Dr. Mutiu Sunmonu, former Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria and Chairman of the Sage Centre for Leadership Excellence, is calling for a fundamental shift in how Africa defines and practices leadership. In a candid interview, he laid out a vision for a continent where ethical, values-driven leadership is the rule, not the exception.
Sunmonu explained that the Sage Centre, born from a personal observation by his wife, Eka, that his informal guidance to young professionals could be scaled, has evolved into an institution with a clear mission. It has moved from being a personality-led venture to a structured community of Icons, Vanguards, and Fellows. The focus is now on the systems behind leadership—governance, board effectiveness, and institutional continuity.
The Centre’s strategic pillars are designed to tackle the unique challenges African leaders face. The Sage Masterclass brings senior leaders together for high-trust reflection. The Enterprise Turnaround Clinic offers confidential advisory for boards in crisis. Leadership-in-Action Labs focus on execution, and the Board Excellence Academy strengthens governance. “Leaders in our markets are not short of intelligence or ambition,” Sunmonu said. “They are short of time, trusted counsel, and safe spaces to think clearly under pressure.”
A recent Masterclass on financial services, themed “Leadership in Uncertain Times,” featured industry heavyweights like Bolaji Balogun of Chapel Hill Denham and Dr. Hakeem Belo-Osagio of Metis Capital Partners. Sunmonu stressed that the goal is to build a community of leaders who can learn from and support each other beyond the session.
Looking ahead, Sunmonu outlined three shifts the Centre aims to achieve over the next decade: a shift in language, moving African leadership discourse toward a rigorous, home-grown vocabulary; a shift in expectation, making ethical, transformational leadership the baseline standard; and a shift in pipeline, ensuring a steady stream of well-prepared, values-driven leaders fill board and C-suite positions. “If a decade from now, a young executive describes an ethical way of leading and calls it ‘the Sage way,’ we will know the work has taken root,” he said.
