Mr. Seni Adio, SAN

Mr.  Seni Adio, SAN, is a director on the board of Odu’a Investment Company Limited. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Managing Partner of COPLEY PARTNERS, Lagos.  He is the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), and a Member of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He is also a founding Member of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), a Think-Tank comprising the leadership of the National Assembly, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), NBA-SBL, and ENABLE2 – a DFID UK Advisory and Consulting Program established to enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria.    

Mr. Adio has over three decades of experience as a Legal Practitioner including international and domestic.  Notably, before returning to Nigeria, he practiced at the law firm, MINTZ LEVIN, in Boston, Massachusetts, where he achieved the remarkable feat of becoming a Member (Partner) in the Firm.  While there, he represented multinational conglomerates and private companies on various matters, including Complex Commercial Litigation; Fiduciary Law and Corporate Governance; Tax Abatement; Public Procurement and Infrastructure Development; Legislative and Regulatory Matters before the United States Congress; and Insurance.

He has been involved in various landmark matters including legislative, dispute resolution and transactional.  He advocated before the National Assembly in support of a Gaming Bill and was instrumental in the enactment of the National Lottery Act 2004.  He has also been involved in various Executive and Legislative initiatives and interventions towards easing doing business in Nigeria and generally making the economy more competitive. In recognition of his track record in employing law reform to enhance economic competitiveness, he was appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a member of the Presidential Committee on the Impact and Readiness Assessment for the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). He has provided commentaries on issues of business, law, and racial diversity to multimedia outfits, including the Associated Press (AP), CBS Marketwatch, Boston Magazine, and BusinessDay – where he is a Member of the Legal Business Editorial Advisory Board.

Mr. Adio is active in civic societies, has served as a Trustee on the Boards of various non-profit organizations, and he is a Director in business organizations.  He is a proud alumnus of the veritable Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, and a recipient of the ICOBA Merit Award.  He enjoys running and completed two Boston Marathons.

Mr. Seni Adio is married with children.