Women of Rubies, Author at Women of Rubies

In self development July 12, 2018 By Women of Rubies

REVLON NAMES DEBRA PARLEMAN ITS FIRST FEMALE CEO IN ITS 86-YEAR HISTORY

Debra Perelman has been appointed the first female Chief Executive Officer of Revlon, a company that’s majority owned by her billionaire father, Ronald Perelman.
“It’s a good time for the company to be led by a woman,” she said in a statement to CNNMoney. “This is another first for the company and I’m honored and humbled.”

Perelman, 44, takes the helm as CEO and president of Revlon just months after she was appointed Chief Operating Officer in January. She has worked at Revlon for 20 years.

A spokesperson for Revlon (REV) said nepotism was not a factor in her ascension to CEO.

“She’s qualified,” said the spokesperson. “I also think she got that benefit, that she did learn from [her father]. He’s been a mentor to her and he respects her.” Ronald Perelman purchased Revlon in 1985 through his investment firm MacAndrews & Forbes, which now owns about 87% of Revlon. Revlon’s brands include the cosmetics line Elizabeth Arden.

Revlon has been struggling financially. The company reported a loss in its most recent quarter, and sales were down compared to a year earlier.
Debra Perelman started working at Revlon in 1998 and became a member of the Revlon board in 2015. She has also worked for Revlon as executive vice president and head of new business development for its holding company, MacAndrews & Forbes.

Women are underrepresented in the top levels of corporate management. The Fortune 500 only has 24 women CEOs in its ranks, like Mary Barra of General Motors (GM) and Indri Nooyi of PepsiCo (PEP). Revlon is not in the Fortune 500.
A CNNMoney analysis showed that women hold only 5% of the CEO jobs in the S&P 500.

Women are also underrepresented in the beauty industry’s top leadership. The Estée Lauder Companies (EL) and L’Oréal, two of the largest beauty companies, are led by men.

In lifestyle July 11, 2018 By Women of Rubies

KYLIE JENNER COVERS LATEST ISSUE OF FORBES, SET TO BECOME THE YOUNGEST SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE

The 20-year old beauty entrepreneur and reality TV star is on the cover of Forbes Magazine‘s August 2018 issue as the magazine focuses on the 60 richest, most successful women entrepreneurs in America.
The combined net worth of the top 60 self-made women is now a record $71 billion, 15% more than in 2017. These women make their money in everything from fashion and retail to biotech to trucking to venture capital.
Kylie Jenner is the youngest on the list as well as a newcomer.
According to Forbes, Kylie is currently worth an estimated $900million thanks to her cosmetics line, an empire she has built in just three short years.
Forbes says:
What her half-sister Kim Kardashian West did for booty, Jenner has done for full lips. Like Kardashian West, she has leveraged her assets to gain both fame and money. But while her sister is best-known for the former, Jenner has proved adept at the latter. In historic fashion.
Just 20 when this story publishes (she’ll turn 21 in August) and an extremely young mother (she had baby daughter Stormi in February), Jenner runs one of the hottest makeup companies ever. Kylie Cosmetics launched two years ago with a $29 “lip kit” consisting of a matching set of lipstick and lip liner and has sold more than $630 million worth of makeup since, including an estimated $330 million in 2017. Even using a conservative multiple, and applying our standard 20% discount, Forbes values her company, which has since added other cosmetics like eye shadow and concealer, at nearly $800 million. Jenner owns 100% of it.

Add to that the millions she’s earned from TV programs and endorsing products like Puma shoes and PacSun clothing, and $60 million in estimated after-tax dividends she’s taken from her company, and she’s conservatively worth $900 million, which along with her age makes her the youngest person on the fourth annual ranking of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. (We estimate that 37-year-old Kardashian West, for comparison, is worth $350 million.) But she’s not just making history as a woman. Another year of growth will make her the youngest self-made billionaire ever, male or female, trumping Mark Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire at age 23. (Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel also became a billionaire in his early 20s, though it’s less clear when he passed that threshold.)

