Christopher Kolade is a skilled professional with expertise in broadcasting, corporate governance, and diplomacy.
He is known for his excellent language skills in both Yoruba and English and has held influential positions throughout his career.
Kolade’s refined manners and polished demeanor exhibit a long-standing commitment to professionalism.
He is among a few people who traversed multiple spheres of life and excelled in all.
He went into teaching and got to the apex. He tried his hands in journalism and left his footprints at the very top. In the boardroom he is a czar. In the diplomatic world, he distinguished himself as an envoy.
Thus, it is not surprising that Kolade, whose career started as a teacher in the colonial era, has a resume littered with top-notch positions, attainments and awards.
He was a veteran broadcaster and former director-general of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, NBC; former managing director and later chairman of Cadbury Nigeria, PLC; former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; and lecturer at Lagos Business School, and Pan-Atlantic University; and former chairman of the Board of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P among others.
Born in Erin-Oke, Osun State, in 1932, Kolade started his primary education at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti (1939-43) and finished at Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti (1944-45). He had his secondary school education at Government College, Ibadan (1946-51) after which he studied at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone (195-55).
He returned to Nigeria in 1955 and began his eventful career as education officer in defunct Western Region. He was to become West Regional Controller of the NBC (now Federal Road Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN (1960-63). He rose through the ranks to become director general of the NBC (1972-78).
Kolade retired at the age of 45 as the director-general of the NBC and joined Cadbury Nigeria Plc as Administration Director, where he rose to become the Managing Director and Chairman.
He was one of the visionaries that sowed the seed for the evolution of the prestigious Lagos Business School and Pan-African University (now Pan-Atlantic University) where he lectured on Leadership & Conflict Management, Corporate Governance, Human Resources Management and Business Management themes.
Dr. Kolade’s exceptional character and leadership abilities have earned him widespread respect and admiration. He places a high value on dignity and respect, ensuring that courtesy and civility are always upheld.
He was a colonial era Education Officer in Nigeria. Currently, he teaches Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at Lagos Business School (LBS), and Leadership & Conflict Management at School of Media & Communication (SMC). LBS and SMC are both schools of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. Formerly a member of the university’s Governing Council, Kolade as of 2012 was the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Pan-Atlantic University.
Dr. Christopher Kolade is a highly respected individual with an extensive background in national and international organizations.
He has held prestigious positions in various institutions, including being President of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.
Christopher Kolade, also known as “Mr. Integrity” in Nigeria, had a distinguished career as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2007. He earned a well-deserved reputation for his exceptional diplomatic skills and was recognized by Britain for his unique contributions.
Before his diplomatic appointment, he worked as a lecturer at the Lagos Business School between 1995 and 2002 where he taught Corporate Governance, Leadership and Human Resource Management. He returned to the classroom after serving his term as Nigeria’s High Commisisoner.
He is the Founding Patron and a Director of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative. Dr. Kolade is a prominent advocate for business integrity in Nigeria and has held leadership positions in organizations like the Convention on Business Integrity and Managing Business for Christ. He also previously chaired the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme Board under the former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Dr. Kolade is known for his emphasis on self-respect and self-restraint, guided by the principles of Omoluabi. He values respect for others and is committed to serving God, his country, and humanity. In one of his interview with Premium Times newspaper, he said: “I respect people. I have a very healthy respect for people, probably because of my background and my relationship with God. Only God creates people, human beings don’t. And whatever a human being is going to become, it will derive directly from what God has created him to be.”
He has received recognition for his contributions, including the medal of the Order of St. Augustine, and serves as a Lay Canon in the Anglican Church’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Guildford in the UK. He was also awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in the year 2000.
Today, Dr. Kolade is one of Burdened Elders seeking ways to silence the drums of war in Nigeria and ensure an egalitarian society anchored on principle, merit, justice, and sacrifice.
“If you go back to the original team of Nigerians that brought us out of colonial government into independence, you ask yourself what was their motivation? Some of them were sent to jail because they were agitating, and some of them lost positions. They were people who made sacrifices that did not lead to their personal wealth or anything; it was a sacrifice so that the nation could become independent. That is one system of politics. That is the basis upon which you can achieve anything that is respectable and has sustainability. If you don’t make the personal sacrifice you will not be able to build something that will sustain you for a long time,” Dr. Kolade said in one of his chat with Vanguard.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, Fellow, Society of Nigerian Broadcasters, Fellow, Institute of Directors (Nigeria) and has held the Presidency of these and many other professional bodies to which he belonged. He also sits on the Board of several organisations including the Christopher Kolade Foundation (CKF); Transparency in Nigeria and the Convention on Business Integrity.