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Duty calls: Stren & Blan Partners elevates two legal leaders to its partnership and Board
Nigerian commercial law firm Stren & Blan Partners has today announced the recent appointment of Marvis Oduogu and Francisca Igboanugo as Partners and members of the firm’s Board of Partners., recognising their contribution to the globally ambitious firm's growth, and expanding their leadership responsibilities.
Helping businesses navigate the demands of investment, regulation, and growth has been central to the legal careers of Marvis Oduogu and Francisca Igboanugo.
Now, the two Stren & Blan lawyers are taking on greater responsibility for the firm itself, joining its partnership and Board of Partners. “And we ascend to higher responsibilities. Duty calls!” Oduogu shared following today's announcement.
Both already serve on Stren & Blan's management team, and have helped shape its capabilities. “Their appointments strengthen the firm’s leadership and expertise in areas where clients face increasingly consequential decisions: how they invest, govern, employ, manage information and respond to regulatory change,” said the firm.
Oduogu’s practice combines advisory and contentious work, helping local and international businesses establish and operate in Nigeria while addressing the regulatory, workforce and litigation issues affecting their operations.
His expertise spans taxation, immigration, labour and employment, international law, and antitrust and competition law, with a particular focus on the fast-moving consumer goods sector. The firm described his practice as connecting boardroom demands with the realities of the courtroom and regulatory environment.
Recognised as a Highly Regarded Tax Expert by International Tax Review for 2025/2026, Oduogu also received Mondaq’s Spring 2025 Thought Leadership Award for the most-read authors across all topic areas in Nigeria.
Igboanugo leads Stren & Blan’s Corporate Services & Data Protection Practice Group and Health & Pharmaceutical Sector Team. A Chartered Secretary and Capital Market Solicitor with more than nine years’ experience, she advises on foreign investment, governance, regulatory compliance, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions.
Her work includes structuring and financing complex infrastructure projects and handling syndicated capital market transactions. Clients have included financial institutions, fintechs, healthcare companies and multinational corporations, with assignments ranging from data protection compliance for C. Woermann Nigeria to governance advisory for Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative.
Recently shortlisted for Most Outstanding Data Protection Officer at the PICCASO Africa Awards 2026, Igboanugo joined Stren & Blan as a Team Lead in February 2025. She previously spent more than six years at The Metropolitan Law Firm, where her roles included Practice Manager and Senior Counsel.
Igboanugo holds an LLB from Madonna University and an LLM from Liverpool John Moores University. Oduogu graduated in law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and completed a labour and employment certificate at Lagos Business School.
Both attended Nigerian Law School in 2014–2015.
“We are proud to celebrate this milestone and advance our shared ambition for Stren & Blan Partners: an enduring institution distinguished by the quality of our people, the standards of our work, and the value we deliver to our clients,” the firm said
On 29 October, Stren & Blan Partners will host The Horizon 3.0 event, themed "Africa at an Inflection point: Capital, Innovation, Resilience and transformation”, in Frankfurt, bringing together international decision-makers with those who navigate Africa’s markets.