12 Nigerian women win The Branded Woman Awards 2021

Women empowerment in the corporate and social world is increasingly gaining attention. According to the United Nations (UN) Women, empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies and to improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities.

Since the private sector is a key partner in efforts to empower women—because when more women work, economies grow—one of Nigeria’s leading women in the branding industry, Omobabinrin Adeola Osideko, has taken it upon herself to institute The Branded Woman (TBW) Awards, an annual set of awards that recognise and celebrate Nigerian women in the corporate and social spaces.

Founded in 2020, the TBW awards are awarded every 8th of March (on the International Women’s Day), and they are administered by My Branding Academy (MBA) under the leadership of Osideko, who is the Executive Director of the academy.

“Over the years, the efforts of women are being undermined or not celebrated enough for their great contributions toward nation building and development, because the society thinks great things can only come from a specific gender,” Osideko lamented. “The Branded Woman Awards are a leveller that celebrates all women doing well in their various fields, regardless of their status or calibre.”

The Awards are in 12 categories, and the winners in each of the categories are introduced below.

The Dedicated Women Empowerment Advocate award went to Seun Ogundipe. Ogundipe is an accountant, the CEO of Exclusive Surprises and Events, and the convener of Hadassah’s Mandate Group for women.

The Amazing Woman (SM) award was awarded to Taiwo Bankole. Bankole is a single mother of two children, a certified coach and an author of four books. She is the founder of ShEmboldens Hub, a community of women committed to helping one another grow.

The Superb Parenting Coach award was conferred on Bukola Lameed. Lameed, ‘The Therapy Queen’, is a family and child mental health coach. She is the founder Safety Republic International, an organisation that provides relatable solutions to preserve the mental and emotional wellness of individuals, families and corporate organisations.

The Strong Widow award went to Oluwaseun Okeowo. Okeowo is a widow and a mother of two children. She specialises in sales and training of people on multipurpose liquid soap. Her hobby is cooking and family.

The Gorgeous Fashionista award was awarded to Morenike Ogunnowo. Ogunnowo is a financial and management accountant. An entrepreneur that understands how to harmonise the impact of business for optimal efficiency, she owns a fashion business called RennyHouse.

The Industrious Businesswoman award was conferred on Queen Ibitoye. Ibitoye is a counsellor, business coach, sales expert, author and entrepreneur. She helps people start/scale up their businesses and increase sales online.

The Phenomenal Woman in Leadership award went to Victoria Nnadi. Nnadi is a 20-years-old writing coach, editor, award-winning content creator, personal development strategist, and smartphone graphics designer.

The Amazing Marriage/Relationship Coach award was awarded to Oluwakemi Victoria Pele. Pele is a marriage/relationship coach, advocate for women development, public speaker, and writer. She is the founder of Better Eves Initiative and the Dean of Studies and Corporate Training at Relating Right Academy.

The Fantastic Female Advocate (Women and Girl Child) award was conferred on Victoria Eegunranti. Eegunranti is a mechatronics engineering student of FUOYE and also a writer. She is a female advocate, and one of the co-founders of Upskill Writing.

The Amazing Single Lady award went to Hope Aigbefo. Aigbefo is a certified educator, school administrator, and TEDx trained speaker. She is an advocate for positive and healthy living.

The Ambitious Career Woman award was awarded to Destiny Tega Duke. Duke is a TV/radio presenter, voice-over artist and a self/purpose discovery expert. She helps women discover and unleash their purpose.

The Loving Mother award was conferred on Odewenu Akinsola Islamiyah Olaitan. Olaitan is a proud mother of three children, with one of them living with cerebral palsy. She is a teacher, teachers trainer and special needs advocate.

Some of the women conferred with the awards spoke on what the awards personally meant to them and to women in the corporate and social sectors.

“A woman needs to be loved and appreciated for every effort she puts in her work and career, and that’s what this award means to me,” Queen Ibitoye said. “This is a push for me to do more and for our women to know that they can achieve so much if they believe in themselves.”

“The award is a significant one for me. First, it made me realise that my brand is being noticed by a lot of other brands and it projects me more to other people that I never believed have been noticing me,” Morenike Ogunnowo said. “I saw genuine definition of women supporting women. I was surprised when I realised I was not just being nominated in my category, but have also being voted for by many who saw me listed in the form. Thanks to Omobabinrin Adeola Osideko for creating such an awesome platform.”

“This award is highly appreciated, because it brings to the fore that Omobabinrin Adeola Osideko is not afraid to support other women to excel,” Taiwo Bankole said. “It is a pointer to the fact that when women come together, they can attain any height they visualise. Women are powerful and important, and we deserve to be celebrated.”

“This award means a great deal of inspiration and encouragement in bringing out the excellence in me even when I do not feel like I have it,” Seun Ogundipe said. “It is a platform for empowering more women, especially the vulnerable ones, to jump over hurdles in reaching their goals.”

Osideko stated that the awards were instituted to boost women morale and to motivate them to do more. She further stated that women are useful in the society and need to be continuously encouraged to come out of their hiding and take their rightful positions as change agent.

“To train a woman, is to train a nation,” Osideko said. “Every gender is important, but girls/women are more vulnerable and deserve more attention and recognition.”

On the significance of the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) theme to the awards, Osideko noted that the IWD theme for this year was ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’. And that the campaign theme was: #ChooseToChallenge.

She stressed that it is not a crime for women to attain leadership positions in the society and that the essence of the awards is to encourage women to dare to compete with the other gender without being timid. She further stressed that women should not be afraid to challenge the stereotype that: ‘Leadership is not meant for women.’

Osideko finally noted that The Branded Woman Awards also stand with women all over the world in recognising and in challenging the biases and stereotypes affecting women by celebrating women from all walks of life, regardless of their marital or social status.

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