Rabi Isma is a seasoned board director, board chair, and governance professional with over two decades of experience spanning financial services, development, telecommunications, international organisations, conservation, media, and the public sector, including service on the Excellence Awards Panel of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI). She is widely recognised for her depth in corporate governance, board effectiveness, strategy, leadership and talent development, and her strong commitment to ethical leadership, diversity, and social impact.

She currently serves as Chair of the Board of ActionAid Nigeria. Her board experience also includes the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, the Centre for Public Sector Governance, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, BusinessDay Media, Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria, and Sunbeth Global Concepts Limited. Across these roles, she contributes to board leadership, risk and sustainability oversight, succession planning, organisational culture, and long-term value creation.

Rabi’s executive career includes senior leadership roles with Etisalat (9Mobile) in Nigeria and Sri Lanka, where she led organisation and leadership development, performance management, talent strategy, and health and safety at scale. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles with the British Council in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, and began her professional journey in banking with GTBank, gaining strong grounding in finance, operations, and client management. She also served as Special Adviser to the Governor of Kano State, working at the intersection of government, civil society, and development partners.

Rabi holds multiple postgraduate degrees, including an MSc in International Development (University of Birmingham), an MScEcon in Management of Information Services (University of Wales), and a Master of International Affairs and Diplomacy (Ahmadu Bello University). She is an alumna of Harvard Business School and has undertaken extensive executive education at IMD, INSEAD, Harvard, and other leading global institutions. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (UK) and the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria.

A Rotary Peace Fellow, mentor with WIMBIZ, and frequent speaker on governance, leadership, technology, and sustainability, Rabi brings a blend of boardroom rigour, development insight, and people-centred leadership. She is fluent in English and Hausa, with a working knowledge of French, and is committed to building institutions that are effective, ethical, and inclusive.

She is a member of the following Committees:

• Board Remuneration Committee (Chairman)
• Board Nomination and Governance Committee (Chairman)
• Board Risk Management Committee