Oke Maduewesi

Oke Maduewesi was a manager at one of the leading banks in Nigeria before she decided to study an MBA at Leeds. She came to Leeds with the intention of enhancing her professional skills in order to progress her career. But her experience on the MBA programme changed her own career aspirations and ultimately the lives of thousands of people in Africa. In February 2016 Oke attended the prestigious British Council UK Education Alumni Awards ceremony after being recognised as a well deserved finalist for the entrepreneurial award, celebrating outstanding achievements of the UK's international alumni. 

“The MBA completely changed my thought processes – it transformed me from an employee to a successful entrepreneur by building one of the fastest growing cosmetic brands in Africa.

Zaron Cosmetics launched in 2011 and already has 15 franchise outlets nationwide, with an outlet in Ghana. It also has over 800 distributors in Nigeria and other African countries. It’s a business success, and it’s empowering individuals in Africa to be able to earn a living through its distributorship scheme.

The skills, management capability and knowledge acquired from the Leeds MBA definitely got me to where I am today. The case study project completely changed my perception of the business world and showed me the possibility of becoming a case study myself some day. Zaron Cosmetics is the outcome of my business dissertation.

The experience and exposure has transformed my life – and the lives of thousands of people that are associated with the Zaron brand.”