of the Nigeria South Africa Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Council of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Directors, Nigeria. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL). She also sits on the Board of the MoMo Payment Service Bank Ltd (a subsidiary of MTN Plc) as an Independent Non Executive Director. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigerian Institute of Management, she was recently conferred with the prestigious Distinguished Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria. She is also an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
A believer in continuous learning, Dr Jidenma is a ‘Chief Executive Programme (CEP17) Alumna of Lagos Business School, IESE Business School ‘Advanced Management Programme’, Harvard Business School ‘Leading Professional Services Firm’ programme, Cranfield School of Management ‘Finance for the Board Room’, Kellogg School of Management ‘Corporate Governance: Effectiveness & Accountability ‘, Euro money ‘Risk Management’ programme among others. An author of a book of fiction titled ‘ KASIE’, a recommended text in some state secondary schools and tertiary colleges. Dr Jidenma is a multiple award winner and have had speaking engagements locally and internationally, professionally and also on societal change issues. She is a 2013 Deloitte Role Model Awardee of International Women’s Day, 2015 Centre For Values In Leadership, CVL Role Model Awardee, The African most respected HR Personality Award at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya in November 2015, The 2018 Global Female Leadership Impact Awardee (Human Resources Development Category), Dubai, United Arab Emirate 2018 by the Centre For Economic & Leadership Development, South America- Africa- Middle East- Asia.
She is conferred the honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria. She deploys her spare time to philanthropic work. She is a Paul Harris fellow of Rotary International, and was a past President of Soroptimist International of Surulere.
She is the founder and Executive Secretary of Goddy Jidenma Foundation, noted for Thought leadership in Africa. She was married to Goddy Jidenma of blessed memory with children.