Chief Thompson Owoka, FCA
Background
Chief Thompson Owoka is an accomplished Chartered Accountant and an Industry Captain.
Born at Owo in Ondo State, Thompson started from a humble beginning. Curious, brilliant, hard-working, determined, and focused, he would not be defined by his background but was ambitious and set his eyes on great heights and goals. His father, a local businessman, planted nuggets of wisdom early in life, which formed the foundation of his future successes in career and business.
Education and Professional Training
Thompson completed his secondary school education at New Church Grammar School, Owo, in 1978 and proceeded to Owo Polytechnic, where he obtained National Diploma in Accountancy in 1983. He attended Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, where he graduated with the Higher National Diploma in Accountancy in 1986. Thompson became an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 1989 and a Fellow in 1999. He attended various leadership and management courses in reputable institutions in Nigeria and across the globe throughout his career lasted 33 years.
Professional Career
Thompson joined the employment of Sona Breweries Plc in 1983 as a junior accounting staff, but he would rise to become an Executive Director of the company. In all, he worked at Sona Breweries for twenty-seven years serving in various senior level management and executive positions spanning accounting, finance, commercial, supply chain management, logistics, operations, human resources, and corporate governance. This provided him uncommon exposure to the entire value chain process from production to marketplace, making him an invaluable resource to the organization.
He gained enormous exposure to international trades by participating in franchise and trademark agreements with Brasserie Kronenbourg in France, Scottish and Newcastle, Carlsberg and Heineken in Holland. Thompson provided strategic support in various acquisition deals by Sona Breweries Plc, which transformed the company into a big company and a significant player in the Nigerian brewery industry. He was a steady hand in managing the subsequent acquisition of Sona Breweries by Heineken International in 2011.
Thompson was Managing Director of Champion Breweries Plc, Uyo, from 2010 to 2012; Head of Corporate Relations at Consolidated Breweries from 2012 to 2015 and Public Relations Manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc from 2015 to 2016, from where he retired and went into private business.
Serial Entrepreneur
Thompson got his entrepreneurial zeal from his father as a young man. The older man had successfully preached to his son the tremendous benefits of owning a business and the young lad took it to heart. He learned from his father’s business and started his own even when working full time. He would entrust these outfits’ day-to-day running to competent hands and provide oversight. One at a time, he owned sawmills, a construction company, import and export companies, offshore manufacturing ventures, and others. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Primark Seafoods Ltd, among other family ventures.
Social Responsibility
Thompson is a philanthropist and believes in giving back to the society and communities that have given him so much. He gives generously to various social-cultural and religious causes. For his contributions to the well-being of his people and his community engagement, he was conferred with a traditional chieftaincy title by his townsmen and women. Thompson is an active member of our Association, and we are very proud of his accomplishments.
Key learnings from Thompson's life
- No matter your background, you can rise and become a distinguished and accomplished individual based on hard work, patience, and determination
- Look for opportunities to redefine yourself beyond your narrow professional training boundary. As an accountant, you can become the managing director of your organization if you take the pain to learn all aspects of your business
- Be deliberate in building and creating multiple streams of income.
- Be patient. Lasting success takes time
- Give back to the society which has given you so much
- Remain humble