Olatowun Candide-Johnson

Olatowun Candide-Johnson is a highly accomplished lawyer and executive with decades of experience in corporate and commercial law, governance, and strategic business development across the legal, shipping & logistics, and oil & gas sectors. Her distinguished career includes several leadership roles at TotalEnergies, where she held key positions both in Nigeria and internationally.

At TotalEnergies Upstream Companies Nigeria, she served as General Counsel and Executive General Manager of the Management Services Division—overseeing Legal, Audit, Insurance, and Anti-Corruption Compliance functions.

She was also the Chief Compliance Officer for the company’s upstream operations in Nigeria. Her international tenure includes three years in Paris as Project Director within the Affaires Nouvelles Division at the group’s headquarters

In 2016, she earned the prestigious TRIUM Global Executive MBA, jointly awarded by NYU Stern, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris.

In 2018, Olatowun transitioned from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship, founding GAIA AFRICA—a pioneering private business club dedicated to Africa’s top female decision-makers. GAIA offers a trusted, empowering space

for women leaders to connect for business, collaborate, invest, and support each other through curated events, a learning platform, partnerships, peer mentorship and engagement.