Businesses in developing countries face diverse challenges. Many grapple with significant infrastructural deficiencies and strive to master the structural changes within their markets. While some are subject to unfavorable industry regulations others are threatened by stiff competition. Though profitability remains a common goal, many struggle to stay afloat.
To scale over these hurdles, smart business leaders have recognised the importance of innovation – as a pragmatic tool for business success. They explore ways to create their own solutions as well as adapt the approach of others to fit their situation.
These efforts are however constrained by a low level of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among business leaders. Although many conferences are organized to discuss industry and regional issues, only few provide the insights and inspiration that can be applied to resolve the real issues.
iQubeis a multi-channel platform, designed to foster knowledge-sharing and collaboration within corporate business communities.
These conferences are targeted at managers, business owners and executives in the marketplace, and are aimed at capacity development and information dissemination.
The second edition of iQube tagged ‘GET STARTED’ will focus on Innovation and entrepreneurship.
iQube is organized by Ciuci Consulting, a management and strategy firm focused on providing cutting-edge solutions to business issues, tailor-made for clients across various industries.
Jens Martin Skibsted is a design entrepreneur. He pioneered the designer bicycle when founding Biomega, and reshaped Danish design when founding KiBiSi with Bjarke Ingels. His award winning bicycle designs live in the permanent collections at the MoMA, Le CNAP and SFMOMA amongst others.
As a Young Global Leader, he has spoken at DLD, Design Indaba, Davos and numerous other World Economic Forum meetings, he is an advisory board member of the INDEX Award and Mindlab, vice-chair of World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Design and Innovation, and board member of the Danish Design Council and Bitten and Mads Clausen Foundation.
He is a published author and an ad hoc expert commentator for Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Washington Post and more. Jens Martin graduated from ESEC in Paris, UC Berkeley and Copenhagen University.
Bola Adesolais the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Ltd. Prior to joining the bank, she was an Executive Director in First Bank of Nigeria Plc where she was responsible for the Corporate Banking business, and was also Managing Director of Kakawa Discount House, Nigeria, where she drove record business performance.
Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985, Bola Adesola has over 24 years banking experience. An alumnus of Harvard Business School and Lagos Business School, she also holds a Law degree from the University of Buckingham, UK. Bola is an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria and sits on the Board of the Financial Markets Dealers Association. She is a Co-founder of Women in Business and Management (WIMBIZ) Nigeria, and also chairs the Central Bank of Nigeria Bankers’ Sub-Committee on Women’s Economic Empowerment and a member of the Nigeria National Competitiveness Council.
B.V. Jagadeesh is a highly regarded business executive with a proven track record of managing and building market leaders. Before joining 3Leaf Systems, Mr. Jagadeesh served as Group Vice President and General Manager of Citrix Systems’ Application Networking Group. Prior to the acquisition of NetScaler by Citrix Systems, Mr. Jagadeesh served as President and CEO of NetScaler. During his tenure, Mr. Jagadeesh grew NetScaler to become the market leader in Application Delivery Systems until its acquisition by Citrix for $325M in 2005. Prior to NetScaler, Mr. Jagadeesh co-founded Exodus Communications and successfully helped the company grow from start-up to a leader in the Web co-location market and was instrumental in leading its highly successful initial public offering (IPO). Jagadeesh has also held various management and engineering positions at Novell and 3Com.
Mr. Jagadeesh holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Bangalore University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from University of Bombay, India.
Dr Marc Ventresca is an Economic Sociologist in the Strategy, Innovation and Marketing Faculty at the Saïd Business School, a fellow of Wolfson College, and a university fellow at the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization, all at the University of Oxford. His research interests focus on institutions, organizations, and industry entrepreneurship; organizational learning/design and managing change; environmental management; power and leadership in organizations, and economic sociology of strategy.
He served on the faculty at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and has held visiting faculty positions at the University of Illinois, the Copenhagen Business School, the Center for Work, Technology, and Organizations at Stanford University. Prior to his faculty career, Ventresca worked as a policy analyst at the Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C., studied language and politics in Florence, Italy. He also works with the Aspen Institute’s Initiative for Social Investments in Business.
Dr Mohammed Ali Pate is a Professor at the Duke Global Health Institute, USA. He has an MSc in Health Systems; MBA with health sector concentration, Duke University. Medical doctor. US board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases. Former: Human Development Sector Coordinator, East Asia and Pacific Region and Senior Health Specialist, Africa Region, World Bank; CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency; Minister of State for Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Currently, Visiting Professor, DGHI. Interests: health systems development for better and equitable health outcomes, role of private sector in health, population and human capital development.
Vimbayi Kajese is the founder and director of Vamboo Media Productions (VMB), and has been working in media over the past 10 years. She finds her calling in combining tech and media to change the perceptions on Africa, reach out to the diaspora, and attract foreign and intercontinental investment. Kajese served as the Asian continent’s first African news anchor on CCTV, broadcasting to a billion Chinese and millions of viewers around the world. Prior to CCTV, Kajese produced news pieces at Reuters TV in Beijing, and worked in a boutique consultancy firm, training Fortune 500 companies to strategically manage their PR through media. In 2010, the Chinese government appointed Kajese as it’s first Special Friendship Envoy and Cultural Ambassador.
In 2012 the World Economic Forum recognized Kajese as a Young Global Leader and the African Leadership Network(ALN) as one of the continents “New Generation of Leaders” for her role in media. Kajese has moderated and spoken on several panels pertaining to women, media, youth leadership and initiatives.
IK Osakioduwa is a Nigerian Radio and television On Air Personality (OAP), simply known as IK. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Lagos in 2001.
He is known for his work with Rhythm 93.7fm, but he is also a presenter on MNet’s Studio 53,and is best known as the presenter of Big Brother Africa. IK attended The University of Lagos where he got his start in the television industry on a show called Campus circuit television which aired on Africa Independent Television. After that he took a break from the industry to concentrate on his education and he graduated with a degree in Economics
IK has also honed his skill as a compere of events and is in very high demand today. He has hosted numerous shows, concerts, weddings, corporate end of year parties, contests and pageants, including the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant for 4 years consecutively, Rhythm Unplugged (4 years consecutively), Comedy Titans, An Evening With, just to name a few.
Charles Bruce Chukuma popularly known as CHAZ B is the CEO of Black Moses Entertainment which produces the number one radio network show ‘SHARING LIFE ISSUES WITH CHAZ B’ on the Rhythm Network. B.M. Entertainment offers full packaging of media products and productions, be it an event, promotions, jingles, and commercials for radio and television, or even placement of television programmes on various stations around Nigeria and Africa at large. He has over ten years’ experience in Hospitality Management from the United State of America. He also holds a Business Management Certificate from North Tech Education Centre in Florida and an Associate Degree in Traveling and Tourism from Miami Dade Community College. As an on air radio personality, he is fluent in both verbal and written French