In self development July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

TARA DUROTOYE IS THE YOUNGEST FEMALE NIGERIAN MEMBER OF THE FRENCH NIGERIAN BUSINESS CLUB

The Club was inaugurated in Nigeria by the French President, Emmanuel Macaron during his visit to the country with the aim of fostering more business between Nigeria and France.

Tara is the youngest female Nigerian to be a member of this club which has 30 members; 15 Nigerians and 15 French members.

See her IG post below:

See her post below:

In Interviews&profile July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MEET 19-YEAR-OLD JOY UDO-GABRIEL, THE FASTEST GIRL IN WEST AFRICA

According to Making of Champions, Udo-Gabriel won the 100 and 200 metres titles at the recently concluded ECOWAS Under-20 Athletics Championships in Cape Coast, Ghana. During the race, the 19-year-old held her ground against one of West Africa’s fiercest competitors, Halutie Hor from Ghana.

Making of Champions@MakingOfChamps

The fastest girl in all of West Africa.

What. A. Year Joy Udo-Gabriel is having. #MakingOfChamps #mondaymotivation

12:37 PM – Jun 25, 2018

In April, she made her first outing for Nigeria at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and won a bronze medal with her teammates in the women’s 4×100 metres final.

Last month, she qualified for the ECOWAS championships after winning the women’s 100 metres final at the National Under-20 and Under-18 Trials. She recorded the overall fastest time on Day 1 of the trials.

Source: konbini.com

In Career Gems July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

GREENHOUSE CAPITAL OPENS APPLICATION FOR FEMALE TECH PROGRAMME

GreenHouse Capital opens application for female tech programme

The Venture Garden Group, GreenHouse Capital, has opened 2018 application for the first-female-focused tech accelerator program in Nigeria. The three-month accelerator programme begins mid-August and will run through mid-November.
According to the Director of GreenHouse Lab, Tosin Durotoye: “To tap into the vast brainpower and opportunity for innovation necessary to propel Nigeria and Africa as a whole forward, our mission at GreenHouse Lab is to level the playing field by providing early‑stage, women-led, high‑ growth technology start‑ups with investments and support infrastructure within the range of 250, 000 USD.
“We also provide exceptional teams with the resources and mentorship network they need to drive growth and scale their companies both in emerging and international markets.”
Durotoye noted that the program is residential and will be hosted at Vibranium Valley tech campus in Lagos. The accelerator ends with a demo day where companies get to pitch their businesses to a wider network of local and international investors.
In a research conducted by Disrupt Africa, $195.1 million in venture capital funding was invested in African start‑ups compared to $129.1million in 2016, an increase of 51 per cent. With $63.3 million in startup investments in 2017, Nigeria was the top investment destination in Africa followed by South Africa and Kenya. As Nigeria continues to emerge as a technology hub, one thing is clear, women are missing on the playing field.
The research further revealed that of the 25 per cent of women in tech, only 21 per cent are tech executives and of these, only 11 per cent are African technology officers. Currently, more than half of global executives report a shortfall of tech workers, which slows or prevents businesses from growing.
“In addition to being under-represented in the tech space, women are also severely under-funded. In 2017, women-led start-ups received just 2.2 per cent of all available venture capital dollars although women-led startups have been found to produce over 30 per cent higher return on equity.”
The first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, GreenHouse Lab is a three-month accelerator focused solely on early stage, women-led technology start-ups in sub‑Saharan Africa, as well as African-run startups domiciled in the US or UK with products that are scalable in African markets. GreenHouse Capital will also invest a minimum of 100, 000 USD in companies that qualify and reach specific milestones at the end of the program. For additional information, contact GreenHouse Lab at lab@greenhouse.capital or visit www.greenhouse.capital/greenhouselab.

In Uncategorized July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

BETTY IRABOR, IBUKUN AWOSIKA, AISHA AHMED , OTHERS SHARE INSPIRING STORIES AT “TO MY YOUNGER SELF LAUNCH”

It was a mega gathering of prominent business leaders and professionals in the country at the official launch of the book, To My Younger Self, which took place at Rele Gallery in Lagos last weekend.

