More women are excelling in a male-dominated professional environment, and the story is the same for the marketing communications industry. One woman who is inspiring women and shaping this industry is our Woman Crush Wednesday, Tolulope Adedeji.
Tolulope has come a long way in building brands and businesses. With extensive experience and skill sets, she has built brands from scratch to market leadership and global recognition. To her credit, she has built over 15 brands across Africa in the course of her career.
Tolulope was appointed the Marketing Director of AB Inbev West Africa in November 2018, and leads the marketing teams in Nigeria and Ghana. Some of the iconic brand accounts she manages include Budweiser, Trophy, Hero, Club beer, and Beta Malt. She is also an Executive Director on the Board of International Breweries.
Before her current appointment at Ab Inbev, Tolulope held several managerial roles throughout her 16-year career. She was Brand/Commercial Associate Director of Procter & Gamble Nigeria. Previously, she was the Brand and Commercial Leader of the P&G business in Ethiopia. Before these, she held various Brand Manager roles. Her notable achievements include the launch of Head & Shoulders in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda, as well as leading the start-up of P&G brands into Ethiopia. She also worked on various brands such as Always, Pampers, Ariel, Safeguard, Gillette, and Oral B in Nigeria, and promoted these brands through a challenging macroeconomic recession in 2016.
Tolu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Babcock University, a Master of Business Administration from Obafemi Awolowo University, and a Master of Science in International Management from the University of Liverpool, UK. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM).
Her passion for growing businesses, children’s literacy, female empowerment, and youth development led to the establishment of her brainchild, Mrsceonaija, a social enterprise for these causes. Tolulope is the author of Smart Sindara, the adventure series – a fiction book centered on self-confidence, leadership, and culture for African children.
She is on the board of Caring Friends Foundation (an NGO for children with special needs) and on the advisory board of Irede Foundation. She also supports and mentors Nigerian talents especially those in the mid-level corporate professionals through her Tolu Adedeji Mentoring Community (T.M.C).
Being a career-driven woman does not erode the quality time Tolu spends with family and other pleasures like dancing. She is happily married with children. Today, Tolulope is undoubtedly one of the most respected marketers in the country. For being remarkable and an inspiration to many, we celebrate Tolulope and cheer her for more wins.