Chinwe Odigboegwu

Guinness NigeriaSenior Commercial Legal Manager; Secretary, Diversity and Inclusion Board,

Mrs. Chinwe Odigboegwu is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Notary Public for Nigeria, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK (CIArb), Accredited Mediator of the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, UK (CEDR) and Certified Trainer in Mediation and Negotiation of the Bond University, Australia. Chinwe is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Panel of Neutrals of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA), the Panel of Neutrals and Training Faculty of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC), Training Faculty of the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group (NCMG) and the Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates, UK (SCMA).

She is currently an In-House Counsel holding a Senior Management position (Senior Commercial Legal Manager) with Guinness Nigeria Plc. (Diageo). Prior to her current role, she was Head, Litigation and Dispute Resolution with Nigerian Bottling Company – NBC (Coca-Cola Hellenic). Before NBC, she worked with the top-tier Commercial Law firm of Banwo & Ighodalo (B&I) where she rose through the ranks to become a Senior Associate and Team Leader of the Firm’s Litigation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice Group, and supported its Intellectual Property, Energy (Oil & Gas), Maritime & International Trade, and Corporate, Securities & Finance Practice Groups.

Chinwe is a natural teacher, renowned for her ability to communicate with people of various ages, cultures, and educational backgrounds. Her adult teaching days date back to 2004 when she lectured adult federal government workers on two courses – “Business Law” and “The Law and Practice of Meetings” – at the Federal Training Centre (FCT), Maiduguri during her one-year compulsory national service (NYSC) many years ago. Now, she creates time to train Mediators and Mediation Advocates as often as possible. An Associate Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) as well as a Mentor and an Associate of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Chinwe is very active in leadership, mentoring and societal development. Chinwe recently authored a book on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitration Awards. She is a recipient of prestigious awards including “ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, Top 40 Lawyers under 40” and Coca-Cola Hellenic Extra Mile Lawyer Award.