My WIMBIZ Story by Foluso Gbadamosi

My name is Foluso Gbadamosi and I absolutely love WIMBIZ. My most impactful experience with WIMBIZ was in 2015 when I took the Women on Boards program that lasted for 3 months in collaboration with the IE Business School, Madrid. I had recently been appointed to the Board of Industrial & General Insurance Company and heard about this leadership development course specifically tailored for women like myself. The course balanced all aspects of being a board member including skills like personal-branding and communication skills. It fit very well into my schedule because it was a mixture of online and face-to-face classes both in Lagos and Madrid. After taking that course, I got more involved with WIMBIZ, becoming an Associate member. I have since taken more courses and attended several events.

WIMBIZ has impacted several aspects of my professional life. Outside of my 9-5 job, I juggle several other passions that WIMBIZ has helped me realize and improve upon. I co-founded and sit on the board of a technology company called 8191 Solutions which caters to SMEs, a passion brought alive through some of my WIMBIZ interactions. I also co-founded a non-profit organization called Serving with Love, which has been in existence for about 3 years and has now been properly structured, also motivated by my WIMBIZ interactions. Finally, managing all the several hats I wear has been made easier due to learning from several WIMBIZ mentors. 

Being a part of such an amazing organization with so many excellent resources has been of great benefit to me. I have been inspired to be my best self, improving my skills through the training I have received. I have also learnt that I am an ambassador not just for myself but for other women as well. I have had the opportunity to network and meet with many amazing women who have become a part of my daily life.

WIMBIZ Founding Trustee, Dr. Omobola Johnson bags Guiness Nigeria Board Appointment.

We are beyond proud of Dr. Johnson and all her accomplishments and this is further proof that there is space for more women at the top and we will not stop advocating for women to be appointed to Boards. The advantages of having a diverse Board is well encapsulated in the Forward to The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2011 written by WEF Founder, Klaus Schwab and its Senior Director, Sandra Zahdi, when they wrote that:

‘Over time, a nation’s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it utilizes its human resource pool. Furthermore, innovation requires unique ideas, and the best ideas thrive in a diverse environment…Countries and companies will thrive if women are educated and engaged as fundamental pillars in the economy, and diverse leadership is most likely to find innovative solutions to tackle the current economic challenges and to build equitable and sustainable growth’

WIMBIZ is concerned about the gross under-representation of women on corporate Boards as revealed by the results of the census we conducted on gender representation on the Boards of companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, as well as 20 non-quoted but high revenue private limited liability companies. To that end, 3 (three) platforms of engagement of more women to participate in decision-making within the socio-economic space available through serving on corporate and non-corporate Boards have been created under WIMBoard and these are:

• The WIMBoard Institute: This platform provides training, education and opportunities for prospective and serving Board members. You are strongly advised to enroll. Click here to download application forms.
• WIMBIZ Executive Mentoring Program: This is an effective and inexpensive means of preparing potential and serving Board members for full participation in the work of the board.
•  WIMBIZ Executive Database: This is a resource pool containing details of women who are interested, competent and qualified to serve on Boards of corporate bodies, whether private or public.

The WIMBIZ Executive Database intends to present to the corporate world and Nigerian government, both at federal and state levels, a resource pool of women who are interested, competent and qualified to serve on Boards, whether private or state owned even as WIMBIZ acknowledges that there are many remarkable women throughout Nigeria both within and outside the corporate mainstream who only need to be discovered, engaged, prepared and encouraged to serve on Boards. It is hoped that companies would take advantage of this resource pool to fill existing or future Board positions.

For more information on the course content and to download the brochure click here for Lagos Business School and click here for IE Business School.

For additional information on the Women on Board Development Training, kindly call Ayomide on +234(0)806 6148885 or send an email to ayomide@wimbiz.org.