Upskilling Professionals with Talstack - Seni Sulyman, CEO & Co-Founder Talstack (@talstackafrica) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

From Hosting Mark Zuckerberg during his time at Andela as VP of Global Operations to building Talstack. Seni Sulyman  provides more context on the role corporate institutions could play to enhance talent productivity without over reliance on fresh recruits. Talstack curates first-hand leadership experiences from Africa’s leading entrepreneurs into a seamless learning program for entry level employees to managers.

In this episode, we discuss:

📌Building Talstack
📌Hosting Mark Zuckerberg at Andela 🤯📣🚀
📌Learnings from diverse work experiences
📌Being good at business & cultivating a leadership mindset

Seni is the Founder of Talstack, a venture-backed startup that provides a corporate learning and talent management platform that enables African businesses to better manage employees and their performance.

He is also founder at Black Ops, a private network for African operators.
 
Seni’s prior career cuts across roles and industries including Chief Operating Officer at Bellhop, a US-based venture backed startup, VP of Global Operations at Andela, a global venture-backed unicorn,  establishing a great company culture that placed Andela as #1 Best Place to Work, Bristow Group, where he built and operated a new business jet airline in Nigeria, HP and Bain & Company.
 
Seni holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University

Listen to the full episode now. Full video also available on Youtube

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Follow our guest: @talstackafrica @blackopsafrica

Generation Unlimited 9JA: About Us (Series 1) with Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF Chief Field Office, Head Private Sector Partnership , Lead Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU9JA) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

In this episode, we discuss UNICEF Nigeria Generation Unlimited's (GENU9JA) mandate to connect 20m young people with skills and job opportunities by 20230. Through 3 target pillars  - Digital Learning, Workplace Readiness & Youth Engagement; GenU9JA has started the work in collaboration with key stakeholders within the private and public sector such as Microsoft, UNILEVER, The World Bank etc

Celine provides a breakdown on the growth of GenU9JA, challenges and what we should look forward to. In this episode we discuss:

📌 About Generation Unlimited
📌 Harnessing a world for more Public-Private-Youth partnerships
📌 GenU supporting youth workplace readiness
📌 YOMA

Watch the full episode now. Audio available on Youtube

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Follow our guest: @unicef_nigeria @generationunlimitednigeria @generationunlimited

Joe Kinvi (CA) is the founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora, and also leads HoaQ, one of the largest investment communities focused on educating investors and helping mobilise capital for founders across Africa and its Diaspora.

With over 700 investors across 37 countries and 100 investments across 10 countries, the HoaQ team has supported organisations such as Google (Black Founders Fund program in Africa) and Morgan Stanley (Inclusive Venture Lab). The team reviews over 1,000 startups a year.

Listen to the full episode now.  Watch the full episode on YouTube. 

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Follow our guest: @hoaqclub @joekinvi

ÌTÀN- A Culinary Journey with Michael Elégbèdé , Founder & Chef ÌTÀN Test and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

*Disclaimer: This episode is our first virtual (not in person) interview. Audio sound may be different/ have pause gaps due to internet connectivity*

In this episode, we discuss:
📌 The journey to building ìTÀN
📌 The importance of storytelling through food and cultural identity & unity.
📌 Chef  Elégbèdé's travel experiences of sourcing natural ingredients across West Africa

Michael Elégbèdé, is a third-generation Nigerian-American Chef who is revolutionizing West African gastronomy by celebrating indigenous food traditions and ingredients. Michael is an award-winning Chef and graduate of a global top culinary institution (The Culinary Institute of America)  and has worked with some of the world's best restaurants and chefs in America.

ÌTÀN T.K, located in Ikoyi, Lagos, has been ranked amongst the world's best restaurant spaces by La Listé for two years. ÌTÀN reimagines Nigerian ingredients and cooking traditions, supporting Chef Elégbèdé’s mission to change perceptions of West African dishes and bridge West African culture with its global derivatives.

