SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAN-OF-THE MONTH
EDWARD ADEGBITE ADEMOSU
Celebrating a P.R. Guru & Corporate Communication Practitioner at 60
By Charles Segun Adegbite
On Wednesday, April 27, this outstanding Public Relations expert and Group Executive Officer (G.E.O) of MC-Clique Brands Associates, Mr Edward Adegbite Ademosu joined the club of sexagenarians, as he reached the Diamond Age, 60years.
Here is a man who became a complete orphan in his teen, but through God's grace, diligence, determination, focus, resilience and passion for excellence, climbed the ladder of success in his chosen profession to national and international recognitions. Attaining this age therefore,called for celebration.
While basking in the euphoria of celebration, so many people, including professional colleagues, communication scholars and top university dons like: Professor Lai Oso of Lagos State University(LASU) and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Bishop Ajayi Crowther University, Osun State, where he is pursuing his doctorate, joined him via zoom to celebrate his 60th birthday with him.
HIS PERSONALITY & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Ademosu(a.k.a. Eddy), a Public Relations expert and successful corporate communications consultant, is the Group Executive Officer (G.E.O) of MC-Clique Brands Associates, a brand/communication consultancy outfit.
Eddy holds double Master degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Communication Arts (MCA) from Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U), Ile-Ife, Osun State and University of Ibadan, Oyo State, respectively.
He is currently pursuing his Ph.D programme in Mass Communication at Bishop Ajayi Crowther University, Osun State.
R-L: Ademosu with Ex-Deputy Gov of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo and his wife, Yemi Lemo
This our Successful People Man-of-the-Month is a past President of the Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks in Nigeria (ACAMB), who left the banking industry ten years ago as Group Head/Assistant General Manager(AGM), Corporate Communication, of the then Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc).
Before becoming the AGM of the then Intercontinental Bank in 2011, he was Senior Corporate Affairs Manager of the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, (2006 – 2011). He had also been the Head, Corporate Affairs Department, Wema Bank Plc.
Since he left the banking industry officially, he has continued to make impacts in corporate world through his group of companies, as the G.E.O. It is worth mentioning that while his other companies delve into other services, he specializes in what he enjoys doing most, and that is brand management and corporate communications, as a consultant.
BIRTH , EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION
Born on April 27, 1962, at Shomolu, Lagos State, Eddy, whose parents hailed from Imomo, Ilugun Ijebu, in the present Ijebu North East Local Government Area of Ogun State, attended St. Theresa's Minor Seminary, Oke Are, Ibadan, Oyo State(1976-1981) and obtained General Certificate of Examination (GCE) in 1981.
Before finishing his secondary school, he lost his mother at age 13 and father at 16. However, in view of his brilliance performances in school he got scholarship from the Catholic Church, where his father had been a catechist.
He consequently finished his secondary school and thereafter worked to as a Sales Clerk with Chemical & Allied Products Ltd, (CAPL), at Apapa, Lagos(1982-1984).
PROFESSIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT & WORK EXPERIENCE
Although Mr Ademosu had intended to study Pharmacy, he later opted for Mass Communication and pursued the career with great zeal. He got Upper Credit in both Ordinary National Diploma(OND: 1984-1986) and Higher National Diploma (HND)in Mass Communication(1987 -1989) programmes from the then Ogun State Polytechnic(Now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), Abeokuta.
He started his practical training in communication as a Reportorial Attaché at NTA, Ibadan, Oyo State, for four months in 1985 .
He later cut his teeth for P.R. practice at the Public Relations Department of the National Bank of Nigeria, Lagos (1986-1987) where he underwent his one year internship as a Public Relations Attaché.
This brilliant man came out as the Best Over-all Student in P.R. while graduating in his HND programme in 1989.
Between 1989 and 1990 he was at the Publications/Public Relations Department of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria(CIBN), Victoria Island, Lagos, where he embarked on his National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) programme.
His diligence and dedication to the national service there eventually fetched him full employment as a Public Relations/Editorial Assistant at the CIBN, Lagos, in 1990; which he did meritoriously till 1991.
