As a build-up to this event, the Dive In team conducted a survey to understand the issues females in the insurance sectors are facing, the possible limitations on their rise to leadership, and how they are navigating these challenges. This survey showed that despite the ambition to attain a top-level in their career; young female professionals in the Insurance sector are largely constrained by inadequate opportunities relative to gender bias, unequal pay, and harassment.

The survey further highlighted that females are willing and ready to take up more challenging roles within the sector and have to resort to professional bodies for support and guidance in their careers. Some leading females in the industry also lend their voice to the younger female professionals in insurance & finance in a campaign titled “Letters to my younger self”. They shared lessons that would help the younger generation develop a mindset and character required for success within the sector.

At a time when the world is changing at a faster rate, with newer challenges emerging, the corporate environment needs to explore all talents and resources by creating an environment for them to thrive irrespective of gender and experience

To examine some of these challenges faced by young female professionals in the Nigerian Insurance sector, Dive In Festival hosted reputable leaders in the sector to the Dive In’ Nigeria Festival themed “Promoting Inclusion & Diversity in the Nigerian Insurance Industry for a Quantum Leap”  to discuss new possibilities that will spur participants to break boundaries in risk management and insurance.

Speakers included Adetola Adegbayi, Executive Director, General Insurance Business Division, Leadway Assurance Company Ltd, a Legal Practitioner with extensive experience in Legal Research, Corporate Legal Practice, Insurance, and Financial Services; Nike Anani, Co-Founder African Family Firms, a firm dedicated to assisting second-generation family members (“NextGens”) in identifying and implementing new opportunities, shortening the journey from identification to impact.

Founder, The Funmi Omo Initiative and Former Managing Director in African Alliance Insurance Plc, Funmi Omo, (recognized as one of the top 100 women CEOs in Africa by Reset Global People), Dr. Corneille Karekezi, Group MD/CEO, African Re Group, and Ibitunde Balogun, Executive Director Tangerine Life Insurance Limited. The event was moderated by financial broadcast journalist and business anchor at CNBC Africa, Esther Awoniyi.

At the event, Adetola Adegbayi when asked about her thoughts on revitalizing diversity and inclusion initiatives and drive engagement going forward said; “We need to look at not just women but also men who are disadvantaged, physically challenged people when addressing diversity and inclusion. It doesn’t matter whether you are formally educated or not, as people what matters is how we make use of our abilities to deliver.” She ended her presentation by stressing on the need to celebrate the difference in togetherness and balancing equality with equity.

Speaking further on the topic when asked by the moderator, Esther Awoniyi, on her thoughts on diversity and inclusion in trans-generational wealth and family business, Co-founder, African Family Firms, Nike Anani said, “Women stand to lose out the most when businesses fail to move to the next generation. Insurance has however turned out to be a risk management tool to protect women’s interest and other threatening issues that might ensue from lack of trans-generational wealth transfer.”

In a closing statement to a question asked by a member of the audience, on strategies that insurance companies should adopt to get more youths interested in applying for jobs, Executive Director at Tangerine life Insurance, Ibitunde Balogun, who is also exceptional at mentoring millennials for leadership said, “The Insurance Industry currently falls into the least paying jobs in the financial service sector and this itself discourages youths from pursuing a career in this line. “ Addressing Insurance leaders, he further stated, “You need to make insurance more attractive to the new age. The new generation wants good remuneration for work done, work-life balance, and flexibility in their jobs.”

Dive In is a global movement in the insurance sector to support the development of inclusive workplace cultures. Its mission is to enable people to achieve their potential by raising awareness of the business case and promoting positive action for diversity in all its forms.

The three-day event simply referred to as ALitFest – Abuja Literary and Arts Festival – will hold from August 13th – 15th 2020.

In order to welcome wider participation of the growing literary community in Africa, the festival is going virtual and would be held on the webinar platform Hopin (hopin.to).

“With this, we aim to breach geographical barriers through inclusion and Pan-Africanism,” says Teniola Tayo, the newly appointed Festival Director.

To be part of the festival, registration can be done here
The organizers have strived to make registration free but are equally seeking the support of any individuals that may be in a position to do so through paid tickets.

The organizers also added that festival guests that are new and existing 9Mobile users will have access to a special data package that will drastically reduce the internet cost of joining the three-day festival in acknowledgment of the real financial barriers that impede the movement of interactions to online spaces in the developing world. More information would be provided after registration.

