Bella Disu: The Midas at Globacom

In a culture where women are edged out in preference for men, Mrs Bella Disu has proved that she is more than a match for any man. Focused and determined, strong and disciplined, urbane and acute, confident and convivial, responsible and responsive, Disu has built a reputation for herself as a go-getter who consistently exceeds expectations. With giant strides which have left many gasping for breath in their bid to catch up with her, Disu has demonstrated that the only force that can hinder her from accomplishing her goals is none other than herself, the limitations she permits or the stereotype she allows to confine her. So, she has given herself wholly to her task, continuously pushing the envelope to consistently provide incontestable leadership to her colleagues and unending satisfaction to her customers. Thus, she has been able to steer Globacom on the path of sustained growth by placing premium on quality, creativity, efficiency, innovation and customer satisfaction.

Recently at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, Bella Disu proved that her position as the Executive Vice Chairman at Globacom, one of the leading telecommunication companies in Nigeria, was not gifted to her because she is an Adenuga, but earned through a dint of industry and creativity. In her keynote address at the Women in Business Initiative, she spoke about the importance of a strong support network. According to her, “Leaders are not independent actors; you’re shaped by your constituents.” Consequently, she encouraged leaders, and women especially, to build a strong network that will count for them when the need arises.

She asked women to be disciplined, embrace their individuality and focused on their goals to achieve success. According to her, “There are no two ways about it, women must continue to advance. After all, we make up more than half of the world’s population. My charge to women is to keep climbing the career ladder. Climb it anxious. Climb it confidently. But just keep climbing. And when you get to the top, because you will, give a helping hand to the women coming behind you, this is how we grow!”

Disu said it was not wrong for women to rely on the quota system for career progression. She said, “It is one of the ways to go if women must advance.” She, however, added that the quota beneficiaries must possess the required credentials for the appointment.

To give the address authenticity, she shared the story of her rise in Globacom, the company owned by her father, Dr Michael Adenuga, where she started her career at the young age of 18 in 2004. She said, like every other person in the organization, she had to work hard for every promotion she earned over the years. She said in spite of being an Adenuga, she had to contend with gender and age bias. According to her, “The assumption (is) that I had an easy ride because I was working in a company founded by my father. The truth is the exact opposite – he pushed me and gave me rigorous tutelage.”

Being a great networker, she used the opportunity of the Forum to hold business meetings with the President of the Forum, Mr. Amir Ben Yahmed, and Managing Director of Relais Consulting, Mr. Jean Haas.

• Itigidi talent hunt fiesta to promote youths, tourism potentials — FG

At the opening ceremony, Disu was on the same row with the President of Ethiopia, His Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde; President of Togo, His Excellency Faure Gnassingbé; President of the Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; President of Rwanda, His Excellency Paul Kagame and President of Democratic Republic of Congo, His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi.

One of the factors that helped Disu at the beginning of her career was the message that her father had etched in her mind as well as her siblings’ that they had to strive to earn their own place in life, adding that if they solely relied on being silver spoon kids to seek relevance, they would be mere onlookers on the journey of life, and would be unable to effect any positive change.  Another factor that helped her was working directly under her father. This provided her the opportunity of being trained by the man who is regarded in business circles as “The Bull”, because of his grit. Adenuga never retreats from a fight; he gives it all it takes till he gets what he wants. Her father’s training stressed and stretched her, but she neither balked nor snapped, she came out of the training strong, seasoned and hungry to take on the world. So, she didn’t approach her duty with the mentality of a privileged Adenuga’s offspring who must be served, but rather with the mindset of a football player who must fight to be listed among the first eleven in her team. She knew that to earn the respect of her colleagues and the confidence of her dad, she had to prove her mettle. Like other employees, she had to justify her retention on the job by being productive, earn her wage by meeting targets, and be considered for elevation by exceeding expectations. With that disposition, she worked extra hard to break the glass ceiling in Globacom. So, it was not a surprise to many industry observers that she was appointed the Executive Vice Chairman of the company in January this year.

Bella Disu, who regularly interacts with global business players, led the Globacom team to the 2019 Choose France International Business Summit held at the Chateau de Versailles in January this year. At the event which had in attendance the President of France, Emmanuel Macron; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group and Mr Tony Elumelu, Chairman of UBA Plc, she announced a deal with Nokia Alcatel-Lucent, a global telecom equipment manufacturing company, to supply, install, and integrate a new Sure Pay Intelligent Network platform which is meant to significantly improve Globacom subscribers’ experience. She also presented a P.O. to Vocalcom Technology, another French company, to enhance Globacom’s Interactive Voice Response and Contact Centre Solutions.

Speaking on the rationale behind the deals, she said, “These agreements are geared towards ensuring that Globacom continues to provide first-rate telecommunications services in the countries where we operate.”

Bella Disu with her comportment and achievement keeps demonstrating her desire to make Globacom the numero uno in the nation’s telecommunication industry. She has repeatedly proved that Globacom will be a safe business entity in her hands.

Disu started life early; by the age of 14, she had been enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she later bagged a degree in Political Science and International Relations. On completion of her undergraduate studies, she returned to Nigeria and joined Globacom as a Sales Executive. She has served in various departments of the company, this has enabled her to have firsthand knowledge of not just the company, but the telecommunications industry as a whole. So, she is familiar with the industry’s challenges as well as its prospects. She doubles as the CEO of Cobblestone Properties and Estates Limited, a burgeoning property development outfit, which has an array of first rate residential and commercial properties in its portfolio. She is also a non-executive director at Julius Berger Plc.

Mrs Disu, who describes herself as an arts enthusiast, is married to Jameel Disu. The union is blessed with two children.