chief Diana Chen, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Choice International Group (CIG), Chief Diana Chen, has been named Nigeria’s Auto CEO of the Year.
This was announced during the 2021 edition of the annual Nigeria Auto Awards held in Lagos.
The Nigerian Auto Journalists Association gave the verdict at the ceremony, where Chief Ade. Ojo, the founder of Elizade Nigeria Limited fondly called Mr Toyota, was honoured as a Pillar of the nation’s auto industry.
Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, and Jelani Aliyu, Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, were also named as Road Safety Personality of the Decade and Auto Personality of the Year (Public Sector) respectively.
Jacky Hathiramani, who is the chief executive officer of Dana Group, emerged as Auto Personality of the Year (Private Sector).
The CIG boss, whose firm represents the GAC auto brand in Nigeria, was given the CEO of the year award as a result of her continuous efforts in pushing the brand among the enterprising young people, lawmakers and senior government officials, raising the standard and image of Chinese products in Nigeria, according to the organizers of the event.
She was also praised for sponsoring a number of sporting and socio-cultural events as well as encouraging celebrities, including young artistes to drive and identify with her brand.
Chen, while responding to the award, said she was excited and felt challenged to do more in the coming years.
She urged other major players in the industry, especially the CEOs, to come together and forge a formidable force that could move the sector forward.
“It’s when we come together that we can brilliantly generate ideas on how to improve the industry,” she stated.
Chen, who invited all the CEOs present at the award night to the podium, stressed that the auto industry holds so much power in transforming the national economy if given the right impetus.
She commended the organizers of the award for giving the industry stakeholders a platform to interact every year and promised to sponsor the 2022 edition so that it could be bigger and enable all CEOs in the industry and policymakers to attend.
GAC GS8 gets most fascinating SUV award
Meanwhile, one of the models of the GAC brand, GS8, has won the most fascinating SUV award. The vehicle is being sold by the CIG Motor, an arm of the CIG Group.
It was one of the product awards announced at the Nigerian auto industry event.
Chief Diana, who is also vice president of the China-Africa Business Council, is reputed to have successfully managed the CIG for 20 years.
Leveraging her extensive international trade experience and brand operations, she has been able to establish several subsidiaries and overseas branches.
The group’s product line covers many industries providing quality products and services to Nigeria and the African community at large.
Chen was in 2015 conferred with a chieftaincy title in Nigeria, making her the first Chinese female chief in Nigeria. She got two other titles in 2016 and 2021.
Through China’s ‘One Belt & Road’ and ‘Going Global’ national strategies, she has been promoting China-Africa cooperation & China-Nigeria economic, trade & cultural exchanges.
She is credited to be promoting the industrialization of Africa, by establishing an auto assembly plant in Nigeria.
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