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Nigerian Ukonwa Ojo becomes MAC Cosmetics Senior Vice President for Global Marketing

Ukonwa Ojo is one of many women of colour shifting paradigms, changing the narrative about black folks and leading multi-million-dollar companies/ventures and changing the narrative about black folks.

Her role as a passionate marketer and business leader, is not an exception.

This week, beauty brand MAC Cosmetics announced Coty’s Ojo – a Nigerian – as its senior vice president for global marketing, a newly created role at the company.

Ojo who left the company in January as chief marketing officer will now resume into the newly-created role of senior vice-president for global marketing effective from December 2.

Ojo reportedly played the most significant role in the brand’s 60-year history that led to the Covergirl brand exceptional facelift and also introduced ‘I Am What I Make Up’, a tagline which highlights her idea of a company with strong diversity and inclusion.

She isn’t just an ordinary woman. She is a graduate of UNC Kenan Flagler Business School. She also holds an MBA in finance, marketing and international business from the Kellogg School of Management. She was named as World Federation of Advertisers’ Global Marketer of the Year, and WWD’s Brand Builder of the Year.

She has also been named on Business Insider’s list of 25 Most Innovative CMOs, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 and the Financial Times Top 100 List of Minority Executives for three consecutive years.

With her 22 years wealth of experience, Ojo’s new role entails overseeing MAC Cosmetics’ Consumer Marketing and Product Marketing teams as well as its brand positioning and strategy.

She will also serve as the key global partner to MAC Cosmetics’ regional teams whilst working through regions to bring consumer engagement strategies, product innovations and brand awareness in key markets.

MAC Cosmetics Senior Vice President/General Manager Philippe Pinatel whom she will be reporting to describes her as “a true brand builder who imbues a fast-moving entrepreneurial spirit and truly embodies the brands that she works on.”

“She looks at brands holistically from the viewpoint of everyone, not just one singular consumer, which is crucial to the DNA of MAC, and I am excited for her to lead our marketing teams in this consumer-centric approach,” he added.

Ojo did not just rise to the top, she held the role of Senior Vice President of Covergirl for three years and repositioned the brand. Before joining Coty, Ojo worked with leading companies such as Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser PLC, General Mills Corporation and Meadwestvaco Corporation.

 

Source : Face2FaceAfrica

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Lash Nolen Is Harvard Medical School’s First Black Woman Class President

Lashyra Nolen Last year became the first black woman ever elected as class president of Harvard Medical School (HMS).

Despite not seeing black women leadership reflected in society in general, Lash found inspiration in the strength of the women around her. Born in Compton, Los Angeles Lash’s mom had her when she was only 18 years old. But as a single mom, she got her masters, while working numerous jobs to support Lash’s dreams

“Mom pursued life with grit and a desire to win. She would tell me: ‘I’ll see you at the top,'” Lash tells Teen Vogue. She told her grandma she wanted to become a brain surgeon-slash-astronaut.

“My grandma would tell me that whatever I wanted to do, we were gonna make it happen,” Lash recalls. “After telling her I wanted to become a surgeon, she would tell me to protect my hands.”

Today, Lash is a Fulbright Scholar, activist, and an emerging leader in medicine.

Lash spoke to Teen Vogue about this moment in Harvard’s history and shares advice for black girls everywhere.

On been Elected as President

For me it means opportunity — opportunity in the sense that it will allow me to create a pipeline for others who look like me to hold positions of leadership at Harvard Medical School. When applying to HMS, I didn’t see people who looked like me in student council or positions of leadership at that level. I think it is important to show that black people can also be the face of a university.

Her Advice for Young Girls

Go get it. Our society has a way of implicitly reminding young black girls what they cannot achieve and what they cannot be, while explicitly giving the green light to white men. For those same reasons I almost didn’t apply to HMS. It wasn’t until my mentors told me that I was capable of being a student at a place like this. And there are so many young girls out there who are excellent and deserve access to opportunity, but won’t take the leap because society tells them that it’s not for them. So no matter how crazy it might sound, no matter if someone in your family has done it or not, just go get it, because you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Her vision for the future of black women in leadership?

My dream is for black women in leadership to get the recognition, compensation, and opportunities they deserve. It breaks my heart to see brilliant, capable, black women in medicine not get tenure, or not be considered for promotions. One can’t help but wonder if they were white male[s], would the outcome be different? So, I guess my dream is for these women to be seen, celebrated, and recognized for their greatness at the same level as those around them. Once we do that, young black girls will know that they can too, because you can’t be what you can’t see.

