Ladi Osadebe leads through mentorship, community

Nigeria is a country hungry for models of responsible leadership. With its business climate where inflation bites into household incomes, youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, and start up survival rates fluctuate with every shift in policy or infrastructure breakdown, stories of entrepreneurs who look beyond profit are valuable because they remind the country that enterprise can still be a force for social transformation. 

Ladi Teresa Osadebe, a seasoned entrepreneur and event management expert whose career spans two decades and whose influence now extends far beyond the dazzling lights of weddings and corporate gatherings is one of those whose stories offer the country the much-needed hope. Osadebe has become a mentor, community builder, and volunteer whose mission is to lift others as she climbs.

Her journey began long before the accolades and global conferences. With a Bachelor of Technology degree in Estate Management from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in 2004, she entered the workforce at a time when Nigeria’s economy was navigating the early 2000s oil driven optimism. Even in those early roles at Participant Properties Limited and John Bull Amaeyevbo and Co., she developed a curiosity for systems and people. Facility management, property valuations, client relations, and operational control formed the backbone of her early career. 

By 2007, as Facility Manager on the Brunel Engineering 105 Health Centers Project in Rivers State, she was supervising utilities, maintenance, compliance, and budgets across a major public sector initiative. It was a role that taught her structure, resilience, and problem solving in real time.

Those years laid the foundation for the entrepreneur she would become. In 2011 she founded Red Bubbles Events Limited, alongside K2 Sparkles Enterprises and later Bolifish Enterprise. She stepped into the challenging world of event management just as the sector was emerging as a major employer of women and young freelancers in Nigeria.

 The events industry contributes significantly to the creative economy and depends on rigorous planning, logistics, customer experience design, and cross functional coordination. Osadebe excelled in these areas and soon became known not only for delivering memorable occasions but also for building strong business systems. She designed internal processes, set financial controls, trained staff, and instilled a culture of excellence that helped her companies grow despite the harsh realities of inconsistent power supply, currency volatility, and rising operating costs.

Yet the most striking part of her story is not the commercial success. It is the intentional way she uses her business and expertise to create opportunities for others. Osadebe has made her companies both a training ground and a ladder. She has built pathways for young men and women who are seeking to gain meaningful skills, financial independence, and confidence in a country where many youths face limited institutional support. She has done this through mentorship, structured training, open door guidance, and community centered leadership.

Her belief in mentorship is deeply personal. At a time when entrepreneurship education was not as widespread as it is today, she sought out knowledge deliberately. She attended the Fate Foundation Aspiring Entrepreneur Program in 2008, enrolled at the Pan Atlantic University for entrepreneurial management in 2013, and later participated in programs such as the Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure workshops and the Mastering the Business of Your Talent program in 2018. 

In 2020 she was selected for the prestigious Women Entrepreneur Leadership Academy at the China Europe International Business School, one of the most competitive leadership programs for women on the continent. Every exposure expanded her worldview and deepened her commitment to teaching others.

She now pays that knowledge forward by mentoring young entrepreneurs who are navigating the hurdles she once faced. Many of her mentees are women in the creative sector who do not have access to formal training or capital. She offers guidance on business structuring, customer management, budgeting, regulatory compliance, and personal growth. 

She helps them understand the practical realities of running a business in Nigeria, from negotiating with vendors to planning for currency fluctuations. Most importantly, she helps them build confidence. In a society where women often struggle for visibility in business leadership, Osadebe becomes not just an adviser but a symbol of what is possible.

Her mentoring work is also a response to the social context around her. Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate has remained high for more than a decade, hovering between 20 and 40 percent depending on the year and data set. The non formal economy absorbs millions of young people who rely on skills based industries such as events, retail, and media. It is within this environment that Osadebe invests her time. 

She trains event professionals in customer experience, planning, hospitality, and operations, teaching them the standards required to compete locally and internationally. She has spoken at several industry forums, including the International Live Events Association Lagos Chapter, where she addressed female event entrepreneurs on life, entrepreneurship, and the business of events. Through these engagements she amplifies the message that professionalism is a pathway to resilience in a volatile economy.

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Her voice has become familiar in conferences and masterclasses. She has served as a panelist at the Access Bank W Hospitality Symposium on building sustainable businesses and at Women Enterprise Day during the Global Entrepreneurship Week. She has addressed the Lekki Alumni community of the Enterprise Development Centre and contributed to discussions on personal branding for women. Her participation in the WIMBIZ Conferences from 2018 to 2023 underscores her connection to a growing network of female leaders who are shaping policy conversations around women in business.

Osadebe’s commitment goes beyond speaking engagements. She volunteers her time for community and social impact events, often taking on roles that involve training young people on work ethics, event planning, project management, and basic entrepreneurship. She supports initiatives that bring together underserved communities, offering pro bono advice and sometimes providing logistics support. Her work with grassroots programs is rooted in the belief that empowerment must reach those who are not in formal networks. In low income neighborhoods where opportunities are scarce, a workshop on event decoration, hospitality, or vendor coordination can provide young people with skills they can immediately monetize. She has supported church events, charity programs, youth empowerment seminars, and women focused conferences, using each platform to reinforce the idea that entrepreneurship is not only a personal journey but also a civic responsibility.

Her leadership within professional associations further shows how she blends competence with service. As a member of the International Live Events Association, Women in Management, Business and Public Service, and the Association of Professional Party Organizers and Event Managers of Nigeria, she contributes to industry wide growth. These networks connect her to global best practices and enable her to share knowledge with others in the field. Her membership in the Project Management Institute and the Institute of Facility Management Association reflects her multidisciplinary strength and her belief in continuous improvement.

Her book, ‘The Event Entrepreneurs Handbook’, serves as a guide for emerging professionals and brings structure to an often informal industry. Her commitment to professionalizing the events sector earned her recognition from Women Entrepreneurship Day in 2023 and the African Outstanding Professionals Awards in 2024. Yet even with these recognitions, she continues to emphasize service over spectacle.

Her approach to leadership is grounded in community values. She believes that business owners must help repair the social fabric, especially in a country where inequality widens every year. Inflation has affected the price of basic goods, and many families are cutting back on discretionary spending. The events industry, like many parts of the creative economy, has felt the pressure. In spite of these challenges, Osadebe insists that the responsibility of leaders does not diminish. Instead, she argues that it becomes more urgent. Her mentoring sessions now include conversations about financial discipline, resilience under pressure, and creative solutions for sustaining revenue during economic downturns. She teaches young professionals to think beyond the moment and build structures that will survive shocks.

Her deliberate use of her social and professional networks to open doors for others set her apart. She connects her mentees to vendors, partners, and clients. She introduces them to training programs, fellowship opportunities, and funding platforms. She encourages them to attend fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. She tells them to show up, even when they feel unsure. For many of them, these small acts of inclusion become life changing. They find community, mentorship, and a sense of belonging in an industry that can be competitive and intimidating.

Osadebe’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship can be a tool for community building when leaders choose service over selfish ambition. In her world, an event is not just an occasion but an opportunity to teach standards, to build capacity, and to inspire the next generation. The young woman who once coordinated health center facilities in the Niger Delta now stands at the intersection of business and social impact, proving that growth and generosity can coexist.

Her mission continues with renewed energy. Whether she is training a young event decorator, mentoring an aspiring entrepreneur, volunteering at a community programme or or speaking on a global platform, she carries the same message. Success means very little unless it lifts others.