Abudu nets NBA milestone
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| Abudu |
She has been appointed as the first
NBA Africa Vice-President and Country Head of Nigeria where the third Africa
office of the NBA will be opened in Lagos early 2022.
The NBA is currently expanding
its Africa presence and Abudu being chosen as the Nigeria head is indeed a
milestone for her as the role will be very tasking so being entrusted with it
is a very great honour.
She seems up for it though as the
NBA describes her as an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, luxury
marketing expert and social activist with 17 years of experience developing
businesses, brands and human capital in Nigeria, the Middle East and the US.
She’ll report to NBA Africa CEO
Victor Williams and will be responsible for leading the league’s basketball and
business development initiatives in Nigeria, including grassroots programming
for youth, elite player development, relationships with current and prospective
marketing, media and merchandise partners and social responsibility efforts
that improve the lives of youth and families in Nigeria.
“We’re excited about expanding
NBA Africa operations in Nigeria with the launch of our office in Lagos and
thrilled to have Gbemisola join us to lead our efforts in the country. As an
established business leader, entrepreneur, global marketing expert and social
activist, her expertise will be invaluable in helping us continue to grow
basketball and the NBA in a country that already has a strong affinity for the
game,” Williams said of her appointment.
Reacting as well, she said, “Joining
NBA Africa as the Vice President & Country Head of Nigeria and opening the
league’s office here is the opportunity of a lifetime and the culmination of
all my experiences to date. As a lifelong basketball fan and Nigeria native, I
look forward to working with the NBA Africa team to help build a more
comprehensive basketball ecosystem in the country and to using the
transformative power of sport to impact lives in Nigeria and beyond.”
Abudu previously served as
Founder/Managing Partner, BMGA Enterprise Limited (BMGA), an educational
technology finishing school in Lagos that provides social and marketing
intelligence to increase the productivity of people and organizations.
In that role, she invested in the
sustainable development of human capital and advanced gender equality in Africa
by developing social impact initiatives, establishing new learning and
leadership platforms and growing partnerships with world renowned
universities.
Prior to BMGA, she worked as a
global marketing professional for international brands including Louis Vuitton,
The Walt Disney Company and The Clorox Company.
A dual citizen of Nigeria and the
US, she holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and public relations from the
University of Wyoming and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global
Management in Glendale, Arizona where she is President, Thunderbird Alumni
Association Nigeria Chapter.
The NBA opened its Africa
headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.
Since then, its efforts in Africa
have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through grassroots
and elite development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa
Games, the launch of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and more.
BAL, a partnership between the
NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) headquartered in Dakar,
Senegal will tip off its second season in March 2022.
Fall heads new Africa basketball league
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