Austin Avuru

Austin Avuru is a Nigerian geologist, entrepreneur, and oil and gas executive. He is the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Seplat Petroleum Development Company. In April 2025, he was appointed a non-executive director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) by President Bola Tinubu.

Early Life and background Avuru was born on August 17, 1958 in Ipetu Ijesa. He is a graduate of the Owner/President Management (OPM) program at Harvard Business School.

In 1992, he joined Allied Energy Resources, serving as Exploration Manager and later as Technical Manager for a decade.

In 2002, Avuru founded Platform Petroleum Limited and served as its Managing Director. During this time, he played a pivotal role in the development of Nigeria's local content policy, chairing the technical subcommittee that drafted the policy blueprint which became the Nigerian Content Act of 2010.

In 2025, he was appointed as a non-executive director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), by President Bola Tinubu.

Publications and Recognitions

Austin has written books including: Politics, Economics and the Nigerian Petroleum Industry. He co- authored a handbook: Nigeria’s oil industry, including Nigerian Petroleum Business.

He was recognized with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013 for Nigeria and West Africa.