Accelerate Podcast

Building an International Cosmetics and SkinCare Brand with Oke Maduewesi

Oke Maduewesi is the Founder and CEO of Zaron group of companies and a mother of two girls, Zara and Ona, from which she had coined the name of her beauty line ‘Zaron’. She holds a degree in Economics from Edo State University, Ekpoma and a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

In 2009, a pregnant Oke lost her husband in a tragic plane crash and was left with a two-year-old child to take care of as well. However challenging, she fought her way through a very dark moment to do more accomplishing things with her life. She quit her job as the Senior Manager at Zenith Bank Plc. to pursue her passion, creating a range of make-up that would suit women of colour.

In 2011, she created Zaron, an enterprise that now manufactures and distributes cosmetics and hair products which has been tailored to the specific needs of African women. Zaron keeps empowering Nigerian widows as a way of giving back to society.

In this 🎙️ episode, you will learn:

✨ How Oke Maduewesi built a contemporary innovative cosmetics brand that has grown in over 13 countries, whilst contributing to Africa’s fast-growing beauty industry and empowering women all over Nigeria.

✨ How she overcame the challenges of growing her beauty empire in Africa and setting up a skincare line in the middle of a pandemic.

✨ Her experience with international expansion and competing with other international brands in Africa and beyond.

✨ And so much more!

Building Meaningful Networks as a Female Leader with Olatowun Candide-Johnson

Olatowun Candide-Johnson is an entrepreneur and a lawyer with 30 years of experience in corporate and commercial law and business development and governance of multinational corporations. During her career, she worked in Law Practice, Shipping, Oil and Gas. Before taking early retirement from Total Group, she held the combined role of General Counsel, Executive General Manager, Management Services Division and Chief Compliance Officer for the Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria.

In 2016, Olatowun obtained a Global Executive MBA awarded by LSE, NYU Stern and HEC (Paris), known as the TRIUM Global Executive MBA. She is passionate about creating networking opportunities for leading women in business. This led to her establishing GAIA Africa Club in 2018. She is also the Founding parent of Lagos Preparatory School, Ikoyi, one of Africa’s leading British curriculum preparatory schools in Lagos. She serves on several boards as Chairman and Board Member. She is also an Angel investor and a member of Rising Tide Africa – a network of female business angels investing in entrepreneurs across the African continent. She loves all forms of art; culture, food & wine, pilates, books, and interesting places.

In this 🎙️ episode, you will learn:

✨  Olatowun’s experience and learnings working as a corporate lawyer in diverse sectors of the economy, 

✨ How she took voluntary early retirement from Total Group at a young age and plunging into the risk and aggravation of starting an entrepreneurial venture.

✨ You will also learn how she overcame challenges in the business world and the value of cultivating a productive network, both personally and professionally.

✨ And so much more!

Thriving as an Intrapreneur and an Entrepreneur with Audrey Mwala

Audrey Mwala, the Acting CEO of the Public-Private Partnerships Commission of Malawi, is a Certified Public Private Partnership Specialist (IP3) USA, a Certified Project Finance Specialist (IP3) USA, a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) UK, holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She has extensive experience in Project Finance, Project Management, Project Risk Analysis, PPP contract negotiations, Privatization and PPP structuring through her 24-year career.

She is also the Founder of Sycamore Credit Limited, a successful microfinance company and Sycamore Consult- a training and consulting company. She serves as a Non- Executive Director in a number of corporate boards in Tourism, Financial, Education, Agriculture and Social Sectors.

She is extremely passionate about carrying out charitable work and she founded and runs The Safe Home, a charity set up to help street children.

In this 🎙️ episode, Audrey talks about working with excellence and building trust and integrity as your personal brand, conducting your business professionally, retirement planning, and the key things you need to learn and understand in personal finance management so that you can double or triple your income.

Building a Thriving Law Practice of International Repute in Africa with NanaAma Botchway

NanaAma is the founder of N. Dowuona & Company. She is ranked as a leading lawyer in Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, and the International Financial Law Review. She has advised on numerous significant investments and divestments in Ghana and in other parts of Africa including the USD 200 million sale of Fan Milk International, the acquisition, development and divestment of the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel and Leapfrog Strategic African Investment’s USD 180 million investment in the Enterprise Insurance Group. NanaAma is a graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School Undergraduate Program, New York University’s Stern School of Business and Columbia University School of Law. 

In this episode, NanaAma talks about living the life you want, the challenges of having kids while pursuing a degree in law and became a sought after lawyer, being a woman founder and finding her passion in coaching.

Following Through and Staying the Course

In this episode, Nneka shares her insights while connecting and working with high-performing women and the straightforward tool for accountability she used to track performance, progress, and goals. Also, you'll learn about her new book "Finding Your True North: Your Guide Book for Revolutionized Thinking." 

Landing the CEO Role: Career Planning Tips for the High Performing Female Executive with Enife Atobiloye

Enife Atobiloye is the Managing Partner of Human Leadership Resources, a leading Human Resources Solution Provider, and the Regional Head of the TRANSEARCH MEA, a top executive search, and leadership development organization.  She has over 25 years of international experience in executive search and Human Resources consulting. Enife has gained comprehensive proficiency and exposure in several executive roles, such as being Managing Consultant of Kimberly Ryan, a leading indigenous HR Consulting firm in Africa with offices in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, where she progressively built a well-knit team and brand to international standards.

