LBS intrapreneurs shine during Black History Month
London Business School (LBS) is honouring Black intrapreneurs within its community this Black History Month.
Take, for example, Cole Agbede MBA2021, who co-founded LBS’s Black in Business student club during his studies, or Claude Fidelin EMBAG2012, who launched the Nike app’s Jordan Mode and the FlyEase footwear platform in EMEA - both global firsts at the time.
Being self-motivated and action-oriented came naturally to investment banker Adesoji Solanke MBA2018, whose entrepreneurial parents paved the way. His career has seen him build new business units for large multinational banks, success he puts down to senior level support, clearly communicating his vision, being able to work with other teams and building support for his vision.
Vyla Rollins is the Executive Director of the LBS Leadership Institute, and also a Programme Director and Executive Coach for LBS Executive Education. She feels the roles she holds at LBS have created a perfect platform for her to act as an intrapreneur - via orchestrating, facilitating and creating win-win scenarios between multiple LBS stakeholders (including faculty, staff, freelance contributors and alumni) relating to their goals, aspirations and passions.
Adaptability is also key. Godlivian Bahati Ojiambo MIFFT2024 embarked on a pivotal intrapreneurial journey after an abrupt internal reshuffle at his employer left him with added responsibility. His new role exposed him to strategic initiatives and decision-making early on, paving the way for him to become a founding employee of an independent asset management company within the larger group structure.
MBA2026 candidate Elizabeth Njenga’s intrapreneurial vigour helped earned her the role of CEO of STREAD, a real estate investment trust (REIT) management business that had been non-operational for eight years.
“I had to learn on the job without a predecessor, but successfully led the company to get our first mandate to manage assets worth 50 million US dollars,” she said.
“Through sheer grit, I managed to complete all tasks for the project in record time and I was confirmed as the CEO.”
Shauna Fuller Clarke SLN2018 transformed her small family bookstore in Jamaica into the largest bookstore business in the Caribbean.
“I helped launch a range of special projects – developing print and cyber centres, incorporating new product lines, and diversifying into areas like property development. We also successfully opened a tech store and a coffee shop, tapping into new customer patterns,” she said.
“Currently, as Director of Strategy and Innovation, a part of my job is ensuring that we seize opportunities while fostering teams that are innovative and forward-thinking – creating a culture where people feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and learning from failures.”
George Asamani MBA2013, Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Project Management Institute, also believes in the value of empowerment.
“One of my proudest achievements has been fostering a culture where our staff can transcend traditional job descriptions and take ownership of innovative solutions, which resulted in double-digit growth in the region in 2023,” he said.
“By creating an environment where initiative is encouraged, we’ve unlocked the potential to influence sectors beyond our core mandate, helping businesses and governments build stronger, future-ready project management capabilities.”