The theme for #ALitFest20 “The Art of Empathy” hopes to highlight the importance, beauty, and need for diversity and difference as well as the role of the creative in building bridges within and across societies.

As such, the panels and events have been curated to help participants explore several important societal issues such as tribalism, racism, homophobia, misogyny (also misogynoir), classism, and other relevant issues.

From the unique perspectives of creative minds, this year’s edition of #ALitFest seeks to help people see the world through the eyes of others.
The Festival program includes panel discussions hosted by intellectual panelists from diverse backgrounds including Nwando Achebe, Edwige Dro, Sawad Hussain, Dike Chukwumerije, Kola Tubosun, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Bisi Adjapon, and Chido Onumah.
The keynote panel will be delivered by Helon Habila and moderated by Odafe Atogun.

A major highlight of the Festival would be the poetry slam where the winner gets an N200,000 cash Prize.
Information on participation at the Slam can be found HERE.

There will also be a series of workshops on short story writing, poetry writing, and publishing.

Other activities include Panel Discussions, Book Chats, Writing Competitions, Online Festival Book Store, – Online Art Exhibition (with partners), Film screenings, and so on. Some of the topics to be explored in panels include mental health and the arts, writing in African languages, the role of empathy in the relations between Black Americans and Black Africans, representations of black hair in history, sexual harassment in women.

The festival’s previous themes include; “Nigeria to the World” in 2018 and “Arts and Social Consciousness” in 2019. The festival organizers are grateful for the support of partners like the South African based Geko Publishing, the Nigerian PR firm, Phyllion & Partners, Folio Nigeria, and, of course, 9Mobile.

Visit alitfest.com for more information or follow the social media handles on Twitter and on Instagram.
The organizers can be contacted at info@alitfest.com

You have attended so many conferences, webinars, and meetings by now, and possibly lost count. Where are those ‘takeaways’ from these virtual gatherings?

Quite alright, some have reported getting a jolt or some sort of reawakening on their dreams, so why do we often leave these insights until later and begin to postpone execution dates?

The good news, however, we did some research and will be sharing tips to help you move from inspiration to action below.

Do you want to attend as many conferences as you want and walk away with a focus, purpose, and a goal for taking your dreams to the next level?

Do you want to align your personal goals with your career goals and also take your team and projects to greater heights?

Here are five (5) essential tips for actioning insights from important value-adding meetings.

Tip 1: Write Down Three Goals before the event.

These goals aren’t just any goals, we would recommend a personal goal, a relationship, and a business goal.

Your personal goal should be your personal takeaway from the event: the inspiration you want to get, the kind of people you want to come across that will inspire you, experiences, knowledge, and passion you want to serve as your inspiration and will be willing to share later. Writing these things down will actually bring your attention to focus so that at the conference, you will naturally be on the lookout for them.

Your relationship goal should be to develop three meaningful connections. What would this do for you? Pen it down.

Your business goal(s) should be: what insights, best practices, strategies, and skills do you want to learn or expand on? What business or career clarity do you want to get from the conference? Again, pen them down so they stay top-of-mind.

Note: When you evaluate the conference agenda, ONLY GO to those sessions that fit into your set goals.

Tip 2: Have a column or page in your notepad to capture consistent themes – the shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory

While it is good to sit back and enjoy presentations or listen to flowery words and punchlines, your ability to take action in alignment with your goals depends on you actively engaging and processing the ideas as they come.

Taking notes is a basic way of processing what you’re hearing, but if you can go a step further and capture what you notice as “consistent themes” that keep coming up during the different sessions, you will start to simplify what you are learning. This is going to drastically reduce your feeling of information overload and increase your ability to turn insights into action.

Have you noticed that anytime you are listening with rapt attention, with the intent to summarize or to tell someone else about it, you tend to pay close attention? You stay focused, you simplify complicated context. That is the hidden benefit.

Tip 3: Decide what makes your “most likely to share” list.

At the end of each day, take 5 minutes to jot down, “What are three things you learned that you are most likely to share with colleagues? “

Don’t wait until the end of the entire event to do this. Take this simple step after each day, and again simplifying while the information is fresh will increase your chances of implementing it.

Tip 4: Map a simple integration/actioning plan

As soon as possible, you have to be able to visualize how your insights are going to translate into action. Start by making FIVE columns on your paper. The first column is the INSIGHT, second is STRATEGY/SKILL, third would be labeled OBJECTIVES, fourth would be KEY PLAYERS (who needs to be involved?), the fifth is the TIMELINE column.  Your plan has to be SMART. Remember the SMART goals? {SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC & TIMEBOUND} Yeah, those.