Having foreseen the brighter future that was awaiting him in the banking industry, he decided to equip himself with higher degree.
The desire for mastery of his profession led him to embark on sabbatical leave from the CIBN, to pursue a full time professional programme in Communication Arts (MCA) at the University of Ibadan in 1992; which he finished in 1994.
On his resumption at the CIBN, he became the Deputy Head of the Public Relations Department in 1994; the position he occupied till June 1996.
He simultaneously became the Editor of The Nigerian Banker (the quarterly and authoritative journal of the CIBN on Banking and Financial issues) between 1994 and June 1996.
To enable him be a good player at the management level in the banking field he decided later to be more skillful in management and administration by enrolling for Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programme at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, which he finished in 2005.
Just as the former American President Abraham Lincoln said, "I will study and wait, and the opportunity will come" . That progressive actions he took then, enabled him get better appointments and promotions to higher managerial levels from that 2005.
SHAPING CORPORATE WORLD THROUGH P.R.
The impacts of his activities in the financial sector, and banking industry in particular,after completing his MCA professional training programme, were tremendous. This became obvious when he resumed at the bankers professional body at the CIBN and was promoted the Editor of The Nigeria Banker journal.
It was that his impactful editorial works that earned him higher appointment as the Assistant Manager, Public Relations, Wema Bank Plc. in July 1996. The position he occupied till March, 1999.
He was then promoted to the post of Manager, Public Relations, which he occupied till March 2002.
His immense contributions to the bank also led to his promotion to the post of the Senior Manager/Head of Public Relations of the Bank in April 2002. Through constant capacity building and improvements he brought a lot of outstanding contributions to the growth of the bank.
As the head of the P.R. Dept. with about 20 members of staff he coordinated daily and the total budget of Public Relations Department running to about N200million annually then, Eddy performed a lot of responsibilities.
This dynamic PR guru also facilitated at relevant training programmes of the Bank. He engaged in marketing activities for the Bank. He as well coordinated all publications of the bank including editing of in-house journals (“Wema Reach”, “Wema Periscope”, “Wema at a Glance” etc.), promotional posters, handbills etc.
The coordination of all liaison, protocol and logistic functions of the Bank, and the management public speeches (mostly for the Chairman and MD/CEO of the Bank), among other numerous functions, were all his responsibilities till 2005.
He left the bank to become the Associate Director (Client), Explicit Communications Group in November 2005 , where he was responsible for business development of the entire group; comprising of viable marketing communication and brand management outfits with billings volumes of over N1 billion (One billion Naira) then.
He managed the client base of over 35 corporate companies and 125 high net worth individuals with striving business and political interests nationwide till March, 2006.
Suffice to add that in the course of practicing his PR and corporate communications services as an employee, he carried out a lot of over-sight responsibilities for formulating and executing Public Relations policy/programmes (1996 -2005). Of course, there were many other functions he performed in this bank, and in other banks like the Union Bank and Intercontinental Bank(now Access Bank).
NATIONAL RELEVANCE
In 2006, Eddy was elected the President of ACAMB, during the time banks in Nigeria were facing insolvency crisis. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in 2004, introduced recapitalization policy, both to solve the problem and forestall future possibilities of financial distress in Nigeria.
The policy initiated a chain process that resulted into merger, acquisition and demise of many banks in Nigeria. It was a turbulence period and desperate moment for many banks.
There was a great need for consolidation of the banking sector and it centered around reputational and brand management, which required effective communication to the Nigerian publics and the world in general.
To restore public confidence and increase customer base, quite a number of strategies were employed. Very crucial among such strategies was the use of public relations to build the corporate image of the banks.
The period was no doubt a challenging experience not only to the top management of the various commercial banks but also to the corporate communication or Public Relations departments of all the concerned banks.
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The CBN directives on the implementation of the policy brought about intense pressure on Public Relations managers of various banks. It was a desperate and critical moment for the banks’ customers, employees, shareholders and the finance community.
It was during this historical moment that Ademosu, his ACAMB Executives and entire ACAMB members proved to the world their capacities to face storms of life and come out stronger.
