Uzo Obi is founder of Arete Wood Limited (manufacturers of household and institutional furniture, and exclusive Nigeria distributor of Kronospan MFC, MDF and HPL panels).
What is, perhaps, more intriguing (and inspiring) is the backstory that led to Uzo’s business, which her cousin Adaobi Oniwinde gives an insight into:
She attended what is among the [top] Ivy League of girls’ private secondary schools in the UK, after which she studied Accounting at the London School of Economics.
Then started her career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen and moved to Hong Kong for a few years as an analyst in the transportation sector, at a time such moves were south of popular…After a successful run with Credit Lyonnais, she moved again. This time to Italy where she spent eight years in various business development roles in the high-end apparel industry with companies including Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Moncler. She also learned and became fluent in Italian.
Here’s a woman whose life experiences have blessed her with options, yet she chose to move to Nigeria and start a business in a sector dominated by foreign men.
On a recent visit to the Arete Wood factory in Lagos, Adaobi asked Uzo what had given her the temerity to take such a leap of faith, and responding, Uzo says:
“All I knew was that the product was amazing. In fact, the best in the world…and it gives me an opportunity to train and employ Nigerians in these critical times.”
Apparently, Uzo disclosed that she had ‘done it afraid’ because she didn’t know much about the industry, but has since learned everything on the job.
Adaobi, whose visit to the factory coincided with a day Uzo was interviewing candidates for a Warehouse Manager position (one of 29 Nigerians the company employs), aptly concluded:
I enjoyed observing her. She’s tough and extremely passionate. I now understand how this woman is not only surviving, but thriving in a male dominated industry. In Nigeria. In these times. Uzo chose an apt name for her mission: Arete, which means the pursuit of excellence.
