“To achieve greatness one should live as if they will never die.” —Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Mediocrity has never been in the likings of the great; ditto, status quo has always irked the finest minds – Spectacular, Extraordinary, Excellence … Unfailing go-to power words which spur on those with a burning desire to shatter glass celings regardless of the odds stacked against them.
Every man is born with a dream, but what truly separates the boys from the men is the ability to act upon it. Time and again we’ve seen greatness emerge before our very eyes, more “surprisingly” the unlikely taking over life reigns and calling the shots.
Zooming our lens this new month of September we celebrate two remarkable women doing great expliots in film and banking:
- HOLLYWOOD POWERHOUSE AVA DUVERNAY
Highly accliamed American filmmaker Ava Duvernay, before the launch of her super successful career making a name with hit movies: Selma, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us, first started off with journalism, later branching on to public relations, working as a junior publicist at 20th Century Fox, Savoy Pictures, and a few other PR agencies. She would later in 1999 open her own public relations firm, The DuVernay Agency, also known as DVAPR.
Through DVAPR she provided marketing and PR services to the entertainment and lifestyle industry, working on campaigns for movies and television shows, such as Lumumba, Spy Kids, Shrek 2, The Terminal, Collateral, and Dreamgirls.
2005 would see the debut of her first film, a short called Saturday Night Life. Based on her mother’s experiences, 2011, DuVernay officially flagged off her first narrative feature film, I Will Follow, since then the creative genius has since blazed on.
Ava Duvernay has had an enviable career so far, a trailblazer – she won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award For her work on Selma (2014), DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- NIGERIAN BUSINESS MAGNET, ENTREPRENEUR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, AUTHOR, PHILANTHROPIST (and recently added feather) – ACTRESS!
This business tycoon proves impossible is nothing but a flamboyant excuse! September 7, 2015, Ibukun Awosika made history as the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Before attaining the feat, Ibukun worked her way to the top, launching her career as an audit trainee at Akintola Williams & Co. upon her love for architecture before she left for Alibert Nigeria Ltd. as showroom manager. Her independent streak further led her to establish a furniture manufacturing company called Quebees Limited in 1989 before it evolved into The Chair Centre Limited and later SOKOA Chair Centre Limited.
The accomplished executive following a briiliant career has bagged several coveted awards including the GOLDEN HEART AWARD (2007).
The 57 year old is a graduate of Chemistry from the University of Ife, Nigeria and an alumna of the Chief Executive Programme of Lagos Business School; the Global Executive MBA of IESE Business School, Barcelona-Spain; and Global CEO Programme of Wharton, IESE and C.E.I.B.S Business Schools.
Ibukun Awosika is also:
MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
First Bank of Nigeria
PLC
MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Cadbury Plc
MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD
Convention on Business Integrity
MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD
Digital Jewels LTD.
As a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative, Aspen Global Leadership Network, Institute of Directors, and Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, Ibukun, through her projects aspires to use her opportunities in life to further the greatness of her dear country by raising entrepreneurs to create jobs for the large unemployed youthful population. She is a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), served on National Job Creation Committee (NCJC), and sits on the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School, Barcelona-Spain.
