Shade Okoya, wife of real estate and manufacturing mogul, Razak Okoya is a prime example of how being in a relationship with an empowering partner can make you better than you want to be.
In a chat with BellaNaija, she shared how she was able to rise to a leadership position at Eleganza Industrial City by working side by side with her husband. On establishing herself quickly as an invaluable asset to her husband’s evolution as an entrepreneur, she said she remained inspired by his unique ability to spot talent from afar. That uncanny ability coupled with buying into his vision to take big business risks ensures that they are able to giant strides in their pursuits.
“If I thought I could make Eleganza a leader in Nigeria, he [Razak] would say ‘we can be a household name in Africa’. Think bigger,” she recounted.
While the stunning Shade is naturally a motivated woman, she admits to being pushed by her husband to stretch her aspirations and she credits this constant challenge to break bounds as one of her biggest motivators.
Note that she balances making money moves with being a wife and mother, a feat with which she has attacked with a high level of focus. She said, “Whatever I’m doing in that exact moment, I want to do it exceptionally well. If I’m with my children, I want to actually be engaged. I want to listen to actually hear what they say back. I have an actual, engaged conversation with them, and the same goes for my husband. Conversely, if I’m in a boardroom negotiating something that is life-changing for our organization, I want to be locked into that moment.”