On this episode we continue our conversation with Mide Akerewusi, Founder and CEO of AgentsC. He shares how he got demoted from his executive role, leading him to quit and find another job, and how he eventually decided to venture out and start his own non-profit philanthropy agency.

On Part 1 of a 2-part episode, we sit down with Mide Akerewusi, a British born African living in Canada. Mide is Founder and CEO of AgentsC Inc., a Canadian based international company delivering equity philanthropy and social research services to the non-profit and private sector. He has worked in senior relationship fundraising roles and consulted for a number of the world’s leading non-profit organisations. We discuss how having a very fractured childhood filled with numerous failures and setbacks eventually led him to the world of philanthropy and the non-profit industry.

On today's show we chat with one of the youngest executives in a Fortune 500 company Omonye Phillips, Divisional Vice President of Pharmacy Operations at Rite Aid. Her role involves overseeing the operations of 180+ stores and managing a budget in excess of $2B. Omonye has dedicated countless hours to other business, service and philanthropy efforts all focused on empowering others. She shares with us how a personal tragedy led her on a path towards a career in Pharmacy and how she eventually became an executive. We also discuss her leadership mindset and how it propelled her to run a marathon even though she was not a runner at all.

Our guest today is Horace Matthews, Vice President, Digital and Information Technology / CIO at World Vision Canada. Horace discusses his life story from growing up in Mandeville, Jamaica to eventually moving to the cold country of Canada in search of a better life for his family. He also talks about how his faith helped him through the initial tough times upon getting to Canada and how he eventually got a breakthrough into the Canadian workforce, ultimately leading him to executive roles in major companies.

From initially hating banking to eventually becoming an executive at Goldman Sachs, this episode is the exciting journey of Mary Mosope Adeyemi, a passionate, people-oriented and purpose driven woman who lives out these traits in various spheres. She is an experienced investment professional currently working as an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs supporting the risk focused deployment of credit capital in the Technology, Media and Telecom Sectors. We discuss her journey into investment banking and how she eventually launched viSHEbility, a talk show and social initiative through which she inspires, coaches and fosters a community of black women who aspire to lead.

Today's guest is Tapfuma Musewe, Founder of Eschaton Solutions, a boutique firm that promotes sustainable trade and investments with African markets. Having grown up a Canadian citizen, his passion led him to spend most of his working life across Africa. He began in community development, then pivoted to entrepreneurship and established a couple of companies including a logistics company that moved FMCG’s for a blue-chip company. He then worked in market intelligence, consulting multinational clients seeking to penetrate African markets. We discuss the motivation behind creating his own company and his mission to expose Canadian businesses and investment to what Africa has to offer. Subscribe now and listen wherever you get your podcasts:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2UcfLr7Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/33DsiqISpotify: https://spoti.fi/3djrpaW

On today's show we chat with Fenten Jagdeo, Co-founder and COO of Faculty, a venture capital-backed modern grooming company based in San Francisco. Fenton discusses how he went from working management consulting to become a young entrepreneur co-founding his start up in an industry that focused largely on women. He also talks about how his company ended up securing venture capital within a few months of launching. Subscribe now and listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2UcfLr7Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/33DsiqISpotify: https://spoti.fi/3djrpaW

Today's guest is Kike Fischer, Chief Risk Officer at Leadway Assurance, the largest insurance company in Nigeria. Kike's rise to become a C-level executive in Risk Management began with a serendipitous encounter in an elevator that eventually led her to supervising a number of trading platforms including the London Stock Exchange. Her inspirational story takes us on her life and career journey across 2 countries (UK and Nigeria) as she found her voice in an industry largely dominated by men, and eventually learned to lead without screaming.

"Action without thought is empty, thought without action is blind" - Nkrumah. This is the philosophy that guides Sam Effah, a Canadian Olympic hopeful of Ghanaian heritage, and a 2-time Canadian Champion and multiple award winning athlete. In today's episode, Sam shares his story of triumphing as a track athlete despite many setbacks from injuries. He also tells how he landed a sponsorship deal with Nike at 21 all on his own with no agent. Sam has been able to combine his enthusiasm for sport, marketing and the Olympics seamlessly, and give back to his community in many ways. Subscribe now and listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/d1Qo1WUn

On today’s episode we continue where we left off in our conversation with Seni Sulyman, an experienced executive on a mission to build and develop Africa through technology. Today Seni talks about how he made the decision to move back to Africa after turning down offers from tech giants like Facebook and Google. This decision ultimately led him to building an airline and eventually becoming an executive at Andela. Subscribe now and listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/d1Qo1WUn

From tinkering with cell phones in Paris, to negotiating with an unexpected individual in New York, to eventually becoming an executive at one of Africa's best Lagos-based tech startups. We discuss these and many other topics with Seni Sulyman, a Harvard MBA grad and business executive whose purpose is to develop exemplary African businesses and leaders who create value through ethical leadership and superior execution. Through our conversation, we learn about recognizing your strengths and having the courage to pivot your career/life to match what drives you.