Madonna Okpaleke, MBE, LLB, BL, LLM, MBA, has been shortlisted for the African Legal Awards 2026 in two categories: General Counsel of the Year and Women Leaders in Law (In-House). The African Legal Awards shine a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of Africa's legal trailblazers. Hosted by Law.com International in partnership with the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA), these prestigious awards honor the individuals, teams, and firms driving progress and innovation across the continent.
Okpaleke is legal director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Reckitt. She received an LLB from the University of Lagos, a BL from Nigerian Law School, an LLM from Cornell University, an MBA from University of Oxford, and most recently an MBE from Harvard Medical School. She is passionate about social impact and is interested in exploring ethical considerations related to clinical trials for populations made vulnerable. Honors include being selected for the Poets and Quants top 100 "Best and Brightest" Executive MBAs of 2022 and for the Diligent Corporation's Modern Governance Global 100 Honorees for governance and compliance in 2020.