‘To build a great building, “You have to know history, you have to understand culture, sociology, anthropology. You need to know physics, you have to understand chemistry to a point. You have to understand art and the history of art to be a really good architect.” – Adenowo.
Olajumoke Adenowo, Founder, AD Consulting proudly one of Nigeria’s finest architects has applaudably caved her footprint in an industry dominated by men, leaving a lasting legacy for decades to come.
Crowned ‘Nigeria’s Star Architect’ by CNN, the 52 year old, with over three decades of experience in the field with an illustrious career to show has designed and executed construction of over 70 projects working with well known international and national brands including helming construction of some Nigerian government buildings – such as the Federal Ministry of Lands in Abuja, Coca-Cola, L’oreal and banks.
She has been featured international media, including Architectural Record; the world’s leading architectural journal, CNN, BBC, Fortune Magazine, Forbes TV, Forbes Woman, Suddeutsche Zeitung etc.
Born 16th of October, 1968 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria to professor parents, her father a history professor and mother, a criminology professor, her background would go a long way in setting foundation of her establishing herself as a high achiever who decades later comfortably seats amongst the country’s most accomplished architects.
Olajumoke Adenowo at age 23 had already designed her first building.
At age 14, she enrolled the Obafemi Awolowo University where she bagged both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture. She is also a proud alumna of Lagos Business School Chief Executive Programme, the Yale School of Management and the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
In 1994 at age 25, Olajumoke Adenowo kicked off her own interior design and architectural firm, AD Consulting in 1994, where she holds the position of a Principal Partner. Olajumoke is also founder oil and gas firm, Advantage Energy and runs a property management firm, Advantage Property.
A super accomplished career, Adenowo still manages to add title of radio host through which, she has firmly established herself as a voice of change. Olajumoke Adenowo through her radio show ‘Voice Of Change’ teaches youths to hold leaders accountable as well as passionately calling for gender equality and a more empowered world. She channels her knowledge to mentorship of young women. She is founder Awesome Treasures Foundation in (1999), which helps mentor women and young girls. “We believe the greatest need of Africa is leadership, vision. Strong people who are ready to give their all to say, ‘this is the way’, and Awesome Treasures is here to address that need, to raise transformational leaders.”
Adenowo has received several commendations from the likes of the United Nations.
An overachiever, resting on her laurels comes far in the equation for the driven architect continually thinking about the next big thing. “In the next five years, it would be a dream come true if I have the opportunity to design a building that would define Nigeria’s identity. The way you see the Tour d’Eiffel and you think Paris, the Empire State Building and you think New York.”
