For our Woman Crush Wednesday, we have none other than Azukaego Chukwuelue, who is a woman of many parts. She is an experienced professional with a track record of over 20 years of helping organisations rethink their supply chain structures, proffering solutions and building business systems with a focus on sustainability, profitability and revenue growth. In addition, she has been able to utilize meticulous strategic stakeholder relationship management as well as optimal output across the operations value chain.
She currently works as the Supply Chain Director at Kimberly-Clark Nigeria, where she is responsible for the supply network and operational accountability in line with strategic business goals.
As an erudite scholar, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, and an Executive MBA in from Pan-African University (Lagos Business School) and Nanyang Business School, NTU, Singapore. Her thirst for learning is continuous as she is currently in an advanced management programme at INSEAD`.
Over the course of her 20-year career, which has also seen her work in Cadbury and Pfizer, she has gained visibility, versatility, and depth working across different fields. Her core competencies span business revenue growth and profitability, strategic analysis, talent development, change management, as well as effective communications and relationship building.
She is the go-to person for troubleshooting potential operational loopholes in forecasting and planning, customer relationship management, distributor management dynamics, channel development strategies, logistics, among others.
She attributes her success to her values which include a dedication to excellence, the ability to get to the real issues amid clutter while still focused on the big picture and an aptitude for building diverse, highly motivated, energized and inclusive teams.
Azukaego is also passionate about transformative leadership and the ability to harness team power. This has earned her several recognitions, including the Leadership Imperative Award for Ownership and Accountability and AMEA Recognition for a supportive team in Cadbury. Recently, she was named among the 100 female professionals in 20 industries advancing excellence and professionalism in Nigeria’s corporate sector.
Her other interests lie in mentoring young women, with the aim of ensuring that all women have the skills and capabilities to earn a seat at the table on merit. Her passion for mentorship is embedded in her personal experience when, for a good part of her career, she was the only female in the room and was successful via leaders, peers and subordinates who gave their time and resources to mentor her. She says, “When I look back at the meaningful contributions I made, and
challenges surmounted, I see the room would have benefited from more women. Hence I actively create platforms for women to hone their skills and showcase their talent.”
She mentors other women through the Truss Empowerment Foundation, a non-profit focused on creating real value for young people through the enhancement of their economic power by building capabilities that allow successful engagement in stereotyped as well as leadership roles. The organisation runs an internship programme for young minds, getting them ready for professional and business growth through a simulated MBA course content and actual problem solving-based learning.
With such an impressive profile, great work ethic, and the right values, Azukaego is worth celebrating as our Woman Crush Wednesday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL_z_ARpGUW/?igshid=rt1240o5idmi