Women all around the world have been exceptional, taking the lead, breaking the barrier and working round the clock.
Throughout the month of March 2022, BizWatch Nigeria has been identifying and celebrating exceptional women, encouraging women to rise up and playing its part to break the gender bias.
Here are 22 Nigerian businesswomen who have been exceptional and are a force to reckon with. Today, we celebrate and applaud them.
Ibukun Awosika
Ibukun Awosika is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, motivational speaker mother, a force to reckon with and pastor.
Awosika is a survivor and has set a standard for young women in Africa, Ibukun has shown that “What a man can do, a woman can do even better” by succeeding in the furniture industry; an industry dominated by male folks. Ibukun Awosika has a few first, one of which is that she is the first female Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Hansatu Adegbite
Hansatu Adegbite is the Executive Director of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), She is also is a United Kingdom certified trainer and Associated Stress Consultant (ASC) in Life Coaching.
Adegbite has over 20 years of professional experience in banking, entrepreneurship, and team-building consulting. She started her corporate work experience in commercial banking at the United Bank for Africa Plc, an administrator and ICDL Nigeria.
She is guided by her mission statement which is to positively inspire, impact and invest in lives.
Bisi Adeyemi
Bisi Adeyemi is the Managing Director/CEO of DCSL Corporate Services Ltd. She is a member of the International Bar Association, the Institute of Directors, and President of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC).
She has varied experience in Corporate and Commercial law practice and has worked on various assignments spanning corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, board evaluation, Director upskilling, and other governance engagements.
Bisi is passionate about Corporate Governance and facilitates Board level training on the subject. She is a resource person at the Institute of Directors and anchors a weekly column on Corporate Governance in Business Day.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala Is a Nigerian Born Economist, fair trade leader, environmental sustainability advocate, human welfare champion, sustainable financial advocate, and global development expert. Notable, she is the first woman and African to lead the world trade organization as the Director-General.
Dr. Ngozi Iweala is the chairman of the board of (GAVI), The Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization which has immunized over 580 million children globally. She was formerly The Minister Of Finance and Foreign Affairs in Nigeria.
Ndidi Nwuneli
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is a Nigerian Born expert on African Agriculture, Nutrition, Philanthropy, and social innovation. She possesses over 25 years of experience in international development and is also a recognized social entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and consultant.
Nwuneli has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors, she has also led designs and execution of high-impact initiatives that were focused on policy, strategy, growth, economic solutions, and the Ecosystem.
Uchenna Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu
Uchenna Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu is the founder of Edufun Technik, A social enterprise that focuses on the implementation of science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for children and youths from the ages of 3-18 years in under-civilized and underprivileged communities in Eastern Nigeria.
She focuses on developing children’s potentials, skills and talents by providing their students with quality hands-on training on coding, design thinking, engineering and robotics, and guiding them to make informed STEM career decisions that will set them moving into a big future of STEM.
Bola Shagaya
Starting her promising career as a banker with CBN in the audit department, Shagaya left the corporate world in 1983, after which she ventured into business. Her first business experience started with the importation and distribution of photographic materials such as roll papers, films, and chemicals under the trading name, Bolmus International (Nigeria) Limited. Soon, she became the sole West African agent of Konica, a then-leading photographic company.
As the sole agent of Konica in West Africa, Shagaya leveraged her affluence and resources to introduce Konica brand of photographic materials into Nigeria and other African countries.
Olajumoke Adenowo
Olajumoke Adenowo is a successful architect and a force in her profession, and a male-dominated industry. She attended School and Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Oyo. At age 14, she proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), where she had her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture. Adenowo is an alumnus of Lagos Business School, the Yale School of Management, and the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Having visited Paris, France, at a tender age, Adenowo started to get fascinated by structures and architecture. However, following her academic pursuits, Adenowo started out as Assistant Architect at Towry Coker And Associates before moving to Femi Majekodunmi Associates, where she designed the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe is a record-setter, as she’s the first female Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fidelity Bank. Before joining this financial institution, she first served as an Executive Director at erstwhile Enterprise Bank (now Heritage Bank).
With more than three decades of experience, Onyeali-Ikpe has demonstrated her banking skills in other financial institutions including -Zenith Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. A well-rounded banker, she has also worked in different units which include the legal department, treasury, investment banking, and commercial banking. She is also a board member of Unified Payment Services, a company that provides shared infrastructure and payments services for banks and customers within and outside Nigeria.
In an industry where not many have assumed leadership positions, Onyeali-Ikpe has proven to be a force to reckon with, and an inspiration for young women in and beyond the shores of the country.
Miriam Olusanya
Miriam Olusanya set a record with the financial institution as Guaranty Trust Holding Company’s (GTCO) first female Managing Director (MD).
Having joined GTCO in 1998 following her two-year stint at SmithKline Beecham Nigeria (now GlaxoSmithKline – GSK).
Olusanya holds a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science degree from the University of Ibadan, and a Masters of Business Administration (Finance and Accounting) from the University of Liverpool, UK.
Uche Pedro
Uche Pedro is an award-winning Nigerian entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of BellaNaija, a media-tech brand known for entertainment and lifestyle content.
Under her leadership, BellaNaija’s social footprint has grown through its collective brands – BellaNaija, BellaNaija Weddings and BellaNaija Style – to be the largest on the African continent with more than 200 million impressions each month.
Uche is a Fellow of TEDGlobal and a Nigeria Leadership Initiative associate.
Uche is passionate about impacting her community and nurturing the next generation. She is the founder of #BNDoGood – an impact-driven initiative that consistently supports a wide variety of non-profits and social impact organisations, including LEAP Africa, Slum2School, Django Girls, Junior Achievement Nigeria and a long list of others.