Firstly, under Ademosu's leadership, the Public Relations managers of these various banks gave customer/depositors the hope that their money was safe; and that even in the event of mergers, nothing would change as regards their transactions with the banks.
They also kept dossiers on the expected banks to be merged with or acquired as the case might be. As a matter of fact, there were palpable uncertainties that needed to be taken care of by the Public Relations Departments of the various banks.
While the whole process ended in 2009, the global economic meltdown also came which also affected Nigeria greatly, during which many companies folded up and some relocated out of Nigeria. Like eagles, Ademosu and his ACAMB members weathered the storm. They put in a lot of efforts that saw the banking sector coming out stronger, through a lot of P.R.policies, strategies and programmes they embarked upon, which saw more customers patronizing the newly merged banks.
JOINING THE CLUB OF CEOs
Ahead of his 50th birthday in April 2012, he left the Intercontinental Bank Plc(Now Access Bank) to start a group of companies, MC-Clique Brands Associates, a brand/communication consultancy outfit in March 2012.
He became the Group Executive Officer (G.E.O) of the companies and began to apply the knowledge and experiences he has garnered over the years.
Today, Ademosu is among the C.E.Os shaking and shaping the corporate world in Nigeria.
He said: "My core competency is in brand management and consultancy. We consult for a number of financial institutions and corporate bodies, as well as individuals.
"It will interest you to note that we manage some high net worth individuals, for clients-customers relationship confidentiality. I won't mention their names.
"I do manage their reputations, positioning and packaging, in a way that would enable them achieve their big and complex goals in life, especially when or if they have some reputation crises." He told Successful People magazine.
SUCCESSION PLANS:RAISING FUTURE LEADERS
His determination to be relevant till old age by impacting many lives, especially younger generation of mass communication students and P.R. practitioners, prompted him to embark on succession planning of raising well trained future leaders who will uphold the standard of the profession for the next generation .
To achieve this, he began his Ph.D programme in mass communication at Bishop Ajayi Crowther University, Osun State. With this, he intended to teach the theory and practice of all he has learnt for over 25years after completing his doctorate.
AWARDS & DISTINCTION
Mr Ademosu has been a distinction student from his tutelage.
He was awarded The Most Outstanding Public Relations Professional for year 2004, by the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State Chapter.
He was the Best Over - all Print Student, Mass Communications, ND II (1987). And the Best Over-all Student in Public Relations, Mass Communications, HND II (1989).
POWERFUL ASSOCIATION
Mr Ademosu is a member of two highly influential social clubs in Lagos: Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, and the Ikoyi Club 1938.
He is also a member of some professional associations. A past President of the ACAMB, an Associate member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) since 1995 and an Associate member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) since 1999. He is also an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) since 1994.
At the International levels, he is also a Senior Member of the Africa Public Relations Associations (APRA) since 2009.
MARITAL & FAMILY LIFE
This highly responsible man is happily married to his heartthrob; and the marriage is blessed with four children.
CELEBRATING ADEMOSU AT 60
In commemoration of this man's 60th Birthday, a virtual celebration was organised on that Wednesday, May 27,2022, in which many people who could not attend the physical ceremonial gathering, linked up via zoom.
They showered a lot of encomia on him, for his self discipline, success attitude, leadership style, numerous achievements and contributions to the growth of P.R practice in the corporate world.
Among the professors who spoke were his former lecturer at the then Ogun State Polytechnic and immediate past President of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria(ACSPN) , Professor Lai Oso.
He(Oso) disclosed what he knew about him as his lecturer, before, during and after he (Eddy)became the Deputy Editor (1988/1989) of Poly Echo (a Training Newspaper, for Mass Communication students of Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta) .
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Bishop Ajayi Crowther University, Osun State, where he is pursuing his doctoral degree, also revealed what he knew about him and commended him for his diligence and exemplary lifestyle. It was indeed a memorable day for this man of destiny.
In view of his numerous contributions to corporate world and the growth of Public Relations in Nigeria,
MR EDWARD ADEGBITE ADEMOSU
Is Our SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
MAN-Of-The-MONTH
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