Pride Magazine Nigeria (PNG) interviews Rosemary Onyebigwa (RO) the Convener of the Thrive Women Conference. In this interview, she speaks about the conference – its aims and objectives, and what to expect at the inaugural edition.
PNG: Can you kindly tell us about yourself? Who is Rosemary Onyebigwa?
RO: I am a beautifully and wonderfully made womanbeing who has been fortunate to have experienced life in the real sense of the word and like red wine which gets better with time, I have grown mentally, physically and with deeper spiritual roots (note not religious roots) that helps to keep me grounded.
PNG: Can you also tell us about your academic and professional career?
RO: I am a graduate of Economics and Statistics from the University of Benin, a Goldman Sachs Scholar of the Enterprise Development Centre of The Pan Atlantic University, with numerous certifications in Creativity, Innovation and Change, Advanced Leadership, CRM, Public Speaking etc I have over 22 years professional experience cutting across Downstream Oil and Gas, IT, HR, Banking, Merchandizing, Media, and Training and Development. I resigned this year as the Executive Secretary of OTL Africa.
PNG: You are fairly active in the conference speaking circuit; what led you into this area of activity?
RO: My personal experiences over time which aligned with the inherent desire in me to encourage people to become all they are capable of becoming. Also, seeing the best in people, irrespective of what they are currently manifesting; to look beyond the present and foresee what they are capable of becoming. Because sometimes all we need is someone to believe in us to help get us back up and kick-start afresh. One of my favourite mantras is “this too shall pass so stay focused; stay grounded”. It Works in all situations it’s a question of perspective.
PNG: From being a speaker at events you decided to set up your own conference. What informed this decision?
RO: I have always spoken right from my University days. While writing an entrepreneurship column in The Nation Sunday Newspaper titled ‘Success is a Choice” and working as the Director of Strategy and Business Development at Selective Insightz Ltd I initiated a CSR project tagged “Success is a Choice” which has been running since 2008. This project started as workshops and seminars aimed at encouraging unemployed youths who were interested in becoming self-employed, as well as SME’s needing guidance. We engaged competent facilitators who put them through the various practical steps to start their own businesses and improve their chances of surviving the peculiarities of the Nigerian economy. Moving on to conferences was strictly life, guiding me to one of the areas of my core purpose, helping Women help themselves to achieve balance and live richer and more fulfilling lives or simply put, Thrive!
PNG: Your conference is called Thrive Women Conference. What are its aims and objectives? What makes it different from other conferences geared towards women?
RO: Thrive Women Conference is one of the platforms which Thrive Women Solutions uses to accomplish its goals and objectives. Thrive Women Solutions (TWS) is a social enterprise dedicated to helping women empower themselves and others to Thrive and live financially independent and emotionally healthy lives for themselves their families and humanity as a whole. I can’t speak for other conferences but what I know for sure is our vision and mission are clear, to genuinely help women Thrive that’s why we are focusing on 2 key areas of women’s lives; Financial and emotional wellbeing, which will translate to better communities and a better world.
PNG: The inaugural edition is scheduled for November 15, 2018, at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. What can delegates in attendance expect?
RO: Definitely a very insightful, educating and uplifting experience. The Theme for this year’s conference is The Nigerian Woman as an Economic and Socio-Political Powerhouse and is targeted at female entrepreneurs, career women looking at starting a side hustle, and would be entrepreneurs. Our intention is tied to our mission of Financial and Emotional wellbeing of women and as such the opening and closing ceremonies will comprise a raffle draw, lunch, tea break and three sessions covering:
• Entrepreneurship, Finance and Career,
• Self-Discovery and Wellbeing,
• Family Marriage and Parenting
So as you can see, the conference promises to be life-enhancing and our desire is to attract women who are in need of hearing what will be said to better their lives, and the speakers to be inspired with the right message.
PNG: You have a good number of speakers from diverse backgrounds lined up for the event. Do you have any special criteria when choosing your speakers?
RO: Yes we do, we look out for credible women both well-known and otherwise, with lives that can be emulated.
PNG: As you countdown to the maiden edition, what are the challenges you are facing with respect to hosting the conference?
RO: Hahaha, where do I start from? A common challenge is a misconception that we are an NGO, which we are not and trying to explain what a social enterprise is all about. Secondly, the issue of committed staff; you generally get people who are interested but are not committed. It’s a big issue for us as commitment is top on our list of values, finally getting sponsors to support the event.
PNG: How do you see the conference evolving over the next five years?
RO: We intend using technology to better reach more women to achieve our mission, so in five years our goal is to have a 15% active penetration reach and influence, across all 6 Geopolitical Zones. Bear in mind that the annual conference is just one part of a 5 part equation of Thrive Women Solutions platform which consists of monthly seminars, workshops and webinars. These equate over time to more women leading financially independent and emotionally healthy lives.
So, we have a 100-year-goal since what we aspire to collectively achieve is immense and because a lot of the issues are social issues stemming fundamentally from our cultural beliefs. We also understand that time is needed for reorienting ourselves and growing into the new mindset that creates an enabling environment to Thrive for the overall good of all women, the nation and humanity as a whole.
PNG: Thank you for granting us this interview and best wishes for your upcoming conference.
RO: You are most welcome and I sincerely thank you for this opportunity and your goodwill.