On her role models

Off the top, my mom, always. She is easily the strongest person I know. She’s been the best example of the woman, leader, and mother I want to be in the future. Then I have to say Serena Williams, because she goes hard every time, no matter what her critics say. Even when she falls, she rises and ascends even higher. And of course, she’s from Compton! Then it’s Ida B. Wells, because she spoke the truth even when it put her life in danger. And that’s the level of conviction that I want to have behind my purpose in life. And Michelle Obama is elegance and brilliance personified. The way that she handled scrutiny and racism during her time as first lady, and even still found a way to make a profound impact in her role, is so inspiring to me. If I ever decide on a career in politics, her spirit is the one that I would like to embody.

She says this about failure 

I applied to 10 colleges and was rejected from all but three. I failed my first chemistry exam in college. I retook the SAT three times. But I always knew who I was, who I was becoming, and who I wanted to be. There were so many moments in my life when I felt like my potential wasn’t matching my outcomes. And there are going to be many moments in my life where I will feel that again. But going through failure taught me how to be resilient, and the key to resilience is always remembering to stand back up when life knocks you down.

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Meet the 8 Year Old Nigerian Twins Who Currently Hold the World Mathematics Record (Video)

Paula and Petter Imafidon were just 8 years old when they broke the world’s mathematics record previously held by their old sister who was 9 at the time.

In 2009, the twin 8 year olds passed the University of Cambridge Advance Maths A level exam. Most of us are baffled by basic Algebra, but they thought it was easy.

However, this wasn’t their their first time with this level of math. At the age of seven, the twins passed A Level math at Oxford University the previous year.

Clearly, this family has a high math aptitude, but as the father said neither of them are mathematicians. They just have an atmosphere conducive to learning and success.

A few things stood out to me during this interview.

1. The kids look at math as a game and have fun.

2. Healthy competition compels children, says the father.

3. The finger multiplication trick they demonstrated at the end. I’ve never seen that and believe it could help many moving forward.

 

Source: WomenAfrica

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International Women’s day why and how did it start

An Equal World is an Enabled World #IWD2020  #EachforEqual

International Women’s day is set up to celebrate women. A day to project women achievements, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality and fair treatments.

A believe that an equal world is an enabled world is blooming.

How it all began

A day came in New york 1909, when the Socialist Party of America celebrated 15,000 women who protested over long work hours, low pay, and the lack of voting rights in New York City.

Originally called National Woman’s Day, the annual celebration spread across the world (officially celebrated in 1911).

The Set Date

According to TIMES, Russia unknowingly set the March 8 trend.

March 8th (23 February in the Julian calendar) the Bourgeois Democratic Revolution, was the first of the two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Fototeca Storica Nazionale—Getty Images

In 1913, women experienced difficulties caused by WWI while men were at war. These women dealt with food shortages and a government who wouldn’t listen to them. Therefore, on March 8 tens of thousands of Russian women took to the streets demanding change. This cry for help paved the way for Russian women to be granted voting rights soon after.

The theme for this year 2020, is titled ” Each for Equal”

Anna Friedman set it better.

When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and professionally accomplished, befriend her. Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better.

Anna Friedman

As a woman you need to challenge yourself to be better, make a list of everything you are most proud of accomplishing. Then, think about introducing Shine into your life, whether it’s bringing it to  your best friends. Watch how much trust you build when you are able to support another woman and be supported.

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Bride dumped by fiance for being too fat gets ‘ultimate revenge’ by winning Miss Great Britain

A woman who was dumped by her fiance three years ago for eating too much and being too fat has now gotten her ‘ultimate revenge’ as she lost eight stone of fat and defeated other contestants to win the Miss Great Britain pageant.

Bride dumped by fiance for being too fat gets

Three years ago Jen Atkin was enjoying planning her dream wedding, when her fiancé suddenly ended the realtionship. Jen said she was preparing to marry to the “love of her life” when he broke up with her for ‘eating too much junk food and getting too fat”.

Fast forward to February 2020 and Jen isn’t just the newly crowned Miss Great Britain, but she is happily married to someone else.