Tip 5: Calendar your action items 

Heard of the saying, “what gets scheduled gets done?”, it is essential to schedule on your calendar the first action step you need to take for each of your objectives in your implementation plan. Once that first conference is underway, give yourself a timeline for completing set goals. Without a timeline, there is no completion, only procrastination.

If you can take all of these five tips, you will confidently put your conference insights into action.

Why go through all of these for you, you make ask? Asides being your trusted agency, redefining innovative communications for effective business marketing, we are also particular about your personal and career growth.

What makes us more certified is that we recently concluded a groundbreaking Tech PR conference that you may have attended, and we want to make sure you got the best out of it.

Until next time, action those insights before getting onto the next conference gathering.

Ciao!

This statement of purpose virtually ushered over a hundred attendees from the tech & communications sector, reputable speakers, and thought leaders into the groundbreaking tech PR event, PTC 2020 on Friday, 17th of July.

For an average of four hours, a diversity of ideas, enlightening and insightful presentations, and discussion set the pace for the marriage of technology and communication in enabling transformation in Africa.

In his keynote address, first keynote speaker, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, the Group Managing Director of CMC Connect Limited, and President, Africa Public Relations Association (APRA), affirmed that the relevance of technology has called for an enabling environment, to enhance the much-needed development envisaged in the private and public sector of Africa’s economies. In achieving this, he pointed out that all stakeholders must be actively engaged.

In his call for embracing technology transformation in the communication sector, he said, “Embracing technological transformation in our business goes beyond tools creating social media campaigns or keeping our software updated. It is following tech trends or embedding digital solutions in our business affairs. It is about perceiving what the future holds and being positioned digitally to be at the forefront of innovation.”

Second keynote speaker, Adrian Clews, the Chief Executive Officer of Hinckley Group, expressed delight with the organizers of the conference, stating that technological transformation has been rapid on the African continent with various initiatives that have helped in boosting business productivity and human advancement.

“Embracing Technology Transformation in Africa, What Next,” comes to mind, is the economic impact of COVID-19, with macro indicators such as significant contraction in economic growth; higher inflation given value after-tax (VAT); electricity tariff adjustment and currency devaluation,” Clews stated.

During the panel discussion, the six (6) reputable speakers, touched on important points that offered insights into smart industry trends, had conversations around tech impact and growth areas within social & interpersonal relations, education, communication and business, and technology changes to expect from the new era and the immediate future.

One of the speakers during the panel session, Ayeni Adekunle, CEO Black House Media Group, had said, “We need to use technology to transform the media in Nigeria.”

Ayeni also called the older generation to action in his closing statement, “We owe the new generation an obligation to set the Agenda for what the African dream should be.”

Harping on the role communication has to play in cascading the impact story of tech in Africa, Founder, Phyllion & Partners stated, “Technology enthusiasts need to begin to see PR as a vehicle.” She moved on to admonish key decision-makers to embrace future-based thinking and human-centered design in developing technology solutions for Africa.

The highlight of the event was the pitch session that re-affirmed the Phyllion Tech Conference as a rare and commendable conference online. It was indeed carefully thought through to ensure attendees got value for their time and certainly bridged the gap between the start-up and the investment community.

The start-up pitch panel was packed with tech leaders such as Managing Director, HP Central Africa, Ify Afe, CEO Edgebase Technologies, Joel Egbai, US-based Digital Business Transformation Strategist, Ogechi Chidebell, Mo Durosinmi-Etti, Regional Manager at the Bulb Africa, and the second event keynote speaker, Adrian Clews, Managing Director, Hinckley Group.

The knowledgeable panel of pitch judges assessed competing for start-up businesses at the pitch, they gave helpful recommendations in respect to due diligence and the business number projections, and further made mentorship commitments and requests for close working relationships, to help them grow from introductory to market breakthroughs.

The conference came to an end with a closing remark from US-based Digital Business Transformation Strategist, Ogechi Chidebell who said, “We are in the phase they call industrial revolution where it is going to be more imperative for businesses and individuals to transform themselves.”

The organizers of the Phyllion Tech Conference 2020 have said that this is only the beginning as plans to kick off many more brand storytelling for the Nigerian tech ecosystem to help them connect with their target market and investment community, are already being actioned.

While it is true that virtual events are the in thing right now, prioritizing virtual conferences based on the value they add to you, should take precedence while scouting for virtual events.

