Mr. Henry Ikem Obih was appointed to the Board of MSM Oil & Gas on the 16th of October 2024.
Henry Ikem Obi is a highly experienced professional with a distinguished career in the oil and gas industry. He has held senior leadership positions in two of the most influential organizations in Nigeria's energy sector—ExxonMobil and NNPC.
He is currently serving on the Board of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) and was Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer (GED/COO), Downstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) until his retirement in 2019.
At ExxonMobil Nigeria, Henry Ikem Obi served as the Managing Director, where he was instrumental in overseeing the company’s operations, focusing on upstream oil exploration, production, and development. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil Nigeria saw significant improvements in operational efficiency, safety, and strategic growth in the country’s energy market.
At the NNPC, he held the role of Group Executive Director, where he played a pivotal role in shaping and executing corporate strategies aimed at expanding Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. His tenure at NNPC was marked by efforts to enhance transparency, increase production capacity, and foster partnerships with international stakeholders.
His recent leadership roles include board positions at Nigeria Gas Marketing Company Limited, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited, NNPC Retail Limited, NIDAS Marine Limited (a subsidiary of NNPC in joint venture with Daewoo Industries South Korea), NIKORMA Limited (a subsidiary of NNPC in joint venture with Hyundai Heavy Industries South Korea) and Duke Oil Company Inc.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and an MBA in Financial Management from the University of Bradford, Yorkshire, England. His professional affiliations include membership of the Institute of Directors; Society for Corporate Governance and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN); Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers; Institute of Credit Administration and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
Throughout his career, Obi has been recognized for his contributions to both the private and public sectors, helping to navigate the complexities of global energy markets while prioritizing sustainable growth and operational excellence.
He has also attended executive programs in Leadership, Strategy, Finance, Corporate Governance, and Business Management at some of the world’s leading institutions such as Columbia Business School New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), IMD Lausanne, Switzerland, London Business School and Lagos Business School, Nigeria.