General Session 1: Friday Lunch
Time: Friday 2/20/2026 – 12 am – 10:00 am
DGE: Benson Medina
Bablola was elected to serve as the President-elect of Rotary International on 28 August 2025, and he will assume the role of RI President on 1 July 2026, serving through 30 June 2027.
He holds a degree in engineering and spent more than 30 years in the oil and gas sector, including senior leadership roles at Shell PLC. He founded the Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure delivery firm, as well as Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and organizational performance consultancy.
Babalola is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, and the Association of Change Management Practitioners. He also belongs to the Jericho Business Club, a civic organization in Ibadan that contributes to national policy dialogue. Following his professional retirement, he now devotes much of his time to his humanitarian interests and service to his community and the world through his membership of Rotary.
He started his Rotary journey as a Rotaractor in 1983. A Rotarian since 1993, Babalola is a member of the Rotary club of Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt District 9141, Nigeria. He served on the Rotary International Board of Directors from 2018 through 2020 and as Vice President of Rotary International for the 2019-20 year.
Babalola has experience on several Rotary committees including the Joint Operations Review Committee, Fund Development Committee, Sao Paulo Convention Promotion Committee, Joint Partnerships Committee, RI Membership Growth Committee, RI Board Executive Committee, Elevate Rotaract Task Force, and Vice Chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Committee. He has served as Adviser to the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee for many years, playing a leading role in The Rotary Foundation’s effort to eradicate polio in Nigeria and Africa, leading to the region’s eventual certification by the World Health Organization in 2021.
He previously served on the Peace Major Gift Initiative Committee, helping to launch the Africa Peace concert, which raised over $300,000 USD for the Rotary Peace Centers, and as End Polio Zone Coordinator, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator and Endowment Major Gift Adviser. Through these roles, he led and inspired the effort that grew the Arch Klumph Society membership (donors who have contributed $250,000 USD) in Africa from four in 2013 to 30 in 2023. As District Governor, he raised over a million US dollars for the Rotary Foundation from an area normally considered as economically disadvantaged.
As International Assembly Learning Facilitator, Governor-elect Learning Seminar Leader, Regional Leaders Training Institute Facilitator, and Moderator for the 2024 Global Support and Global Philanthropy Seminars, he has helped prepare and inspire many future Rotary leaders.
Babalola is passionate about Growing Rotary. As club President in 2002-03, he won the Rotary International Global Quest Award for highest percentage net membership gain worldwide and was recognized onstage at the Brisbane Rotary Convention for this achievement. As District Governor, he grew membership by a net gain of over 650 members, emerging as one of the top three performing districts in the world and was recognized on stage at the Bangkok Rotary Convention.
As RI Director, he inspired the growth of Rotary in Africa from 19,000 to over 44,000 members. Under his watch, Districts of his paired zones became the fastest growing districts in their region.
Babalola served recently on the Board of Trustee of Shelterbox, a UK charity and Rotary’s partner on emergency shelter needs for those displaced by disasters and conflicts. He also served as the Director of the Safeblood Africa Project, a multi-district Rotary initiative to establish sustainable systems for safe blood donation in the region. He is a faculty member and the founding Registrar of the Nigerian Division of the Rotary Leadership Institute, a Rotary Positive Peace Activator, and an Alumnus of the Positive Peace Academy – a program of Rotary in partnership with the Institute of Economics and Peace.
Babalola has received the Service Above Self Award, the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World. He supports the Rotary Foundation through a named endowed fund and is a member of the Arch Klumph Society.
He has attended several Zone and international institutes and over 25 Rotary conventions.