Celine Loader
Getting
Celine Loader to grant an interview took more than a year! Not that she
evaded this reporter, her busy schedules kept her off press interviews.
Surprisingly, last week, she decided to open up on her life, career and
other aspects you never knew.
For one, who lived, studied and worked in
the United Kingdom for over 20 years, eight of which she worked with
the software giant Microsoft, Loader has indeed built a successful
career.
Of Cameroonian descent, she describes
herself as, “a multi-faceted person – mother, wife, girl, lover, a
corporate executive and a creative free-spirit, a serious thinker but
also a goofy clown.”
Is that all to her personality? She
simply replies, “There are many sides to me, but not all are available
for public consumption.”
Head hunted by the United Bank for Africa
in 2006 to head the Brand and Communication Division, she rose to
become the Group Director, Marketing and Corporate Relations, a position
she held until 2009 when she was appointed the Chief Marketing Officer
of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. Her current resume indicates she is a
consultant, Strategic Communication and Public Relations to the Central
Bank of Nigeria.
Wondering how she delved into banking? “I
hold a Master’s degree in Economics, but I had never contemplated a
career in the banking sector,” she explains smiling.
“To be fair, I’m not a banker in the
strict sense of the word. In my time at Microsoft, I was variously
business analyst, marketing manager, communications manager, strategy
planner. Inevitably, my foray into banking leveraged on my previous
experience to focus on the marketing communication, brand and
reputational management aspects of the business.”
Debunking any form of intimidation or discrimination in the male-dominated industry, she chips in a word for career women.
“As we build our careers, we recognise
that there are trade-offs to be made at any particular time. Women are
the bearers and nurturers of our species not by any legal or social
statute but by nature’s own unchangeable imperative. Thus, when it
comes to pursuing other goals outside of our homes, the challenge will
always remain one of prioritisation and balance of choices. The evidence
shows that we can’t successfully have it all at the same time, and that
is okay.”
A mother, who is also the publisher of ASPIRE magazine, she reminisces on how she struck a balance in her career and home:
“I was fortunate to have advanced my
career before taking a break to build a family as a non-working mother.
It was a tough decision to leave a lucrative career in Microsoft at mid
level, but I had to be fully committed and accessible to my young
children-the alternative of full-time nannies was never an option for
me. When I started having more time on my hands between the morning and
afternoon school runs, I then decided to set up a publishing company
that I ran from my home. This was before the explosion of digital
technology and social media. It was pretty avant garde to be managing a
virtual team of people located in different continents only via emails
and websites, and delivering a top quality international magazine every
eight weeks on the shelves of British newsstands.”
Not done yet, she says, “At any time in a
woman’s life, whilst we are blessed with wombs and brains, there’s
always the balancing and prioritisation of choices between family,
career and self-actualisation. Sometimes, the balance tilts towards
family and at other times towards work, depending on where the children
are in their growth. As the children get more and more independent even
in their pre-teen years, it gets relatively easier to make certain
work-life choices. I should add that the support of a loving, confident
and trusting husband or partner is absolutely vital.”
For a ‘serious’ executive, many express
surprise whenever they see her on other creative pedestals-acting and
modelling. She was one of the casts of the movie, ‘Last flight to
Abuja.’ What could have gingered these moves? Laughing, Loader explains
that her personality needs more than a single definition. “I’ve always
had a curious mind and a restless adventurous spirit,” she says.
“Besides, I’m still evolving both as a
woman and as a creative being, and the belief that I can do anything I
put my mind to, continues to drive me. I want to be able to express the
different parts of who I am, even when sometimes, this can be at odds
with what people expect of me. The important thing is to maintain a
strict professionalism that ensures no conflicts of interests or any
sense of reputational embarrassment for all involved.”
For one, who started reading at age
three, she goes down memory lane on her background: “I grew up in
Cameroon, in a typical large African household with siblings, cousins,
aunts and other relatives. There was always chatter, laughter, arguments
and in that kind of environment, you develop both a communal spirit as
well as a strong individual voice to assert your independence.
I was a
precocious child and this put enormous pressure on me to excel at all
times and in everything. My father showed me off to his guests when I
was barely three years old by asking me to read the London Times, which I
read perfectly without really understanding what I had just read! Also,
I recognise that God has blessed me tremendously with the talents that I
have.”
A trendsetter, you cannot fault her dress
sense. To her, style means individuality. Diverting to fashion, she
enthuses: “Though I love dressing up, my sense of individuality and my
body type dictate my fashion choices. I love the elegance of simplicity
and I tend to wear classic styles that are unfussy with simple beautiful
lines and curves. I don’t follow trends slavishly. Why wear an outfit
that doesn’t flatter your body or distinguish you from the crowd simply
because it is ‘the trend’ or it is the must-have designer label?”
Her fashion fetish? Jeans and black knee-high boots!
Loader is keen on mentorship. According
to her, her mentees are the ‘new children’ in her life. She says, “It is
always an honour to be asked by young people to be their mentor, and my
mentees span Nigeria, UK, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya.
The
intellectual emancipation of Africans is on a cusp right now, fueled
largely by the entrepreneurial pursuits of these young people.
Regardless of the immense challenges, they have grasped the nettle to
chart a new narrative for the continent and it is rewarding to play a
part in nurturing this new generation of bold, confident and
self-believing Africans, particularly young women. Today’s digital age
has made them much more switched on than we were as young people, giving
them unfettered access to global resources, influential people,
information and learning opportunities.
They just need that extra help
to make smart choices as they navigate the course of their own
destinies. I’m much more hopeful about the future of Africa than
before.”
Though a celebrity, you cannot take away
social works from this fashionable woman, who graces red carpets and
other social events regularly.
Viewing philanthropy as a lifestyle
accessory in a highly choreographed celebrity culture, Loader, opines:
“It is important to say high profile and wealthy persons have a moral
obligation to use their status to bring awareness and real resources to
the disenfranchised, not just for public relations purposes. Being a
consultant now affords me a bit more flexibility to give my time to
these other activities.
I am a trustee and supporter of three different
charities, having been inspired by the quiet sacrifice of their
founders. The Down Syndrome Association of Nigeria, founded by the
tireless Mrs. Rose Mordi; the Hope4Girls Basketball Foundation founded
by an inspiring young lady and former Nigerian basketball Olympian, Ms.
Mobolaji Akiode; and the Ephphata School for Deaf Children in Kumba,
Cameroon, run by Mr. Ebot Ntui. These are not glamorous charities like
cancer or HIV/AIDS, but they are just as desperate, if not more
desperate, for moral and funding support. Besides giving money and my
time (when I can), my goal is to help raise significant resources for
them through my personal and corporate connections.”
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