Compiled by Ronke Onadeko, To My Younger Self is a collection of inspiring stories and letters from 24 outstanding individuals in Nigeria, sharing lessons learnt in their career, family and business journeys.
Talking about the book during the launch, she said, “To My Younger Self features 24 authentic journeys of people who have had very rich experiences. In their letters, they shared the things they wished they had known, things they wished someone had told them, things they had learnt themselves, mistakes they had made and how they overcame the challenges. I’m hoping that this book will help young people, entrepreneurs and people transiting in their careers to gain clarity by learning from the experience of others to save time. Some young people do not have older ones or mentors to put them through and in order to help them not make the mistakes beginners make, this book is imperative as it will serve as a guide and light for them.”
Special guests present at the event include Aishah Ahmad, Gbenga Oyebode, Ibilola Amao, Foluke Abdul-Razaq, Adeola Azeez, Uzo Nwani, Chizor Malize, Foluso Gbadamosi, Chinwe Egwim, and other contributors who read portions of their letters to their younger selves to the audience.

To My Younger Self contains letters from Aishah Ahmad, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank on Nigeria; Nike Ogunlesi, Founder of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble; Betty Irabor, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Genevieve Magazine; Ndidi Nwuneli, Founder of LEAP Africa; John Obaro, CEO of Systemspecs; Kunle Elebute, Country Managing Partner of KPMG; Akin Akinfenwa, CEO Forte Oil and many others.

“The reason why this book is important is because we want to get it into the hands of 10,000 young people before the end of the year and I want this book to mentor and guide them. I want people who read this book to understand that there is a need for a strategic, informed and intentional way to grow themselves and their businesses and to plan their lives and careers,” Onadeko added. Copies of To My Younger Self can be purchased from Laterna Bookstore. Follow @youngerselfbook on Instagram and Twitter and the hashtag #ToMyYoungerSelf for updates.

In self development July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

OMILOLA OSHIKOYA: DEAR HILLARY CLINTON…

Dear Hilary Clinton,
You are a woman who has inspired so many women all over the world. You ran for the highest office in one of the most prosperous countries in the world. My generation would say you are goals on every level. For me, there was something you did that blew my mind which is the focus of my letter, but I will speak about it later. I must say that one of the things I respect about you is the fact that you stood by your husband during what must have been the toughest time for the two of you. I can’t even imagine the pressure and public scrutiny that you would have endured. Why this is profound for me is that my one of a kind husband too stood by me during one of the most difficult times of our life. I faced temptation for three years and fell and we dealt with it privately, but when we published our book, The Richer Woman, we had to face public scrutiny. Thank you for standing by Him. Many women may have shamed you for standing by him but I’ve come to realize since I launched my book that it’s not just men who cheat or go through temptation; many women face temptations and cheat but the thing is we don’t talk about it.

The reason I write this letter is this: the other day, I saw a screen shot of your Twitter profile on Instagram and I was blown away. I was so impressed that your profile started with WIFE, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER before your other accomplishments. I was so happy when I saw this and planned to talk about how amazing it was on social media. You can imagine my shock when I heard and saw that you had changed it and upon further investigation, I read that you changed it because of an opinion of an activist writer… This may or may not be the case but the point is that you changed it. This time, you listed your career achievements before Wife, mother and grandmother.
Why is this personal to me? Well let me share a part of my story. Due to challenges I faced growing up, I came from a very wealthy home but we went through financial challenges. I decided that I was going to be very wealthy. I did this out of fear. Due to my fear I put my career before my family. My career almost cost me my marriage, family, health etc. But God changed my priorities.

Today, I am still very driven but I am no longer driven by fear but by purpose. I am successful but there is a major mindset shift.
For me, I understand my role in my husband’s life. I’m Christian and my Bible says the reason Woman was created was to be The Man’s helper, so I am aware that the role I play in my husband’s life is pivotal. Bill Clinton would not be who he is today without your support and help. I also realise that the role I play in my kids’ life as their mother is one of the most important roles in my life. I cannot be truly successful if my kids do not reach their potential – and my husband, too.