Bride dumped by fiance for being too fat gets

26-year-old Jen, over the period of two years started eating healthy and shed eight stone, going from a size 22 to a size 10, after thinking that her world had come crashing down.
Jen, an aviation administrator who lives in Ulceby, signed up to her local gym, started participating in beauty pageants and after winning the Miss Great Britain on Friday says she wants to grow her music career.

Bride dumped by fiance for being too fat gets
After winning the pageant, Jen said to Mirror UK: “I’m still in shock at winning, I’m so happy I can’t even put it into words – I honestly can’t believe it.

“When I started doing this it was just for a bit of fun, I never imagined how far I would come. Three years ago I would never ever expected to be winning Miss GB.

“Hard work really does pay off.”

“Winning Miss Great Britain marks the end of a long and difficult, but also amazing, journey.

“Although my body has changed so much I think don’t think my personality has, and I think that’s really helped me.

“The judges were able to see what kind of person I really am.”

Speaking about her ex boyfriend, she said

“[Before we broke up] I would eat huge portions of pasta or pizza then a family-size chocolate bar. At weekends, we’d turn into virtual recluses sitting on the sofa in our pyjamas eating takeaways – spending £20 each time.

“The day he left I thought my world had ended – I cried for weeks and used food as my comfort. But it ended up being the best thing that’s happened to me.”
“I’m over the moon,” she added. “I have so much in the pipeline for my reign, including the release of my next country single this Spring.”

 

Source: Lindaikejiblog

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Funmilayo Waheed: Social entrepreneur rewarded for helping thousands of Nigerians

A nigerian woman identified as Funmilayo Adekojo Waheed is putting smiles on people’s faces with her philanthropy.

Funmilayo has empowered over 10,000 women through Funmilayo Ayinke Humanity Foundation – The philanthropist was recently rewarded by her beneficiaries for her good deeds at an event tagged Valentine’s Day Hangout.

Funmilayo Adekojo Waheed in middle, sorrounded by beneficiaries of FAHF at Foundation's Valentine's Day party, held in Lagos
Funmilayo Adekojo Waheed in middle, sorrounded by beneficiaries of FAHF at Foundation’s Valentine’s Day party, held in Lagos

 

The woman behind Funmilayo Ayinke Humanity Foundation also has over 500 undergraduates calling her mummy because she pays their school fees, The Sun reports.

Legit.ng gathers that the engineer and academicians spends hundreds of millions to help people every year. According to her, money is good but useless when you don’t use it to add value to people’s lives. Students, youths and other beneficiaries of her not-for-profit organisation were at Ikeja area of Lagos for an event tagged Valentine’s Day Hangout to meet the philanthropist.

Source: LegitNews

 

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Meet Two Amazing Women Empowering Other Women Into Nigerian Politics

Abosede George-Ogan and Ibijoke Faborode are two women to be proud of. With their passion for women,they co-founded the ElectHER Initiative to help and encourage women to run for political office in Nigeria.

The initiative was launched in December 2019, in Abuja. With an impressive $10million election campaign fund, it will support up to 1,000 women to run for office in the 2023 elections by involving, encouraging, equipping  women to decide, organize and win elections.

“With women who make up half the Nigerian population, it is surprising to see that there are only 8 female senators out of 109 and only 11 female members of the House of Representatives out of 360, making us the worst report of representation has delivered in Africa, with only 4.1% of our leaders and policy makers being women, stated Ibijoke Faborede.

Abosede George-Ogan says ElectHER seeks to ”engage women, encourage them to decide, equip them to run, enable them to run so we can have more inclusive and sustainable socio-economic growth in Nigeria.”⁣
⁣
Ibijoke Faborode is the Founder of The Social Change Network Africa a non-partisan & non-profit civic catalyst focused on driving sustainable democracy & good governance, gender equity, youth empowerment, & social inclusion through advocacy, dialogues and programmes.⁣
⁣
Abosede George-Ogan is the Founder of Women in Politics a platform that engages, encourages, equips and empowers women in Nigeria to get involved and participate in Politics. She’s also the author of ‘Building a conscious Career’- a book that equips career enthusiasts with necessary knowledge and resources to build a career that not only excites and rewards, but also positively affects the lives of others. ⁣

⁣

 

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71 Year old actress who made soap opera history in the 1970s refuses to retire

Meet Mariann Aalda, who in the early 1980’s made history as one of the first African American actresses to play a professional role as a criminal defense attorney in a major daytime television soap opera. She starred as DiDi Bannister in ABC’s Edge of Night, which at the time was watched by more than 10 million viewers daily. Now at 71-years old, she is still acting… and she’s on a mission to fight ageism and age discrimination.

