Profile

Donna Obaseki-Ogunnaike possesses with 15 years' experience in the Nigerian oil & gas industry and a Partner in the Law Firm Adepetun Caxton-Martins Agbor & Segun (ACAS-Law).

Donna has been described as having a distinct legal mind and she consults extensively on a wide range of investment issues for international exploration, oil service and multinational trading companies. She also advises on strategy, planning and development solutions to project specific ventures within the oil and gas industry.

She was described by the IFLR 1000, Energy and Infrastructure, 2014 as possessing "an excellent level of competence in oil and gas commercial law....top class". In further recognition of her excellent contributions to the energy sector over the years, Donna was recognised as a "Rising Star" by the IFLR 1000, Energy and Infrastructure in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Currently the youngest recipient of the Yitzhak Rabin International Award for Excellence in Leadership in 2014, Donna was also ranked as a "Rising Star" by the IFLR 1000, Banking, Mergers / Acquisition and Project Finance in 2015.

She was awarded as one of the "Outstanding Professional of the Year" of the "40 Leading Lawyers Under 40" Awards from ESQ Legal Awards, 2016.

Apart from law practice, Donna is a seasoned poet and has been ranked as the "queen of spoken word poetry in Nigeria" consistently through the years 2012 to 2015. In 2014 Donna was the only Nigerian and one of 11 women selected by ONE.ORG for the National Month of Poetry, on its "National Poetry Month: Uplifting Verses from 11 Strong Female Poets" alongside greats like Maya Angelou (of blessed memory) and Naomi Shihab. Donna was also among only 18 women selected (out of over 30 women interviewed) to feature in, and the only Nigerian selected to speak on, Google International's doodle in celebration of the International Women's Day, 2016.

Areas of Expertise

• Among other law practices, Donna's areas of core competence are as follows:
• Oil and Gas Practice;
• Government Relations and Compliance;
• Company Secretarial Services;
• Corporate Law;
• Property Law; and
• Environmental Law.

Over the years Donna has participated, spoken at, lectured and moderated at numerous international and Nigerian seminars, conferences and lectures. For example, Donna facilitated and taught at the ESQ Oil and Gas Training School on "Oil and Gas Agreements: Structure" in 2014 as well as being a facilitator and teacher at the ESQ Oil and Gas Training School on "Oil and Gas Agreements: Drafting and Negotiations" in 2015. In 2011 Donna was a Speaker at the "Legal Issues in Oil & Gas Conference" in London presenting on the "Local Content: Influencing Investment Decisions and Contracts in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry". Donna has also been a Moderator at the 18th, 21st and 22nd Africa Oil Week, Cape Town, South Africa in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.