Enife holds a Masters's degree in Organisational Performance (Cranfield University, UK). She is certified for occupational testing, levels A&B (British Psychological Society), and a certified Global Practitioner in Human Resources (GPHR).

She is a consultant with the STANFORD seed program.
With strong leadership skills and competencies in Human Resources and Organizational Development. Proven track record in building start-ups and leading existing teams to deliver business value HR solutions in the most appropriate, efficient, and effective ways. Strong understanding of connecting the people business with the business strategy as an essential line of sight. 
She is also a mentor to various youth, young HR professionals, HR Immersion Programs. Furthermore, she is also a Bible teacher on multiple platforms.

In this episode,  Enife talks about the context that defines intelligence, relativity to context, and experiences regarding the test of integrity. Checking integrity of what you're saying and who you are, and discipline minimums. You might also be interested in having Enife as a coach, starting with the strategy and tips to excellence for those aspiring for a promotion or to be a CEO.

Thriving as a Top Executive in a Global Conglomerate outside Africa with Violet Okpere

Violet Okpere has 28 years of professional and leadership experience, with a strong track record of safety, retail delivery, and transformational change in contracting and procurement. Violet started her professional career with a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering alongside MCIPS from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply. Expertise in all facets of supply chain management from Asset operations, Logistic Operations, Wells operations, and Major Projects. Diverse work experience in multiple countries, 24 years in Shell (UK, Brunei, Netherlands, and Nigeria) and four years for Sasol Petroleum International (South Africa, Mozambique, Canada, Gabon, Papua New Guinea).

 

Violet is currently working at Shell International Limited as the General Manager, CP Projects (Europe, Middle East, Africa); Violet leads the contracting and procurement management of major capital projects across the region and for all lines of business (Deepwater, Conventional oil & gas, Downstream, Integrated Gas and Renewable energy solutions).

 

Furthermore, she received the following awards: Fellow of the World Commercial and Contracting and The World Commerce & Contracting Fellow status, the highest accolade offered to its members.

 

In this episode, Violet  talks about professional excellence, fame, recognition awards, resilience and adding value to your work, having God in your life, and the self-awareness that you can succeed even when experiencing failures. She also shares how she became the top executive of SHELL International and leveraged the experts' skill sets.

Landing the CEO Role: How I made it to the top with Tinuade Awe

Tinuade Awe is the Chief Executive Officer of NGX Regulation, which is a subsidiary of The Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.

She is: a Trustee of The Nigerian Exchange Limited’s Investors’ Protection Fund; member of the Board of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC); and a Non-Executive Director of the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS).

She has an LL.B Degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife as well as LL.M Degrees from Harvard Law School and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is admitted to both the Nigerian and New York Bars. She is an Associate Member of Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR). She is a Life Member of Institute of Directors. She was a member of the Senate’s Technical Advisory Committee on the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) Amendment Bill 2020.

Not only that, but she is the recipient of The African Legal Awards 2018, General Counsel of the Year; Law Digest Africa Awards, General Counsel of the Year 2018, and Esq. Nigeria Legal Awards, General Counsel of the Year 2017. She was recently selected as one of the World Federation of Exchange's Women Leaders for 2021.

Her interests include education, travelling, African art, gender and development.

Against All Odds To Be At The Top with Wambui Mbesa

WAMBUI MBESA is the CEO of INTRASOFT International East Africa, a Subsidiary of INTRASOFT International, an IT solutions and services company headquartered in Luxembourg. She oversees operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Zambia. She is passionate about giving back and giving forward. Furthermore, she is actively involved in mentoring the next generation of leaders in general and in the IT space in particular. 

An entrepreneur at heart, Wambui has co-founded and run a technology company that was recognized by Microsoft 5 times over the years for excellence and business growth within West, East and Central Africa and East & Southern Africa being named twice into the Microsoft President’s Club which recognizes the top 5 percent of high performing partners world-wide as reflected in their business success and growth. 

Wambui is passionate about giving back and giving forward. She volunteers as a mentor to the next generation of leaders in the IT space and is involved in mentoring with the Presidential Digital Talent Programme (Kenya); Logos Christian Scholarship Fund as well as The Mastercard Foundation’s Global Give Back Circle

Furthermore, she is a member of the Kenya Women on Boards Network, Women in Technology (WiTA) Kenya Chapter, Kenya Institute of Directors among others.

In this episode, Wambui talks about how she became an entrepreneur and founder and tips on being successful regardless of your background, how to network and create connections within your community and why creative imagination is more important than knowledge.

Becoming Bridge Builders - Ask for a Connection and Give a Connection

In this episode, Nneka shares her takeaways from guests - Audrey Joe-Ezigbo & Ndidi Nwuneli. While listening, you are encouraged to ponder on the following provocative questions. What are you doing about the book you have always wanted to write?  What are you angry about in your country?  And how can you expand and widen your networks to be and do more?