The Phyllion Technology Conference is one conference you can’t afford to miss out on as a tech enthusiast. It is a 1-day technology panel discussion, aimed at awakening the consciousness of African business owners, tech ecosystem, and government, to the realities of our time, and how stakeholders can leverage technology to survive and thrive.

The goal of this conference is to bring Industry leaders, thought-leaders, key influencers, and major stakeholders together to discuss the future of technology in Africa.

The event boasts high-profile speakers driving technology transformation across the nation and beyond continental shores and dedicated to improving lives, the economy as a whole through innovative tech solutions.

As a tech enthusiast, the following under listed are reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on Phyllion Tech Conference. Spot the benefits as you read on.

• Opportunities to interact, and connect on a more personal and first-contact basis with industry thought leaders and innovators
• Access to first-hand information, data & statistics about the tech industry
• Enjoy interlude as you have never experienced in a virtual formal setting
• Contribute to industry insight and analysis for growth
• Be the judge, viewer or contestant in THE PITCH (read next blog post to know more about THE PITCH)
• Win gifts, free 1-week business communication consultation, free 1-day access to innovative hub/workstation, and more……….

Register HERE to be a part of the conference.

Virtual event {VE} are similar to the normal or on-site events only here, attendees gather online and not at a physical space. Although this has been in existence for a while, its adoption was majorly a solution to constraint issues. We have seen examples of a live broadcast of a large conference to audiences around the globe who cannot for geographic or time reasons be present at the live location or religious houses having online gathering as an option for those who cannot make it to physical service. In these cases, the live event was the main and the virtual was supporting. However, the reverse beckons as our only resort in these times and for as long as it may be required.

Indeed, virtual events may not replace on-site events after the pandemic, but it should become an addition to the portfolio and accepted by many. VE’s allow us to humanize digital and we have had certain variations structured or unstructured online or via social media. Some examples of virtual events include;

Online Conferencing: a situation where a conference is planned, executed and attended online. This usually takes the same format as the physical conference with keynote, speeches, panel and breakout sessions as well as an opportunity for attendees to network. The online conference relies on technology for every element from invitations, registrations, hosting, feedback and networking {usually requires an app}.

Webinar: Many of us are familiar with this, it’s one of the most effective and common virtual events. It is usually reserved for training, education and sometimes conferencing. Webinars have been recorded to have a 100% or over attendance rate because attendees can return to the content and view series after the live broadcast is over. May have engaged with or in a webinar before, brace up, there’s more to come.

Online Talk Shows or Concerts: We have seen this trend particularly during the lock-down period in various countries. There has been a rise in Instagram live sessions co-hosted by two parties, online talk shows with chat rooms, online concerts hosted by celebrity artists such as DJs, Musicians, Comedians with a full set live performance for viewers to engage with.

While virtual events are fast becoming the new norm, corporate organizations, marketing & PR professionals globally and locally must begin to rethink the organization of these events. These are the days where press conferences, town hall meetings might have to be done strictly virtually. Think about what you want to achieve with your event and determine which structure will best help you achieve your results virtually. It needs to be structured around your audience and the experience you want to create for them.

In summary, the bedrock of virtual events is the technology and there are several tech tools for hosting virtual events and tracking the results successfully. Some of these we have interacted with in the past and much other software you will find in your research. Tech solutions need to be designed with the local consumer at the center, human-centered design and culture is a huge factor here.

The opportunity exists for technology firms in Nigeria to build solutions that are locally adaptable and in consideration of the realities that persist in the country such as the internet penetration & strengths, purchasing power, attention span and interests from the African consumer and the likes.

Who are the people that are getting these jobs?

What do they know that I don’t?

Who are the companies or entrepreneurs employing labour?

What do I need to possess to be able to fit into the workplace and excel?

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Phyllion & Partners kicked off a youth enabling platform known as ‘The Coach’ whose maiden edition held in Lagos on August  2019.

The Coach, a youth empowerment platform is a Phyllion & Partners initiative that will bridge existing labour gaps, to create employability and mentorship opportunities for young graduates seeking to become intrapreneurs within an organization and entrepreneurs within an industry. The 1-day workshop addressed the employability and provided mentorship and internship opportunities for young graduates.

Speaking on the need for such youth enabling platforms and what difference this particular platform, The Coach brings to the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria, the initiator, and founder/Lead Strategist, Phyllion & Partners Ltd. Ms. Ophylia Temi Ibekwe stated that as communication professionals we have access to the numbers, the information on the problem and somewhat answers to the problem.

