Happy Birthday to Duchess Bolaji Odunuga, the CEO of Duke and Duchess International Magazines!
Today, we celebrate the life of an accomplished publisher, SAP analyst, and CEO who has made a tremendous impact on the publishing industry and African culture.
Bolaji’s journey began in 2006 when she worked as an Associate Publisher at Effects International Magazine in London. Her passion for promoting the wealth of milestone achievements and relevance in African descents led to the birth of her internationally renowned magazine, Duchess International Magazine, in 2014. The magazine focuses on the strength, uniqueness, and relevance of women. She went further to launch the print edition of the magazine in 2018 in Nigeria to reach a wider audience.
Bolaji’s relentless drive for excellence and focus on promoting the achievements of African descents has brought Duke and Duchess International Magazines to the forefront of the publishing industry. As a woman of color, she has faced discrimination in the industry, but her resilience and determination have seen her through these challenges.
Her impact on the publishing industry and the promotion of African culture have not gone unnoticed. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the top 100 influential Nigerian women in the UK. Bolaji’s work has also been recognized by the Nigerian Community Leeds, where she received an award for promoting African cultural heritage.
Bolaji’s philosophy in life is anchored on the need to make an impact on people’s lives. She believes that everyone has a purpose in life, and it is essential to identify that purpose and work towards fulfilling it. Bolaji’s three qualities that define her are love, respect, and integrity. She believes that she has to love herself first before she can love her children, partner, sister, or mum. Bolaji emphasized the importance of respect, stating that she treats people as she wants them to treat her. Meeting her and you will get a sense of who she is. Integrity is paramount to her, and her reputation precedes her.
For the accomplished publisher, being a complete woman means living in abundance, knowing your self-worth, loving yourself, and knowing your strength. She believes that when a woman knows who she is, her light shines through to her children, partner, friends, and everyone throughout the world. Bolaji’s emphases is on the importance of a woman knowing herself, her inner strength, and discovering herself.
Her contributions to the publishing industry and the promotion of African culture, her passion, resilience, and determination is an inspiration for many African women.
Happy Birthday, Duchess Bolaji!
