How Akintola Willams Deloitte held International Women’s Day

L-R: Mrs. Tara-Fela Durotoye, CEO of House of Tara International; Mrs. Oghogho Osula, MD of Afribank Trustees and Asset Mgt. Co; Mrs. Bisi Adeyemi, MD of Deloitte Corporate Services Ltd; Mrs Adesuwa Onyenokwe, CEO of Universal Communications Ltd; Mrs Bukky George, MD of Health Plus Pharmacy; and Mrs. Uche Erobu, Senior Partner, Akintola Williams Deloitte at the women’s forum organised by Akintola Williams Deloitte on Tuesday, 8 March, 2011.

By James Ezema

International Wemen's day this week held in countries of the world. Last Tuesday, it was a day to educate women in the country on career and family as Akintola William Deloitte (AWD) held its International Women’s Day (IWD) Forum tagged “Charting a Career Path: Balancing Family, Career, and Relationships”.

At the event in Lagos were distinguished female role models, including Mrs. Oghogho Osula, MD Afribank Trustees & Asset Management Company ltd, Mrs. Tara Durotoye, CEO of House of Tara International, Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, CEO of Universal Communications Limited, Mrs. Bukky George, MD of Health Plus Pharmacy, and Mrs. Bisi Adeyemi, MD of Deloitte Corporate Services Limited, were present at the event.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and its member firms used the occasion of this year's annual event to recognize the contributions of Deloitte women to the success of their local practices, firms and the global Deloitte organization. This is the third consecutive year that DTTL and its member firms are celebrating this day. At the Akintola Williams Deloitte 2011 International Women’s Day forum, opening remarks were given by Senior Partner, Akintola Williams Deloitte, Mrs. Uche Erobu.

“The aim of the day is to celebrate not only Deloitte women but also distinguished women outside Deloitte who continually strive for excellence and demonstrate leadership qualities that have made them successful role models in their careers and society”, said Mrs Erobu.

The event brought together all the female staff members and partners of Akintola Williams Deloitte in the Lagos office, including other invited guests, who took the opportunity to learn about what motivated the women to become successful in their chosen career. The speakers unanimously recognized that women are ‘multi-taskers,’ who continually strive to balance family, career and relationships.

Every speaker seemed to agree on these points: put God first in all that you set out to do, be determined to succeed against all odds, get the necessary qualifications that you need to advance your career or business, make time for life outside of work, and source for good hands to help with house chores or the children. They advised that employers should make the necessary effort to create flexible work time/ virtual office options for their staff members (especially for women). Women in the country were also advised not to despise ‘small beginnings’ in whatever career they choose as they eventually result to incremental steps that lead to success after they might have put in a period of hard-work, determination, passion, and relentless efforts in their ventures.

Particularly, Mrs. Bisi Adeyemi while advising career women to maintain a balance between career and family, she said when a woman is faced with the challenge of taking care of her home and career, "the woman has to prioritise. One need not suffer for the other", adding " you're asking yourself, how do I get there so as to pick up a child, how do I balance these? The reality of it is that it is difficult and I'm not going to tell you that it is easy or that there is a magic to it. But you have to manage it".