“We know that the curriculum in our schools plays a huge role in shaping and preparing these graduates for job creation or employment market and since nothing has been done to upgrade this curriculum, we decided it was necessary to kick start an initiative that bridges this gap and help fresh graduates learn necessary skills needed to gain employment, grow in it successfully and for some, start up a business with the appropriate principles which set them up for success”.

The Coach 1.0 was a hit as we had the best blends of facilitators that nailed the sessions on mind reform, human resource practicals, and entrepreneurial principles.

Mr. Akinlabi Akinbulumo;

“The only way to mastery is repeat, repeat, repeat. Every time you do not pick the thing you want to be master at, you become the master of the opposite”

Joy Shittu Igbodike;

“Find a market, create value, discover your niche, perfect your art.

Yewande Jinadu;

“The recruiter meets your CV first before they meet you in person, let your CV represent you”

The Coach will be a quarterly event as more facilitators buy into the vision and allow more young graduates to benefit from the training. The future of the country rests on the youth and The Coach has come to stay

If you think you’ve seen it all in The Coach 1.0, wait for it, wait for The Coach for 2.0.

The Smart Cities Nigeria 2017 Conference held at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Nigeria on the 8^th and 9^th of August, provided a common forum for stakeholders in Nigeria to discuss and deliberate some of the most challenging issues and upcoming technologies towards the development of smart cities in Nigeria. The conference which was to the cheer and glare of dignified personalities in Nigeria, identified solutions, made proposals and developed key innovations towards the establishment of smart cities in Nigeria. See pictures below:

L-R: Country Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chuks Okpaka; Managing Director, Edgebase Technologies Mr. Joel Egbai;

Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu; and

Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu,

During the SMART CITIES Nigeria Conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

L-R: Presales Consultant, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Mr. Chinedu Eze;

Country Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chuks Okpaka;

Managing Director, Edgebase Technologies, Mr. Joel Egbai; and

Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu;

During the SMART CITIES Nigeria Conference in Abuja.

Mr. Chuks Okpaka, the Country Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria Limited gave an awe-inspiring presentation on developing an effective smart city platform.

A smart city he said is where everything is connected – from the traffic lights to the telecom infrastructure; to the roadside equipment and the driver behavior; the quality of air in the atmosphere interacting with the air conditioner in the office nearby; the noise and vibration in the environment talking to the lighting – interconnectivity of smart cities was the focal point of the presentation.

Mr. Chuks Okpaka went further to give outstanding illustrations of what smart living is about. A smart city is where the city’s critical infrastructures, networks and services are made more efficient through optimized digital and telecommunication technologies. The smart city concept would mean; smarter urban transport, upgraded water supply, better commuting facilities, and more efficient ways to light and heat buildings.

As expounded by HPE Nigeria’s Country Managing Director, the potential for smart platforms is accessibility and usability – content must be organized for everyone to navigate and access. Having more than 1 billion customers in over 170 countries on six continents of planet Earth, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has proven to be the trusted IT vendor in IoT (internet of things), providing extensive technology for the smart cities value chain.

HPE is set to change the lives of society and its people forever through the HPE UIoT (Universal Internet of Things) Platform and Analytics. The Smart City Concept is the new future of Nigeria, and with HPE Nigeria in support of this feat, the future just got better.

L-R: Territory Sales Manager – Public Sector/Education, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Nigeria, Valentine Okoh

Country Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chuks Okpaka;

Managing Director, Edgebase Technologies, Mr. Joel Egbai; and

Presales Consultant, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Mr. Chinedu Eze;

During the SMART CITIES Nigeria Conference in Abuja.

L-R: Territory Sales Manager – Public Sector/Education, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Nigeria, Valentine Okoh

Country Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chuks Okpaka;

Sales Manager, Edgebase Technologies Limited, Mrs. Toyin Obidi, Managing Director, Edgebase Technologies, Mr. Joel Egbai; and

Presales Consultant, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Mr. Chinedu Eze;

During the SMART CITIES Nigeria Conference in Abuja.

The MD of Edgebase Technologies, Mr. Joel Egbai also stated that the future spoken about is upon us and technology partners like Edgebase need to position ahead of time in order to support the innovations of smart-cities that will positively impact the style of living and doing business for everyone. Edgebase Technologies Limited is presently a Gold Partner to Hewlett Packard Nigeria Limited, they have been serving businesses with IT solutions for over 11 years in Nigeria.