Our Man Crush Monday is the creative entrepreneur Ayodele Martins Abiwo, the co-founder of PalMar Tech. Established in 2015, the company provides creative design, image manipulation, photography, motion graphics and video edit, website design and 3D modelling services.
Ayodele constantly seeks knowledge, which he infuses into his creative conceptions. He graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife with a bachelor’s degree in social studies education, and soon afterwards enrolled in Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC) and obtained a certificate in Entrepreneur & Employability Skills, Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. In 2015, he undertook his national service in Katsina state, and received an award in recognition of his exemplary service to the community.
By 2016 he was back to learning, obtaining a Diploma in Graphic Design from SIIT Global India, and in 2019 a Diploma in Advertising & Brand Communications (Art Direction/ Marketing Strategy from the O2 Academy, Lagos. He has more certifications to his name: Marketing to Millennials; Member Interactive Design Foundation; Marketing Communications; Marketing Foundations: Social Media; Write Marketing Copy; and Alison Inbound Certification (Inbound Marketing Methodology). Ayodele is currently finishing up an MBA at the University of Lagos.
Ayodele also nurtures the next generation of creatives. He and his co-founder Paul Onose began a programme in 2017 that teaches teenagers technological tools and assets that are foundational for a career in technology and creative design. He also participates in conferences where he speaks to students and young graduates on entrepreneurship and having the right brand for success.
He is also the Creative Specialist for Promasidor Nigeria, makers of Cowbell milk and other dairy brands, and leads the creative work that accentuates its brands. For his work, he was awarded the Most Outstanding Employee for Consumer Marketing Department in 2019.
Ayodele believes that it is not just him that deserves the accolades – in his words, “the best ideas come from a circle of teams.”