Login
Join Community
Join Community

Harriet Akano

Country:

  • Nigeria

Designation and Company

  • Group Head Human Resources, Oilserv Limited

Years of Experience

  • 20+

years

Area of Expertise/Speaking

1.

  • Strategic People & Workforce Leadership

2.

  • Organizational Transformation & Change

3.

  • Talent, Succession & Leadership Development

Notable Career Highlights/Milestones

1.

  • Led Enterprise-Wide People & Culture Transformation

2.

  • Drove Workforce Effectiveness & Employee Experience

3.

  • Group Head Human Resources at Oilserv Limited

Professional Summary

Harriet Akano is a seasoned Human Resources executive with over 20 years of leadership experience spanning Oil & Gas, Engineering, Telecommunications, Aviation, Maritime, and Consulting. Her career reflects a strong progression from operational HR leadership to strategic enterprise-level people management, with a consistent focus on aligning people, culture, and organizational capability with business strategy.

She brings extensive expertise in strategic workforce planning, talent and succession management, organizational development, performance management, employee relations, compensation and benefits, learning and development, change management, and HR governance. In her current leadership role within an EPCIC organization, she has contributed to major initiatives focused on culture transformation, workforce optimization, leadership development, employee engagement, and strengthening organizational effectiveness.

She is recognized for combining strategic thinking, analytical rigor, commercial awareness, and a people-centered leadership style to deliver sustainable organizational outcomes. Her leadership philosophy centers on building capable teams, strengthening organizational culture, and creating an environment where people and business performance thrive together.

Connect With Harriet Akano on

For Speaker and Board Applicant enquiries, contact us on Ascent

© 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Join Community
Ascent Executive

Colleen Larsen

Chief Executive-Business Engage

Colleen Larsen is the Chief Executive of Business Engage, with a career spanning 28 years in the financial services market. She is widely recognized for her pioneering work in gender mainstreaming and is considered one of the leading voices for the sustainable advancement of women in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors in South Africa. She advocates for using the business case as a foundation for transformation. One day however a small line of blind text by the name of Lorem Ipsum decided to leave for the far World of Grammar. The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because

Dr. Naike Moshi

Founder – CVPeople Tanzania

Dr. Naike’s journey, with over 15 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, businesswoman, and gender consultant, is one of resilience, vision, and dedication to empowering others. Her career has focused on advancing business growth, leadership, and gender diversity across Africa. As the founder of CVPeople Tanzania, she established a trusted HR consulting firm that prioritizes people-centered solutions. Her dedication to addressing gender gaps led her to create Women in Management Africa (WIMA), a platform to elevate African women into C-suite roles. WIMA provides mentorship, career development resources, and networking opportunities that empower women across the continent to break barriers and reach new heights.

Nkiru Olumide – Ojo

Africa Regions Executive Head, Marketing Corporate Communications & CSI- Standard Bank Group.

Nkiru is currently the Africa Regions Executive Head, Marketing Corporate Communications & CSI at Standard Bank Group. She leads a diverse team across African countries to deliver business objectives through Brand Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Corporate Social Investment. Over the course of her 20 years across career, she has gotten several recognitions such as Leading Woman in Marketing and Communications 2016, Marketing Personality of the year among others. She is also a published author of the ‘Pressure Cooker-Lessons from a woman at work’ and is a female enthusiast.

Osayi Alile

CEO of Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation

Osayi is the CEO of Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation and has over 25 years of experience across different sectors. She is an experienced Council Member with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organisation management industry. She has also been named one of the African Women of the Year in 2015.

Yemi Faseun

Chief Talent Officer at YT Talent

Yemi is a business leader with over 30 years of multi-sector, multi-function experience. He is currently the Chief Talent Officer at YT Talent Officer and was a two-term elected council member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). He has received a number of global recognitions such as Top 8 HR Thought Leader in Africa, Top 50 Personality on LinkedIn, 2022 Top 200 Global Thought Leader among others.

Tewa Onasanya

Founder/CEO of Exquisite Magazine Services Ltd

Tewa Onasanya is a British-Nigerian publisher, philanthropist, Author and Mindset Stylist. She is the Founder/CEO of Exquisite Magazine Services Ltd, the publishers of Exquisite Magazine and the organizers of EMAC Walk and ELOY Awards. Tewa has been featured in numerous international and Nigerian media which include the CNN, BBC, New York Times, Wikipedia, Punch, Guardian, Thisday, Vanguard and more newspapers, Television and Radio station