“I come from a place where there are opportunities staring you in the eye, but it’s looking for the people who have the heart and the courage to do it and do it right. When I exit the earth, I would like this to be said about me and written on my epitaph: Here lies a life that was lived to the fullest and a body that died empty, having used all the talents that God gave me for His purpose and the benefits of humanity”.
Ibukunoluwa Abiodun Awosika is an Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Author, Mother and Pastor. She was born on the 24th of December, 1962. She is the third child of seven children and hails from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She had her Primary and Secondary Education at Saint Paul Anglican Church and Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos State, respectively. She proceeded to study Chemistry at Obafemi Awolowo University and went further to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate and Masters in Business Administration from Lagos Business School, the Global Executive MBA of IESE Business School, Barcelona-Spain; and Global CEO Programme of Wharton, IESE and China European International Business School (CEIBS).
During her National Youth Service Corps, she worked as an Audit Trainee at Akintola Williams & Co (now Deloitte) and as showroom manager at Alibert Nigeria, Limited. While at her job as a showroom manager, she discovered that she loved architecture. She ventured on her own after spending a little over three months at Alibert Nigeria Limited. In her words, “seeing my drive as a young entrepreneur, my father used to say, I have given birth to this one, and if anything happened, he was always present to assist me even if it meant selling his house to pay up any debts I may have incurred along the way. He never discouraged me.”
As a young girl in her 20s on an entrepreneurial journey, Ibukun revealed that no bank was willing to lend her a loan to start her furniture business. She became frustrated working day and night to meet up client’s demands due to inadequate machinery. Later on, she got help from some people and was able to access the loans needed to buy used machines from furniture companies that were shutting down. In 1989, at age 25, she started Quebec Limited, her own furniture manufacturing company which evolved into The Chair Centre Limited and SOKOA Chair Centre Limited. SOKOA Chair Centre Limited is a merger between SOKOA S.A of France, Guaranty Trust Bank, The Chair Limited and other stakeholders in the furniture industry. SOKOA Chair Centre Limited was created in 2014 due to the federal government’s ban on the importation of furniture items during that time. She needed the merger which was successful to produce locally. In 2005, she was appointed the CEO of the joint-venture. Later, she independently established another ultra-modern furniture facility, Furniture Manufacturers’ Mart in 2006. She revealed that she could buy a car every two months if she wanted to but the business was her priority. When she decided to buy herself a car, she bought a used car. Her friends were harassing her but she simply ignored them because she knew what she was doing. She kept building.
From following her dreams and passion, she was invited to chair a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards amongst which are: D.light Design Inc., Convention on Business Integrity (CBI), Digital Jewel Limited, House of Tara International, Cadbury Nigeria Plc., Governing Council, Lagos State University (LASU), Imperial Gate School and Peniel Apartments Limited. She was Chairman, GEMS Africa Limited, FBN Life Assurance Limited, FBN Capital Limited and Kakawa Discount House Limited. She also served on the board of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Due to her interest in social issues including women’s issues, Ibukun was the Chairperson, Board of Trustees of Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ). In 2011, she also co-founded the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC), a facility which she promoted to help address youth employability and enterprise issues in Nigeria. In 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria. She is also the Chairperson of Intermac, the organisers of Smartcard conferences in Nigeria and Kenya. 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.
Ibukun believes in integrity and quality delivery of consistent standards, staying true to personal values and virtues even in business. In her words, “I can guarantee that you won’t last long in business if you cut corners. When I started the furniture business, I had people who started about the same time as I did. I am content with the little I make because I made it the right way and sometimes you need to fight for survival. You must understand that you are not indispensable to your business because you are not God. You are not the most important person in your business, the guys who work for you are just as important as well.You must learn to respect them and the value they bring into your business. You can’t pay them peanuts and pay yourself all the money.” Beyond monetary gains, she revealed that her spiritual, social life and health are equally important to her. She refers to them as meaningful prosperity and is concerned about how they affect the lives of others.
Ibukun is a recipient of several awards, some of which include; Success Digest Magazine’s Annual Entrepreneur Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year (2005), FATE Model Entrepreneur of the Year (2006), International Women Society Golden Heart Award (2007), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Award of Leadership Excellence (2008), the first Nigerian recipient of the prestigious International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Award (IWEC) as a nominee of the US Department of State in 2008, the Forbes Woman Africa Chairperson Award, Africa Forbes Woman Awards (2020) and the WIMBIZ Beta Gamma Sigma, Business Achievement Award (2020).
She hosts a popular Television programme known as Business – His Way, where she shares principles and values of business according to the Holy Bible. The programme is transmitted in Nigeria and other countries. She is an author of two books named ” The Girl Entrepreneur” and Business – His Way”.
Ibukun is a pastor at the Fountain of Life Church and she established the Christian Missionary Fund which is dedicated to raising support for christian missionaries across the country.
She is married to Abiodun Awosika and they have three sons.
Through the years, Ibukun has earned her place as an astute trailblazer in the global business space.
Sources:
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Ibukunawosika.org
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