Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former Finance Minister says she looks forward to “contributing to the strong and visionary future for Twitter” following her appointment to the Board of the social networking company.
Omid Kordestani, Executive Chairman, Twitter last week announced the appointment of the Nigerian former Finance Minister alongside Robert Zoellick to the Board of Directors of the company as Independent Directors “with immediate effect.”
It’s a privilege to work again with Bob. ‘Look forward to contributing to the strong and visionary future for @Twitterhttps://t.co/oN7d0l8sWr
— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) July 19, 2018
Okonjo-Iweala’s announcement has been greeted by commendations from across the world including Akinwunmi Adesina, President, African Development Bank and Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture who congratulated her in the Twitter post below:
Congratulations to my big sister @NOIweala (Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) on her appointment to the Board of Twitter. She is a gem and a great pride to Africa! 👍🏽 pic.twitter.com/LpZbtixiOh
— Akinwumi A. Adesina (@akin_adesina) July 21, 2018
She also expressed appreciation to well-wishers on Twitter saying that she is “Grateful for the outpouring of commendation, love and support from all parts of the world on the Twitter Board appointment, including from our past leaders.”
Executive Chairman, Twitter who announced the appointment of Okonjo-Iweala to the Twitter Board says that “Ngozi and Bob are distinguished leaders with unparalleled global perspective and policy expertise.”
According to Kordestani, “We are confident they will be incredible assets to Twitter as we continue to focus on driving transparency and making Twitter a safer, healthier place for everyone who uses our service.”
“Twitter is a powerful platform that continues to be used as a strong connector for the global community, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team,” Okonjo-Iweala adds. “As we strive to build a better world for tomorrow, Twitter can amplify messages and drive critical conversations around today’s most important issues. I look forward to partnering with Twitter’s talented directors and leadership team as we work to leverage the power of Twitter for good.”
“I’m honored to join a company as purposeful as Twitter,” Zoellick adds. “Twitter has made meaningful progress in expanding and encouraging global dialogue and creativity on its platform, and I’m privileged to work with Jack, Omid and the rest of the Board to continue the strong momentum underway.”
About Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has served as a Senior Advisor to Lazard, Ltd., a global financial advisory and asset management firm, since September 2015. Prior to joining Lazard, she served as the Minister of Finance of Nigeria from July 2003 until June 2006 and as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Nigeria from August 2011 until May 2015. From 1982 until 2003 and then from December 2007 until August 2011, she held several positions at the World Bank, most recently as Managing Director from December 2007 until August 2011. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Standard Chartered plc, a multinational banking and financial services company, since November 2017. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has served as the Board Chair of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) since January 2016. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an A.B. from Harvard University.