In her recently released TEDx talk, Ageism Is a Bully…Stand Up to It!, Aalda equates vanquishing ageism with surmounting other forms of discrimination.

Watch Her Powerful TEDx Talk:
https://www.ted.com/talks/mariann_aalda_ageism_is_a_bully_stand_up_to_it

Aalda comments, “Like with racism and sexism, it’s going to take time, effort and a change of consciousness to totally eliminate ageism, but I think Black women are uniquely equipped to handle it because we’ve already learned how to navigate our way around the other two. In all words that end in ‘ism,’ the I-S-M stands for ‘I Subscribe Mentally,’ but we know how to cancel those subscriptions.”

Citing her drive to change the paradigm on women and aging, AARP has recognized Aalda twice as an Age Disruptor, including a 2017 AARP Studios mini-documentary about her reinvention as a standup comic performance artist.

About Marian Aalda

Aside from starring in Edge of Night from 1981 to 1984, her primetime success followed in sitcoms like Designing Women, Family Matters and The Royal Family, and on the big screen as rapper Kid’s clueless mom in the cult comedy, Class Act. But when roles became scarcer as she got older, she redirected her natural actor’s curiosity about human behavior and motivation into becoming a hypnotherapist.

Ironically, the positive suggestions she gave her clients prompted Aalda to return to her roots of live performing to become a positive change agent for older women – particularly women of color — who she saw as getting short shrift in TV and film.

Her life-affirming, solo comedy show, Gettin’ Old Is a B****…But I’m Gonna Wrestle That B**** to the Ground! broke a box-office record at the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival which attracts 60,000 visitors to Winston-Salem, NC, every other year.

Source: BlackNews
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Meet the Woman Taking the Lead to Develop a Vaccine For the Coronavirus

Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, a viral immunologist working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is taking the lead to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Her work began back in January when researchers first learned how infectious and contagious COVID-19 really is. NI team was immediately formed to develop a safe and effective vaccine, and Dr. Corbett is very hands-on as she takes the charge.

According to The New York Times, Corbett and her team are working in Seattle and have already started running the first human trials of the vaccine.

Because the Coronavirus is similar to SARS, the team is currently using the same template for the SARS vaccine but swapping the genetic code to make it more palatable. Dr. Corbett calls the strategy “plug and play.”

Her background as a viral immunologist is very extensive. She has almost 10 years of research experience that entails elucidating mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity as they pertain to vaccine development.

She received a BS in Biological Sciences, with a secondary major in Sociology, in 2008. After one year of post-baccalaureate training at NIH, she enrolled at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), from where she obtained her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in 2014.

Her dissertation research, “Dissecting Human Antibody Responses to Dengue Virus Infection”, garnered her several awards including a Doctoral Merit Award and induction into UNC’s Frank Porter Graham Honor Society. Notably, she also received a travel fellowship to complete part of her dissertation project in Sri Lanka.

Source: Black history
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Anne-Marie Imafidon who bagged master’s in math at 20 from Oxford, passed A-level at 11

Anne-Marie Imafidon, a 29-year-old genius, got admitted for her first degree by University of Oxford at the age of 15 – Before that university admission, she had passed her A-level exams at the age of 11, making the youngest ever to achieve that.

At 20, she bagged a Masters degree in mathematics and computer science from Oxford and worked known organisations like HP and Goldman Sachs Anne-Marie Imafidon is one of the few geniuses Nigeria is blessed with. Born in 1990, she passed her A-level in computing at the age of 11 and became the youngest girl to ever achieve that feat.

At the age of 15, she got in for a degree programme at the University of Oxford. Imafidon currently speaks six languages. Nine years after that, at 20, she obtained her master’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford.

She is currently the co-founder of STEM, a company that has helped more than 40,000 young people across Europe to explore the world of science and the whole tech community. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Bamisope Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, and current masters student at Columbia University School of Law in New York City, has made the nation really proud.

She was awarded a whopping $50,000 scholarship by the global law firm called Baker Mckenzie. It should be noted that Bamisope finished from the Nigerian Law School in 2015. Afterwards, she worked with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project in Lagos where she was the head of a team that traced down a big sum N388.304 billion in London Paris Club Loan refunds.

Source : Legit News

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