See, God speaks to me through analogies and when I was writing my book I asked Him what the analogy for a wife is and He said, “Soil”. A seed has so much potential however, no matter how much potential a seed has, it cannot grow to become the plant or tree it was created to be if it doesn’t go into the right soil. The soil provides nutrients and water for the seed. It nurtures it and holds its roots down so it’s able to withstand storms, etc. The man is a seed in this analogy and no matter how much vision or potential he has, he cannot achieve it without the right soil – i.e. his wife. You were clearly good soil to your husband and even when he made a mistake you provided the support he needed. So whether or not he included “husband” on his Twitter profile, He couldn’t have been President without you. Being his wife is a great achievement. If women know how powerful we are we wouldn’t compete with men.
Your daughter Chelsea is doing well and may even become the first female President of America. Without you nurturing her she wouldn’t be the woman she is today. So you see your greatest accomplishments are being a wife to your husband and a mother to your children.
No matter how many awards I win or ceilings I shatter (trust me I’ve won some and will win even more), I cannot be said to be truly successful if I don’t fulfill my role as my husband’s helper by helping him achieve his vision and if my children are not successful.

Some people may say but is this an excuse for men who are lazy or don’t have vision, so let us go back to the analogy of the seed and soil:
A seed is made up of three parts and the biggest part is the endosperm. This is its own internal food storage. The seed feeds on its own internal food storage before it receives nutrients from the soil. So a man must have vision and must also have a plan for achieving his vision. However, he can’t do so without the right soil, i.e., his wife.

Let’s talk about feminism.
Feminism, according to the dictionary, is defined as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.”
I agree with this definition. Contrary to what a lot of people think, feminism was actually God’s idea. However, where the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. The whole point of feminism was for women to understand that they are equal to men. Yes, we are equal in God’s eyes. Women should not be oppressed or taken advantage of. Women should not be paid less because of their sex. Women should not be perceived to be the weaker sex because though we may be perceived to be weaker in physical strength, we are stronger in emotional strength. I dare say that no man can bear the pains of child birth.
In my time in investment banking, I was treated equally as my male colleagues. My value was determined by the value I brought to the table and not my sex.

I believe God is an advocate of the true meaning of feminism because He wants His daughters to know how He sees them. He is not happy that His daughters have been oppressed over the years by tradition and culture. God has a special place for women. Even when you look at the Bible you see strong women like Deborah who was a judge and a prophet, you see Queen Esther. Even in the New Testament, women funded Jesus’ ministry; He was surrounded by successful women.
Now when it comes to the marriage union, we are equal in God’s eyes however, in terms of responsibilities, my Bible says my husband is the head. This is perfectly fine with me. It’s like in a company: employees have different responsibilities. There is a CEO, COO, CFO, etc.
My husband and I were talking the other day and He raised a valid point, He said the Bible doesn’t say women should submit to men, it only says women should submit to their husbands while the husbands are to submit to Christ. I love it. This is where the world has twisted things. Women should not submit to men, they are only required to submit to their husbands according to the Bible.

See, the true meaning of feminism has been perverted. It is not about putting men down or saying we are better than them. That’s not the purpose of feminism. Unfortunately, many feminists today put men down and this is not good. Women are becoming like the men that they once complained of.

I was on the plane to Paris for my book tour when I started writing this and I’m on my way back as I complete this letter. My husband is a successful aviation lawyer and he is helping me take care of the home front while I’m away. When I get back I’ll resume my responsibilities. Last year, I travelled to so many countries and he stood in for me. We are a team. We are on the same team. We have our different responsibilities and we help each other and step in for each other.
Feminism is ALSO NOT about looking down, criticising or verbally abusing other women who choose to put their families first. It is about ensuring we are equal and access equal rights.

See, God has a unique purpose for every woman. Some are meant to be Presidents, some chief executives, some professionals, some stay-home wives, some full-time mothers. A woman should have the right to choose what she wants or who she wants to be and not be forced to be someone-else. That’s what true feminism is about. Feminism has been perverted and it is now at another extreme where the women who choose a certain path for their lives are shamed and abused by other women. Every woman – regardless of what she wants to be or chooses to be (the key word is choose not forced) – is valued and valuable to society.
As I conclude this letter I would like to let you know that your initial Twitter profile spoke to and for millions of women who society and, in fact, other women, have condemned for being true to who they choose to be. I’m not talking about women who are forced to stay at home or not allowed to work, but to women who choose to put their family first – regardless of whether they are top corporate- or business executives or a stay-home mothers or wives.

