Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde is the Director-General/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the largest and most influential Business Membership Organization (BMO) in Nigeria.

With over 20 years of experience in Organizational Development, Enterprise sustainability & competitiveness, Human Resources/Industrial Relations, evidence-based Advocacy, stakeholders management, amongst others, he leads the strategic growth and development of over 4,000 employers and 30 sectoral Employers’ Federations across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He is a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the oldest United Nations Agency responsible for setting global standards for workplace relations, with consequential effects on world economies. His commitment to global business advocacy and private sector development was further recognized with his election into the Executive Council of BUSINESSAfrica, the leading voice for African employers on the continent and internationally.

As an ILO-trained Master Trainer, a UNIDO-trained ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Auditor, and a Life/Personal Effectiveness Coach, he is passionate about promoting decent work, social justice, and inclusive development for all. He currently sits on the Boards of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the Pension Commission of Nigeria (PenCom), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and also serves as Co-Chair of the Policy Board of ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Project, among other memberships of the International Organization of Employers’ Technical Working Groups (IOE-TWG).

Adewale-Smatt is a full Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and Chartered Institute of Training and Development, and a Fellow of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS). He is currently pursuing his PhD in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the University of Lagos, where he obtained his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. He is an author, public speaker, youth advocate, and teacher.