Caroline Okoroji

CAROLINE OKOROJI ⚫ Cell Phone: - ⚫ E-mail:- HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS • Confident, resourceful Corporate Lawyer, Office Manager, Consultant and Team Lead with over 14 years of experience in Company Secretarial Practice, Corporate Law & Compliance, and Entertainment Law. • Holds a Degree in Law, Diploma in Banking and Finance, and Membership of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. • Excellent communication skills demonstrated as a Legal Adviser who has advised clients on various compliance, legal, and management matters. • Strong customer service skills and proven ability to work with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and different social strata. • Strong research and analytical skills shown by successfully leading and completing major legal research projects. • Strong interpersonal skills showed through effective collaboration with team members to achieve positive outcomes for clients. • Extensive project management skills exemplified by successfully executing multiple complex files as Team Lead at Agape Solicitors. • Ability to maintain confidentiality, discretion, and tact when dealing with sensitive information. • Demonstrated experience leading complex negotiations as a Team Lead who successfully negotiated great deals for clients with major record labels. • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Project). • Native proficiency in English Language and intermediary proficiency in French (A2 DELF). PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Secretary to the Governing Council Garment Care Limited, Lagos, Nigeria May 2015 – Current Garment Care is Nigeria’s premier Dry-Cleaning Service provider with 3 branches located in the Lagos metropolis, providing dry cleaning service for virtually all items of clothing. Garment Care is a member of the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers in the United Kingdom and is committed to high standards of professional conduct, thereby protecting the interests of customers and safeguarding the right of the public. Responsibilities/Duties: • Organizes logistics for project activities such as meetings, workshops, and information sessions in coordination with project staff, management, and team leads • Coordinates project and partner team meetings, council and committee meetings including virtual and physical meetings, ensuring the smooth operation thereof. • In consultation with the Chairman of the Council, schedules the Annual Calendar and organized general and committee meetings. • Records meetings and takes minutes of the meetings. • Coordinates travel and accommodation arrangements for Council and Committee members. 1|Page • • • • • • • • • • • Provides governance, advisory, secretarial, statutory, and administrative support to the Governing Council. In collaboration with the members of the council and management, develops, implements, communicates, and maintains governance, risk, and compliance policies, processes, and procedures. Provides secretarial services to the Governing Council and other committees. Acts as the contact point for administrative and logistics support, responding to inquiries or transferring them to the appropriate party. Supported the capacity development of partners, staff, and colleagues in matters relating to administration, logistics, policy interpretation, and implementation of administrative systems and tools in order to align with organizational practices and procedures. Tracked and advised on compliance with all mandates and decisions from the Governing Council in line with company policies, statutory and corporate governance policies. Supported management and HR to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness including employee and management succession and performance evaluation. Worked with Corporate Governance & Remuneration Committee and HR to review current processes and policies of the organization to adopt international best practices, identify and implement change processes. Worked with the Governing Council to introduce and implement ethics, compliance, and whistleblowing initiatives. Took Minutes of Meetings and ensured appropriate coverage of the Governing Council and Committee Meetings; and Ensured timely distribution of Notices, Reminders, Agendas, and Minutes of Meetings to the Governing Council and Committee Members. Key Achievement(s): • Successfully organized and recorded quarterly meetings for the Governing Council and 3 Committees for 5+ years Operations Manager Arravo Technology Limited, Ghana June 2021- May 2023 Arravo is Africa’s leading IT systems integrator providing end-to-end IT services across business verticals, and fostering digital transformation. Arravo designs manage, and optimizes technology environments, allowing you to trust in the power of technology while focusing on your core business. Responsibilities/Duties: • • • • • • • Assists HR with recruiting when necessary. Provides updates to the team during regular project team meetings. Provides administrative support for the project including drafting, editing, and or reviewing documents and business letters. Maintains a repository of documents for easy and efficient retrieval. Promoted Legal and HSE compliance and developed a culture of applying best practices throughout the company; Procured work and residence permits, and expatriate quotas and ensured compliance with all applicable immigration laws and rules; Reviewed Service Level Agreements and assisted the Sales, Marketing, and Procurement 2|Page • Teams to identify legal issues and negotiate favorable terms for the Company; Helped promote a company culture that encourages top performance and high morale. Senior Solicitor/ Team Lead, Media & Entertainment Unit Agape Solicitors, Lagos, Nigeria September 2015- Current Agape Solicitors is a leading corporate law firm based in Lagos, and it is at the forefront of Corporate and Entertainment Law Practice in Nigeria by providing excellent technical advice and solutions that enhance and address its client’s purpose and business objectives. Responsibilities/Duties: • Provided sound legal advice to key players in Nigerian entertainment on issues such as company structures and regulatory compliance. • Drafted and negotiated a wide range of contracts including services, consulting, marketing, licensing, non-disclosure, data privacy, and other corporate and commercial related agreements. • Performed risk analysis review for all contractual documents and recommended mitigating options. • Utilized strong research and drafting skills to prepare contracts and NDAs on behalf of clients. • Prepared tour crew agreements, music licensing, royalty agreements, and copyright agreements, on behalf of clients. • Reviewed contracts on behalf of clients and deployed strong negotiation skills to achieve desired results for clients. • Researched and developed a full grasp of Clients and their products to identify risks and develop solutions, mitigations, and negotiation strategies. • Settled disputes through Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolutions. In-House Legal adviser (Secondment) Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited, Lagos, Nigeria September 2010 –May 2021 Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited is a privately owned Limited Liability Company and a leading downstream Oil and Gas Company in Nigeria with huge storage and retail outlets in the country. The brand has become an enigma in the industry in less than two decades, as demonstrated by its acquisitions of fuel depots, tanker vessels, and gas stations. Responsibilities/Duties: • • • • • • Provided legal advice to management, HR, and other departments within the organization; Managed and liaised with external litigation counsel to present legal advice along with services on issues relating to obligations, rights, risks, and organization issues; Kept abreast of changes in legislation, rules, procedures, laws, and bye-laws ensuring same was applied as soon as practicable; Coordinated professionally with HR, Senior Executive Team, and external Counsel to enforce the company’s procedures and policies; Drafted, negotiated, and reviewed corporate and commercial agreements and contracts on behalf of the company thereby reducing to the barest minimum the company’s legal risk exposure; Effectively managed the Company’s relationships with third parties, government authorities, and agencies with the use of negotiation and ADR skills; 3|Page • • • • • • Maintain contract files and records within the contract management system, prepare status reports; and reconcile differences with other departments; Prepare regular status updates to internal stakeholders on contracts, projects, and other legal matters; Develop reports and processes to monitor people, processes, and spend throughout the legal department; Assumed full responsibility for formulating the best possible legal solution after an in-depth analysis of the legal problem; Help enforce processes and policies to manage legal matters, projects, and contracts; Assist in legal operations with budget matters and optimizing workflows within the legal department. EDUCATION B.L. (Qualifying Certificate to Practice as Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria) Nigerian Law School, November 2005 LLB (Hons), Lagos State University, Second Class (Upper Division) Lagos State University, Nigeria, October 2004 National Diploma in Banking and Finance, Lower Credit Lagos State Polytechnic, Nigeria, June 1998 OTHER CERTIFICATIONS Associate Member Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom), November 2017 Associate Member Mediation and Negotiation Advocacy, September 2018 REFERENCES Available on request 4|Page