Feminism is about ensuring that women have equal rights and this covers all women – even stay home mums.

Whilst I wish this letter will make you change your twitter profile again, even if it doesn’t, what I hope this letter does is to encourage women all over the world to be true to who God has called them to be. We are powerful and we must not abuse our power but use it for what it was given to us for.

Thank you, Hilary Clinton, for being a source of inspiration to so many women and girls around the world and giving us hope that our dreams are valid – whether it is to be a wife, mother or president of a country. You have inspired this young woman from Lagos, Nigeria.

About Omilola Oshikoya
Mrs. Omilola Oshikoya is a UK certified life coach, personal finance/business coach, talk show host, author, public speaker, columnist, blogger, entrepreneur and media & publications specialist. After over 11 years in finance/investment banking, Omilola left a very successful career in pursuit of fulfillment.
Twitter @omilola & @pocketfinance
Instagram @omiosh20
Facebook www.facebook.com/omilola.oshikoya
Youtube www.youtube.com/omilolaoshikoya.
www.omilola.com
www.pocketfinance101@blogspot.com
www.omioshikoya.blog

In Career Gems July 10, 2018 By Women of Rubies

“DO NOT LET FEAR STOP YOUR DREAMS” – PEACE HYDE SPEAKS AT THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL

British Ghanaian Media personality, Peace Hyde over the weekend inspired a room of young female entrepreneurs at the annual Essence Festival held in New Orleans Louisiana.

The inspirational founder of education non-profit Aim Higher Africa joined the group of millennial businesswomen including entrepreneur and TV personality Vanessa Simmons, entrepreneur and author Karen Civil, founder and CEO of curlBOX, Myleik Teele and artist, author and entrepreneur MC Lyte.

In Career Gems July 9, 2018 By Women of Rubies

TIWA SAVAGE, NAOMI CAMPBELL ATTEND ‘GLOBAL CITIZEN FESTIVAL MANDELA 100’ PRESS CONFERENCE

To announce the star-studded lineup as well as other details about the upcoming Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 event, a press conference was held today at Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The press conference was attended by Tiwa Savage, Naomi Campbell, Sho Madjozi, Precious Moloi Motsepe, Kweku Mandela as well as Minister of Energy for South Africa Jeff Radebe, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Citizen Hugh Evans and more.

See photos from the press conference below.

Source: Bellanaija

In Interviews&profile July 9, 2018 By Women of Rubies

“I DIDN’T PLAN TO BECOME A FEMINIST ICON”, CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE BARES IT ALL IN RECENT INTERVIEW

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in an interview with VULTURE in New York, gave a detailed perspective into a lot of issues going on in today’s world. The author opened up on rape, raising children, Melania Trump, empathy and a lot of other topics.

Read excerpts below.

On wanting to tell the truth: I want to tell the truth. That’s where my storytelling comes from. My feminism comes from somewhere else: acute dissatisfaction. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to tell stories. Sadly, I also don’t remember a time when I wasn’t telling people what I think about the world.

On thoughts about raising a boy: If I had a boy, one of the things I would do is not just say it’s okay to be vulnerable, but also to expect him to respect vulnerability. Actually, shaming him into vulnerability is a good idea, because there’s so much about the way that masculinity is constructed that’s about shame. What if we switch that shame around? Instead of shaming boys for being vulnerable, why don’t we shame them for not being vulnerable? I kind of feel — I was going to say I feel sorry for men, but I don’t want to say that.