Kemi Adetiba
Kemi is a famous Nigerian television director, filmmaker, and music video director. Her works have appeared on MTV Base, Soundcity TV, Channel O, Netflix, and BET. She started her career as a child when she starred in 2 television commercials for Omo Detergent.
Kemi Adetiba is currently the rave of the moment following her movie, King of Boys 1 and 2, trending offline and online. Many lovers of Nigerian movies have taken time out to hail Kemi Adetiba for the job well done on the movie’s production. It will come as a shock If she doesn’t win the majority of the awards for this year.
Funke Akindele-Bello
Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-a sponsored sitcom, I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Funke Akindele’s big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie, Jenifa.
Her directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film, Your Excellency.
Akindele runs a non-governmental organisation known as the Jenifa Foundation, which aims at providing young people with vocational skills.
Mo Abudu
Mo Abudu started her professional career as a recruitment consultant in 1987 with the Atlas Recruitment Consultancy firm in the UK, from where she moved to Starform Group in 1990.
She returned to Nigeria in 1993 and was head-hunted by Arthur Andersen to head the Human Resources and Training for oil giant ExxonMobil. She is the founder of Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited.
Mo went to create, produce, and present Moments with Mo later founded a television station (Ebony Life Television) and has been producing entertainment content to date.
Folorunsho Alakija
Folorunsho Alakija is a businesswoman and philanthropist. She is involved in various businesses, namely, fashion, oil, real estate and printing industries.
She is the Group Managing Director of The Rose of Sharon Group, which consists of The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited, Digital Reality Prints Limited and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited.
Alakija is vice chair of Famfa Oil, a Nigerian oil exploration company with a stake in Agbami Oilfield, a prolific offshore asset. Alakija’s first company was a fashion label.
Omobola Johnson
Omobola Johnson is Senior Partner of TLcom Capital, a venture capital firm with a recent focus on deal flow generation, investment and value generation in technology companies in sub-Saharan Africa.
She was a Minister of Communication Technology, Nigeria from 2011 to 2015, focusing on the launch and execution of the National Broadband Plan, and the support of the Nigerian technology industry, including the pioneering involvement of the government in a local VC fund and a network of start-up incubators.
Johnson serves on the Board of the World Wide Web Foundation and is the Founding Chairperson and Trustee, Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ).
Maiden Alex Ibru
Maiden Alex Ibru is a Nigerian Public Affairs and Communication Consultant, Media Executive and Newspaper Proprietor.
She is the Chairman, Publisher, and Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Newspapers. Before becoming the publisher of the Guardian newspaper, she was the CEO of Guardian Press Limited for 11 years.
Ibru also runs the Trinity Foundation which supports civil society organizations that promote democratic and open society values in Nigeria. She was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2014.
Tara Fela-Durotoye
Tara Fela-Durotoye is a beauty entrepreneur and lawyer. Fela-Durotoye is a pioneer in the bridal makeup profession in Nigeria, she launched the first bridal directory in 1999, set up international standard makeup studios and established the first makeup school in Nigeria.
House of Tara International is a company that is spread across three main streams – The Make-up Studio, The Make-up Academy and the Tara product line which comprises product lines and makeup kits. They also specialise in the distribution, retail and channel management of cosmetics.
In 2007, Tara Fela-Durotoye was awarded the Africa SMME Award and the Entrepreneur award in South Africa and in 2013, Forbes listed her as one of 20 Young Power Women In Africa. In 2020, the magazine Forbes listed her among “Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women”.
Adenike Ogunlesi
Adenike Ogunlesi is a Nigerian fashion entrepreneur, a leading designer, manufacturer, and retailer of designer children’s clothing. She is the founder and creative director of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble.
She is also an advisory board member of Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) at Lagos Business School and Women in Successful Career (WISCAR).
Ogunlesi is a founding member and first president of the Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) at the Nigeria Employer’s Consultative Association (NECA). The Ruff ‘n’ Tumble funder mentors aspiring entrepreneurs at FATE Foundation, Women in Successful Career (WISCAR) and MARA Foundation.
Adeidunnu Uba
Adeidunnu Uba is the Founder and Executive Consultant at SimplyUn4gettable and a founding partner at Prolyseis Advisory Services. She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and an alumnus of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), a project of the Centre for Global Enterprise.
Uba is one of the panelists for BizWatch Nigeria’s webinar themed “Women in Business: Breaking Barriers, Blazing Pathways”, which is scheduled to hold virtually on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at 10 AM.
Ola Orekunrin Brown
Olamide Brown is a British-Nigerian medical doctor, a trainee pilot, healthcare entrepreneur and founder of the Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Group; West Africa’s first indigenous air ambulance service and a director of Greentree Investment Company.
She was inspired to start the company while at medical school after her younger sister died because she was unable to get to a hospital in time.
Olamide Brown’s awards and recognition include:
World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader, Forbes 20 Young Power Women In Africa 2013, Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 for 2015, YWomen – YNaija 100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria 2015, Silverbird Group Extraordinary Business Achievement Award, 2018 in Lagos, the youngest person ever to win this award and YNaija Business Power List 2020.
Stella Okoli
Stella Okoli is one of the women who make a significant impact on the Nigerian economy in their chosen fields. She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited. Although widely known as a philanthropist, the Nnewi native in Anambra state is an established pharmacist and an entrepreneur.
Okoli started out as a Ward/Clinical Pharmacist at Middlesex Hospital in London and later worked briefly as a Pharmacist in the UK. She returned to Nigeria and worked for a while at Massey Children Hospital, Lagos, before joining a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Park Davies Nigeria Limited (now Pharma-Deko Plc). At Pharma-Deko Plc, she worked as a Medical Representative and later as a Sales Manager.