Listen to the full episode now. Full video also available on Youtube

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Follow our guest: @itan_tk @michae_elegbede

Building Expertise In Your Career with Rolake Rosiji, Africa Regional Director for Seedstars and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

In this episode, we discuss Rolake’s new journey with Seedstars and helpful tips for career transitioning. Seedstars is an Entrepreneurial ecosystem merging incubator and accelerator programs with trainings and impact investing

Key areas we cover:

•  Transitioning to a new career field 
• Building connections for job opportunities  
• Doing things regardless of fear 

Listen to the full episode now. Full video available on Youtube

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Follow our guest on LinkedIn: Rolake Rosiji

The Andrea Iyamah journey with Andrea Iyamah, Founder and CEO (@andreaiyamah) and Host of The Star Network Podcast, Zephia Ovia-Ikem  (Zeph)

In this episode, we discuss how to operationalise your business especially within the creative space. How a Fashion house such as the Andrea Iyamah brand has remained consistent and continues to scale globally. For over a decade, the brand has gained repeated recognition for it’s work, with features in Forbes, Vogue, InStyle, HuffPost and more 

Key highlights in our discussion:

-The Andrea Iyamah journey (what makes the brand consistent)

-Operationalising creative businesses  (the need to create systems to run a business)

-Thinking and positioning globally 

-Getting your team to buy into the vision 

Listen to the full episode now. Full video also available on Youtube

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 Follow our guest @andreaiyamah

Passion to Entrepreneurship  with Onyekachi Iroha, CEO & Founder Beauty Atelier  (@beautyatelierintl) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

Beauty Atelier is a Permanent makeup beauty salon specialising in a range of services from microblading, lashes, ombre brows, piercings etc. The brand has welcomed over 5,000 clients from all over the world with a mission to be an oasis for self-love and healing through artistic expression and personal growth. Onyekachi’s work experience spans across 15 years of Pure and applied chemistry, Human resource management and Permanent makeup artistry

In this episode, we discuss the growth of the Beauty Atelier brand and building a community for every woman's beauty needs:

Key areas we cover:
 
📌 How Beauty Atelier has maintained client retention
📌 Prioritising family time even as a business owner
📌 Employee wellbeing 
📌 Establishing operational policies for your business

Listen to the full episode now  Full video available on Youtube

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Follow our guest @beautyatelierintl

Building Herconomy and Expanding your Network  with Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, CEO & Founder Herconomy (@Herconomy) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

Herconomy is a financial technology platform that helps women securely grow their wealth by offering high-yield savings accounts, community, financial education and discounts on women – centric products and services with a mission to be the most reliable financial services platform for women in Africa.

In this episode, we discuss the role of Herconomy financial products to empower women through savings and low risk investments

Key areas we cover: 

📌 How to expand your network and get opportunities 

📌Achieving Financial freedom for women and the domino effect  

📌 Building a trust early for your children to ensure generational wealth 

Listen to the full episode now to find out how to access opportunities and begin your savings journey

Video available on Youtube

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 For partnerships, email us: [email protected]
 Follow our guest @herconomy 

Public Relations in Africa : Transcending borders  with Ijeoma Balogun CEO & Founder Redrick Public Relations and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

If you’re in tech, entertainment, fashion, consultancy etc and you’re curious about expanding your brand positioning, this one is for you 

Key areas we cover: 

📌Public Relations- brand positioning , growing demand & working with international brands  

📌How to get things done by building legacy processes in the workplace 

📌 Building a work culture that empowers employees 

 Listen to the full episode now and find out on how Public Relations could support your brand 

 Video available on Youtube

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 For partnerships, email us: [email protected]

 Follow our guest @redrickpr

Conservationism: Going Green with Nela Duke Ekpenyong, CEO Obudu Conservation Centre & Founder LEGA.C Capital and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)

 In this episode, we discuss the role of  Conservationism on job creation and empowerment for local communities. We also touched on the role of Family Offices and the importance of Legacy for preserving family wealth 

LEGA.C is a  multi-family office which supports the wealth and growth of innovators, entrepreneurs, executives, and High-Net-Worth families. The firm aims to foster a spirit of stewardship within these families and generations to come. LEGA.C is impact-driven and is launching Africa's first biomimicry accelerator under their product offerings (which will be incubated by consonance) 

Key highlights in our discussion: 

 📌Obudu Conservation Centre -education and growing awareness of wildlife preservation

📌 Enhancing local tourism across States 

📌The role of Family offices for wealth preservation and transfer on the African continent 

 Listen to the full episode now and find out on wildlife preservation in Cross Rivers State, the potential of tourism in Africa and the role of Family offices 

 Video available on Youtube

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 For partnerships, email us: [email protected]

 Follow our guest @obuduconservationcentre

 
**Disclaimer**
This episode was recorded in Dec 2023. The reference to COP28 is of 2023

Obudu Conservation Centre is founded by Nela's family. Obudu Resort is a separate entity owned by the Cross Rivers State Government