TONIA SMART: A Smart Woman Impacting Insurance, Pension Sectors

Dr. (Mrs.) Tonia Smart is a seasoned insurance practitioner and pensions administrator with nearly three decades of work experience and currently the managing director/CEO of YorkCity Consult Limited.

This is a company she established in 2012, having worked in several organisations in insurance and pension sectors.

The company, which she established specialising in insurance and pension consulting, traveling consulting, among others and its generating jobs, contributing to economic growth and development of not only Lagos, but the national economy in general.

She has nearly three decades of work experience in insurance broking, life insurance, pension administration and pension regulator, having previously worked for Hogg Robinson Nigeria, Capital Express Insurance, NLPC Pension Fund Administrators and Lagos State Pension Commission(LASPEC).

She holds the Fellowship status of both the insurance and pension institutes in Nigeria and a doctorate degree from the USA with an MBA (Management) and M.Sc and B.Sc in Chemistry.

She holds a doctorate from Evangel University in the USA, an MBA from the University of Nigeria, and an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Lagos.

She is a director of Direktwire Ltd. (UK) which is an International Money Transfer Operator. She is also a director of three companies into Property & Investments in Nigeria as well as an Agric Investor.

Tonia is an executive member of the Commonwealth Business Women Network Nigeria and currently the Head of Programs. She is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Uplifting Women Through Farming.

She is an Associate of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and a Member of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938.

Tonia has delivered several papers on varied topics at conferences and seminars on insurance, pension administration and human capital development and has packaged trainings both locally and internationally for several organisations.

She is the author of the book “The Contributory Pension Scheme & its Administration including Death Benefits payment, Trusts & Wills” which was published in 2012.

The book has continued to receive wide accolades from employers, employees and various states in Nigeria.

On her achievements, she has been rewarded with various awards notably from the Lagos state government, Professional Insurance Ladies Association and Nigeria Junior Chamber.

She is a past president of the Professional Insurance Ladies Association (PILA) of Nigeria (2010) and was a Senator & Ambassador of the Nigeria Junior Chamber and JCI.

Tonia is also an Associate of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and a member of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938.

Recently, Ondo state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday constituted the Board of the Ondo State Pension Commission and Tonia Smart has been appointed to Chair the board.