Featuring Olubukola Carol Ariyibi
Group Head, Corporate Transformation | ARM Holding Company | Nigeria
“At the pace technology is advancing, governance cannot afford to be rigid. It has to be sharper, adaptive, and anchored in risk intelligence, not risk aversion.” Carol Ariyibi
Olubukola “Carol” Ariyibi is a business transformation leader with over two decades of impact at the intersection of financial services and technology. As Group Head of Corporate Transformation at ARM Holding Company (Nigeria), she is a strategic thought partner to subsidiary businesses, guiding the design & implementation of group strategies impacting revenue, AUM and sustainable growth.
Named among Africa’s Top 100 Career Women (Ascent), Carol also serves as President of The PowerWoman Network, where she champions women’s empowerment, wellbeing, and leadership visibility. With expertise spanning governance, AI, agile methodologies, and change management, she has become a trusted advisor for boards and executives navigating disruption.
With a strategic lens on digital transformation and a commitment to guiding organizations through uncertainty, Carol shares candid insights on governance, innovation, and the bold leadership mindsets that turn disruption into advantage.
How do you balance rapid technological change with the need for governance and risk oversight?
“As technological change accelerates exponentially, governance must become more adaptive as well. The balance lies in embedding principles-based frameworks that are proactive, not reactive and responsive to change while anchored in oversight. Boards must foster tighter collaboration across management, technology, and risk teams to sustain a truly strategic lens. Boards canndo this by investing in the capabilities of its board committees for this purpose. Ultimately, it’s about cultivating risk intelligence, not risk aversion..”
What trends in AI and automation do you believe will most disrupt board agendas in the next five years?
“Three stand out. First, AI-driven decision-making will challenge boards on accountability. However governance frameworks that ensure transparency and ethical oversight of AI models and algorithms can be adopted by boards for this function.
Second, automation will redefine the workforce; boards must push for investments in bold reskilling, and redefine workforce strategies that track human capital as a strategic KPI. Remember, people are the drivers of business performance, integrating their capabilities with AI is what ensures AI investment add real value to business.
Third, cybersecurity remains a board-level focus; the introduction of AI will test business resilience, demanding that boards elevate digital defense to the heart of the agenda.”
What unique value can a transformational leader like yourself bring to a board of directors?
“I bring a sharp strategic lens of transformation rooted in execution, bridging vision with operational discipline. I firmly believe that effectively blending enterprise governance, and a people-first leadership philosophy ensures organizations have a clear path to leverage market disruption for its advantage. I am committed to guiding governance bodies make bold, future-focused decisions that deliver sustainable shareholder and stakeholder value.”
You’ve co-authored global publications and worked with leaders across continents. What has this taught you about building strategic partnerships that open international doors?
“In global partnerships, influence, not authority, is the true currency of partnership. Building strategic partner across borders requires cultural fluency, listening deeply, a willingness to learn, respecting differences, and finding shared norms that bridge divides. Global partnerships aren’t sustained by contracts, but by trust and shared value.”
If you had a global keynote tomorrow, what is the one bold leadership idea you would want every executive to take away?
“Bold leadership is mastering the art of knowing when to trust your inner voice and when to harness collective wisdom while acting as if the future is already here. The leaders who thrive are those who can discern the right voice for the moment and operationalize tomorrow’s vision today with courage, clarity, and conviction.”
Conclusion
Olubukola Carol Ariyibi’s ascent demonstrates how disruption, when met with courage and clarity, can be transformed into sustainable advantage. Her insights challenge today’s leaders to see governance not as a brake on innovation but as the framework that enables it, and to embrace digital transformation as a catalyst for bold, future-focused leadership.
Her Ascent Journey is powered by Ascent Club, the visibility launchpad for board- and speaker-reay female executives. Through curated storytelling, media amplification, and strategic positioning, we elevate the expertise of our members so they are not only seen but sought after for the world’s most influential tables.
Are you a senior female leader ready to turn disruption into your own strategic advantage, amplifying your thought leadership, securing speaking engagements, or positioning yourself for board opportunities? Ascent Club is your launchpad to global influence. Click here to apply to become one of our 100 founding members
