Fela Durotoye

Fela Durotoye is the Chief Executive Officer of Visible Impact; a social enterprise set up to tackle social and environmental challenges and limitations with the aim to build people into super-achievers and responsible leaders, build corporate organizations into global market leaders and responsible corporate citizens, as well as assist governments in developing blueprints and programs that create a desirable environment for their people to do great things.
He is widely regarded as a nation builder, an internationally acclaimed national development strategist, best - selling author and an internationally renowned motivational speaker.
In February 2001, Fela was sought after by the ECOWAS Secretariat to facilitate a 5 year Visioning & Strategy Session. Based on the success of this retreat, he was invited to Lome, Togo to facilitate a retreat for a multilateral organisation with an annual turnover of over US $100 million. His exceptional facilitation style was attested to in September 2002, when the Integrated Programmes Sector of ECOWAS invited him to facilitate their annual retreat programme. In October 2002, Fela co-facilitated a strategic retreat for the ECOWAS Administration Directorate and is billed to facilitate yet another retreat for the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.
In January 2003, ECOWAS commissioned a team led by Mr. Fela Durotoye to map out a 5-year strategy plan for Youth Empowerment & Job Creation in the Sub region.
Fela’s passion for Nigeria and Africa is astounding and highly palpable. As the Chief Executive Officer of the GEMSTONE project, Fela’s assignment is to “raise a Generation that is Empowered, Motivated & Stirred To Operate with Natural Excellence” (http://www.facebook.com/l/d1bea;www.gemstone2025.org) that will build Africa into the world’s most desirable continent to live in.
He has embarked on a mission to Revive Academic excellence In our Schools and Educational institutions through a private sector driven initiative he tagged Project RAISE (http://www.facebook.com/l/d1bea;www.projectraise.org). His book, ‘The 17 Secrets of High Flying Students’, delivers to students, principles that make them super achievers, while the entire plan guarantees an educational system that is believed will make Nigeria the worlds’ centre for academic excellence by December 31, 2025.
In November 2006, Project RAISE was unveiled to the Nigerian media. The project received the endorsement of the Honorable Minister for Education Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesilli. In her words, “The Project RAISE plan is in line with the Federal Ministry of Education’s purpose to nurture the mind, create a good society and compete globally’’. Commenting on the book, ‘17 Laws of Academic Excellence’ she said, “I am confident that the book has in it, the principles necessary for our children (the leaders of the future) to achieve academic excellence. I look forward to seeing this book in the hands of every child in Nigeria”.
With corporations and state governments, in line to sponsor the book into the hands of children nationwide, Fela’s “17 Secrets of High Flying Students” is guaranteed to be a best seller.
In October 2008, Fela’s team were invited by the government of Oyo State to “Raise The Standard” of education. In Just 8 days, 53,200 Students and over 5000 Teachers in 7 Centres across the length and breadth of Oyo State were inspired to greatness. A phenomenal transformation took place in the heart of future leaders and that of their teachers. This has set the pace for educational transformation and human capital development in the state.
In December 2008, Fela, in conjunction with the Lagos State Government, represented by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State along with some members of her Education Team, held the 1st edition of the “Young Leaders Conference” with 3,000 Senior Secondary School (SSS3 ) students and over 50 teachers in attendance; were drawn from every zone in the state and were inspired to Deliver The Future at the Gymnasium of the National Stadium, Surulere.
As a result of Fela’s passion for Nigeria, the Independent Corruption Practices Commission (ICPC) invited Fela to be a key speaker at the first Anti Corruption Summit that held in Abuja. The Chairman of the commission described Fela as an “ICON, and one of the few Nigerians of the next generation that embody the spirit of the New Nigeria”.
Fela was also commended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a result of his “immense commitment to the generational task of evolving a New Nigeria as well as being an evolving inspiration to the nation”.
Never resting on his oars, Fela has initiated a TV Reality show project, called 24 / 7, which is in partnership with one of Nigeria’s leading banks, which seeks to rebuild ailing physical infrastructure of 6 selected schools and also, the mental transformation of the students, which will be accomplished in a staggering 7 days, with builders, artisans and volunteers working 24 hours a day!
A budding television host, Fela Durotoye anchors the highly sought after programme, Business Clinic with Fela Durotoye on SilverBird Television every Tuesday morning, where he gives practical business solutions to entrepreneurs and business people.
Fela Durotoye has also gained a reputation as one of the leading experts in the field of Customer Management and Workforce Activation, particularly in the banking sector. Today, Visible Impact’s Consulting Group has assisted several organizations, including 9 of Nigeria’s top 10 banks in their quest for high quality service delivery. A few of their clients include Access Bank, U.B.A, BankPHB, Intercontinental Bank. StanbicIBTC and Zenith Bank just to name a few.
In 2008, Fela initiated a Core Value system for Nigerian youths that was adopted by over 420 young leaders in Abuja, Nigeria.
Fela has also excelled and been recognized on the international front. As a highly sought after speaker, the name Fela Durotoye now rings across Nigeria, the United States of America and the United Kingdom as one of our nation's most sought after business strategists and motivational speakers.
In recognition of his contributions to the field of Human Resource Consulting, he was honored with the “Excellence in Human Resource Consulting Award” by NIPRO, a body of Nigerian Professionals based in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, at their global conventions in Miami, Florida in December 2004.
Fela was guest speaker at the Global Bankers Conference, held in London, England in 2006. He is a recipient of the Heart of Africa Project award, an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the United Kingdom where he was honored by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Christopher Kolade.
In 2009, Fela initiated the historic “Mushin Makeover” project; a one day physical beautification exercise of 294 houses along 7 streets in the suburbs of Mushin; where he raised a host of Nigerian Celebrities as well as over 2000 volunteers in what has come to be termed as the “largest volunteering effort in Nigeria’s history” to rebuild the city.
Also in 2009, Fela Durotoye received a plethora of honorary awards, some of which included, City People’s Young Male Achiever, Fly Network’s award, Mentor of the Year award, Nigerian Achiever Award Institute and most especially, an award as Africa’s Ambassador for Integrity.
In 2010, Fela was invited to speak to a summit of the European Union.
Fela is also the founding president of the Motivational Speakers Network (MSN) of Nigeria.
Fela Durotoye's accomplishments have regularly commanded the frequent attention of the media and he has often been profiled and interviewed by This Day, The Guardian, Punch, Daily Independent, Financial Standard, The News, National Standard, Business Day, The Sun and Vanguard as well as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channels TV, BEN TV, BBC, Reuters, Africa Loft International, AFP, Radio France International, China News and several others.
He is happily married to Tara; a renowned and celebrated make-up artist and beauty consultant, and together they have 3 boys, who think their dad is a super hero!