Head Portfolio Value Creation at The People Practice

Job role

• Our client, one of Nigeria’s major conglomerates, is looking to hire a Head Portfolio Value Creation who will be responsible for driving value creation, strategic growth, and execution oversight across the organisation’s portfolio companies and strategic investment platforms.
• Reporting directly to the CIO, the role serves as the organisation’s day-to-day portfolio engagement lead, partnering with portfolio company leadership teams to accelerate growth, improve operational performance, strengthen accountability, and maximise long-term shareholder value creation.
• The Head, Portfolio Value Creation will lead strategic planning oversight transformation execution, performance management and business improvement initiatives across the portfolio while also supporting also supporting the evaluation, execution and integration of new investment and strategic business platforms.
• This role requires a commercially astute, execution-oriented leader with the credibility to engage senior business leaders, challenge assumptions, drive accountability, and deliver measurable outcomes across diverse businesses.

Responsibilities
Portfolio Value Creation & Strategic Execution:

• Drive value creation initiatives across the organisation’s portfolio companies, with clear accountability for execution and measurable performance improvement.
• Work with portfolio company leadership teams to support growth, operational improvement, and long-term value optimisation.
• Coordinate and track strategic initiatives, transformation programmes, and key business priorities across portfolio companies.
• Support execution oversight of strategic and operational improvement initiatives to ensure timely delivery and alignment with shareholder objectives.
• Monitor implementation of agreed management action plans and follow through on key deliverables and outcomes.

Portfolio Engagement & Relationship Management:

• Serve as the organisation’s principal day-to-day portfolio engagement lead across assigned portfolio companies.
• Build strong, credible working relationships with portfolio company MDs, executive teams, and key stakeholders to drive alignment and performance.
• Act as a trusted strategic partner to portfolio company leadership while maintaining appropriate shareholder oversight and accountability.
• Escalate material performance issues, execution delays, or governance concerns to the CIO with clear recommendations for intervention.
• Lead regular portfolio engagement and business performance review discussions.

Strategic Planning & Business Performance:

• Lead portfolio company strategic planning, annual business review, and performance management processes.
• Review, challenge, and refine strategic plans, growth assumptions, operational priorities, and capital deployment proposals.
• Own performance monitoring across assigned portfolio companies, ensuring robust tracking against agreed financial, operational, and strategic targets.
• Analyse business performance, identify gaps to plan, and drive interventions to improve outcomes.
• Support development of shareholder perspectives and strategic recommendations for portfolio boards and investment leadership.

Transformation & Business Improvement:

• Design and drive transformation programmes across portfolio companies to improve commercial performance, operational effectiveness, organisational capability, and strategic execution.
• Lead cross-functional business improvement initiatives in collaboration with management teams and relevant internal stakeholders.
• Ensure transformation initiatives are properly structured, governed, tracked, and delivered within agreed timelines.
• Drive a culture of accountability, execution discipline, and performance improvement across active portfolio engagements.

Investment Evaluation & Portfolio Integration:

• Support investment evaluation, due diligence, transaction execution, and strategic assessment of new investment opportunities.
• Assess operational value creation opportunities, execution risks, integration considerations, and strategic fit for prospective investments.
• Lead post-investment integration planning and execution support where required to accelerate value capture.
• Support investment thesis validation through operational and commercial due diligence.

New Business & Platform Development:

• Support the development, launch, and scaling of new strategic business initiatives and investment platforms across the Group.
• Develop business plans, execution frameworks, and operating models for new ventures where required.
• Coordinate key internal and external stakeholders involved in strategic business initiatives.

Governance, Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Prepare high-quality portfolio performance updates, strategic reviews, investment committee materials, and management reports.
• Participate actively in portfolio governance forums, investment reviews, and strategic decision-making processes.
• Work closely with the broader IPM team, including portfolio management, investment, and analytical resources, to drive execution and value creation outcomes.
• Ensure disciplined reporting, escalation, and governance across active portfolio engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Strategy, Management, or a related discipline.
• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Minimum of 12-15 years’ relevant experience across portfolio management, operations leadership, strategy execution, transformation, private equity portfolio operations, consulting, investment management, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience driving measurable value creation, transformation, or operational improvement in complex businesses.
• Strong track record of working with senior leadership teams to drive strategic execution and business performance.
• Experience across multi-business, conglomerate, portfolio, or investment-led environments strongly preferred.
• Exposure to investment evaluation, due diligence, and post-investment value creation is desirable.
• Experience influencing senior executives, boards, or shareholders in high-accountability environments.

Must have skills:

• Governance and stakeholder management 
• Business diagnostics and problem solving 
• Performance management 
• Portfolio value creation 
• Business transformation Strategic planning and execution 
• Commercial and financial acumen Investment and transaction understanding 
• Operational improvement.