Awosika seeks courage for women in business roles

Awosika seeks courage for women in business roles

                 Mrs Ibukun Awosika

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Chair Centre Group, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, has said women are the community of business change markers, hence, they need to exhibit courage, and trust to stay in business.

She disclosed this yesterday at the Women in Business breakfast meeting, as part of events organised for the French Week 2022 of the Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) in Lagos.

Awosika who is the former chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, said women have more courage than they realize, adding that it takes courage to go through childbirth and not give up during the first child.

She challenged women to build the right infrastructure for economic and societal growth. She said: “To change our country, society and change the companies and organisations where we find ourselves, we need courage and trust. To create the real change that we desire in our community, we need that courage that women do for ordinary things.

“It cannot be a few of us, it has got to be all of us; when it is all of us working together to create that change, we are stronger and more powerful and able to save our companies and our countries for whatever happens,” she said.

Managing Director, SPIE Oil and Gas, Guillaume Niarfeix, said diversity will create more creativity, value and performance, which is what most private organizations want. “We must ensure gender diversity is being created in our offices.”

Partner, Mazars Nigeria, Elizabeth Orluike, said as women, there is need to be aware of their biases, stating that when women are aware, they will be able to fight the right course.

Orluike said: “We recognize that diversity is key, we are able to capture a shore of the market when we diversify, we are able to cut across impact and metrics for both input and output.”

She said organisations need to set up diversity missions to attract the right skills. The recruitment process and training process must be of international best practices.

Founder, Africa Women CEOs Network, Dr Anino Emuwa, said there is a need to have women at the top of organization management.

Emuwa said there are a contingent of women heading important institutions, stating that she believes in using women to do business within Nigeria and France.