On #MeToo changing gender and power dynamics in meaningful ways: I hope it does, but it hasn’t. What I like about #MeToo is the idea that now women’s stories have the possibility of being believed, which is almost revolutionary. Now a woman can tell her story and she might still get castigated, but there’s the possibility that she gets public support and that there are consequences for whoever harassed or assaulted her. That’s not happened before. But the shape of the narratives around #MeToo can still be troubling. It’s the idea that a woman doesn’t deserve sympathy unless she’s “good.” I’m sorry to get into race, but it’s similar to what happens with black men, where in this country it seems that they are not deserving of sympathy unless they are pure. If a young boy is murdered because he was going off to buy Skittles but we learn that he smoked marijuana, then that somehow makes him not deserving of sympathy. He shouldn’t have to be perfect to deserve sympathy and that applies to women as well. And, also, the way women are cast as innocent or blameless or helpless undercuts the idea of female agency. Often we’ll say things like, “She was coerced into going to the guy’s apartment.”

On raising her daughter: I wrote that [Dear Ijeawele] when I wasn’t a mother and it’s easier to write about a hypothetical child than to write about a real one. The child that book was addressed to is sort of an idea of a child. But having my own — you don’t realize how difficult it is day-to-day to combat negative ideas. Sometimes when you’re raising a child it’s like the universe is in a conspiracy against you. You go to the toy store looking for something not necessarily “girly” and you’re overwhelmed by the pink and the dolls. Even the prayers my daughter got from family members: They’re like, “We hope she finds a good husband.” I’m optimistic that those kinds of things will change but I think about how women are socialized — even the most resistant women still get things under our skin.

On male and female literary differences: There are many things that a famous male writer can do without worrying about the risk of not being taken seriously — if you’re interested in fashion, for example. Very often women writers have to tread much more carefully because their grip on being considered as serious — which has nothing to do with how the world is — is more tenuous. When a woman says something controversial, she’s much more likely to be criticized about her personality and even about how she looks. Not that men don’t get that, but women get it more quickly and more often. And to be specific to writing, a man can write about a subject like marriage and immediately it can be seen as an insightful take on society. But a woman writes about marriage and it’s seen as this smaller, more intimate thing. We’ve gone past the point where women are directly criticized for their subject matter, but the language used about their writing hasn’t really changed. When men and women write about similar things, what the women write is often cast in less lofty terms.

On her short story about Melania Trump: There’s a sense in which her characterization in the story still holds true for me. There’s something I feel about her and it lives in the same emotional space as compassion and pity — and that feeling has increased. Actually, when I wrote that story I thought it was about Trump’s daughter [Ivanka]. I saw the story as making a case for how he [President Trump] is unstable but is surrounded by people who are stable and reasonable, such as his daughter and his wife. There was also a very feminist take to the story’s premise, which was that the women around him know what they’re dealing with. There’s a kind of knowingness in dealing with somebody they care about but understand is crazy. I’ve since changed my mind about his daughter.
On Melania Trump: I look at pictures of her and I see great sadness. I don’t want anyone to be sad, but the idea that she might be sad about her situation is almost comforting because it reminds you that there’s still some sort of humane presence in the private space of the White House.

On being seen as a “feminist icon”: When I started, all I wanted was to write books that somebody would read. I didn’t plan to become this “feminist icon, which is something I feel uncomfortable with. People say, “This is what you’re known for.” But that’s not what I know myself for.

On motherhood and her art: I used to think I wouldn’t be a good mother because I was so dedicated to my art. I said to myself, I have nephews and nieces who I adore, and I helped raise them, so those will be my children. That’s what I thought for a long time, because I felt that I couldn’t be true to both my art and my child. Getting older [changed that]. I like to joke and say that you’re ready [to have a child] when your body isn’t ready, and when your body is ready, you’re not mentally ready. I guess you have the best eggs when you’re, like, 22, but at 22 you don’t even know yourself. Then when you’re 38 and know yourself, your eggs are not the best quality. Anyway, we’ll talk about eggs another time. But my baby happened, and it’s important to talk honestly about this, because having her changed a lot. Having a child gets in the way of writing. It does. You can’t own your time the way you used to. But the other thing that motherhood does — and I kind of feel sorry for men that they can’t have this — is open up a new emotional plane that can feed your art.

Source: http://www.vulture.com/2018/07/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-in-conversation.html

Women of Rubies