PEARL Awards Celebrates 30 Years Of Honouring Corporate Excellence

The PEARL Awards, Nigeria’s foremost platform for rewarding corporate performance in the capital market, will on Sunday, November 30, 2025, celebrate its 30th Anniversary at the Lagos Oriental Hotel. Themed “Celebrating a Legacy of Corporate Excellence,” this landmark edition highlights three decades of promoting transparency, credibility, and outstanding performance among quoted companies.

In a statement released by the Secretariat, the President/CEO of the PEARL Awards, Mr. Tayo Orekoya, described the milestone as “a moment of celebration and deep reflection on audacity of resilience.” He opined that since its inception in 1995, the Awards has remained committed to its founding vision of recognizing and rewarding excellence strictly on the basis of verifiable facts and figures.

“For 30 years, we have walked a path of transparency and integrity,” Orekoya noted. “This anniversary is not only about honouring winners of this year’s edition, but also about reaffirming the values that have shaped the Awards and inspired confidence in the Nigerian capital market.”

The PEARL Awards remains the only awards body in Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, that honors quoted companies solely on the basis of objective data analysis. Performance indices are derived from audited reports, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), trading data, and validated by an independent Technical Committee.

Since inception, the Awards have recognized hundreds of outstanding organizations across banking, manufacturing, oil and gas, telecommunications, and other key sectors. Many of these winners, including some of Nigeria’s largest corporates, credit the PEARL Awards with enhancing investor trust, strengthening their market reputation, and motivating better corporate governance practices.

Orekoya acknowledged the contributions of partners, sponsors, and regulators, especially the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which formally endorsed the Awards in 2003. “The support of our stakeholders has been critical to our journey. It has kept the Awards credible, respected, and impactful for three decades,” he said.

Anniversary Activities

The 30th Anniversary celebrations officially commenced on June 24, 2025, with the PEARL Awards Corporate Summit, themed “Built to Last — Roadmap for Corporate Nigeria.” The summit brought together regulators, CEOs, investors, and thought leaders to exchange perspectives on sustaining excellence in the face of Nigeria’s evolving business environment.

A key highlight was the unveiling of a commemorative publication titled “The Winning Strategies of Nigeria’s Corporate Giants.” The book compiles insights from chief executives and founders of successful companies, documenting stories of leadership, resilience, and strategic innovation that have shaped corporate Nigeria over the last three decades.

The climax of the celebrations will be the glamorous Awards Night in November, featuring the Sectoral Leadership Awards, Market Excellence Awards, and the prestigious Overall Highest Award — The PEARL, given to the single most outstanding quoted company of the year. The event is expected to draw top business leaders, policymakers, regulators, investors, and members of the media.

As it enters its fourth decade, the PEARL Awards is preparing to expand its impact. According to Orekoya, the organization will deepen research capabilities, increase stakeholder engagement, and incorporate new performance dimensions such as sustainability and innovation.

“Our mission remains clear — to celebrate excellence, inspire resilience, and sustain legacies in Nigeria’s corporate landscape,” he affirmed. “By rewarding companies that excel, we contribute to building a stronger economy and a more vibrant capital market.” For 30 years, the PEARL Awards has set the gold standard for objective recognition in the Nigerian corporate space. With its 30th Anniversary celebration, it not only honors today’s leaders but also lays the foundation for the next generation of excellence.