The inclusion platform Black At has launched the first edition of its global initiative Through Her Lens in Lagos, bringing together influential voices across marketing, storytelling, film, advertising and communications to advance conversations around recognition, equitable opportunity and leadership visibility for women in the creative economy.

L-R: Femi Odugbemi, Poducer & Founder Zuri24 Media, Adenike Ogunlesi, Founder/ CRO Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, Ralph Tathagata, Managing Editor/Divisional Director at MARKETING EDGE Publications Ltd., Bunmi Oke, CEO /Lead Consultant, Ladybird Advertising,

Held at Alliance Française de Lagos, the landmark gathering signalled the beginning of what organisers described as a sustained international movement designed to reposition women as central drivers of cultural expression, narrative authority and industry transformation across the global creative ecosystem.

Importantly, the Lagos convening marked the official starting point of a global advocacy series expected to move next to Johannesburg, São Paulo, London, Cannes and New York during the United Nations General Assembly 2026. Insights collected across these engagements will contribute to a policy-focused white paper intended to address structural barriers affecting women across creative industries worldwide.

Throughout the Lagos sessions, speakers repeatedly stressed that the future of the creative economy depends not merely on participation but on intentional recognition, equitable compensation, leadership access and narrative ownership for women across storytelling platforms.

Convener of the initiative and Chief Executive Officer of Black At, Osarimen Ukhurebor, positioned the platform as a strategic intervention designed to ensure women’s voices are properly reflected in shaping both cultural narratives and industry direction.

According to him, the initiative exists not only to spotlight women but also to understand how best to strengthen their positioning across creative leadership pipelines.

“This is the first edition of Through Her Lens, an initiative designed to showcase women within the creative space,” he said.
“Our aim is to understand how best to project women in relation to equal pay, gender equality and accessibility to global platforms. For Nigerian women, our message is clear: we understand you, we believe in what you do and we applaud your work. Hang in there. Be strong in whatever you do and whatever field you are in. Your creativity defines you, not your gender.”

He further explained that the initiative is working in collaboration with UN Women’s Stereotype Alliance and local industry bodies including Women in Marketing and the Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria, with a strong emphasis this year on data collection, ecosystem mapping and documenting lived experiences of women and allies within the creative sector.

According to Ukhurebor, the long-term goal is to ensure that insights gathered from practitioners across markets translate into actionable frameworks capable of influencing policy conversations globally.

Across panel conversations, Bunmi Oke, Lead Consultant at Ladybird Advertising, highlighted the growing importance of visual storytelling in an era shaped by mobile technology, social platforms and creator-driven communication systems.

Drawing from over three decades of industry experience, she explained that storytelling has shifted from large production structures to handheld digital environments where individuals now control narrative creation directly.

She noted that mobile devices have effectively transformed creators into scriptwriters, editors and broadcasters simultaneously, adding that the rise of smartphones has placed storytelling power in the hands of everyday users rather than traditional production gatekeepers.

According to her, brands across demographics now depend heavily on mobile platforms to reach audiences, while the growth of influencers reflects how individuals increasingly market themselves first before promoting products.

She stressed that the quality of mobile technology has become strong enough to rival studio-based production environments, reinforcing the reality that storytelling authority now sits with anyone capable of creating and distributing digital content across platforms.

Providing further insight into narrative ownership and representation, Adenike Ogunlesi, Founder and Chief Responsibility Officer of Ruff ’n’ Tumble, emphasised that women must take responsibility for shaping the stories that define their identities across generations.

She explained that women are custodians of societal values and therefore uniquely positioned to reshape how societies interpret leadership, culture and possibility.

According to her, storytelling has always shaped nations and identities, but digital storytelling now accelerates that influence at unprecedented speed.

She stressed that women must actively participate in telling their own stories so that what once appeared unconventional becomes normalised for younger generations.

“No one can tell women’s stories better than women themselves,” she said, adding that humanity cannot fully tell its story from only one perspective.

Using a powerful metaphor, she noted that just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, societies cannot progress without the creative contributions of both men and women working together within the same ecosystem.

She encouraged women to show up consistently with what she described as the three Cs, character, competence and capacity, explaining that technical strength, social intelligence and demonstrated readiness remain critical to expanding influence within leadership spaces.

She also stressed that women must stop framing progress as competition with men and instead recognise storytelling as a shared human responsibility requiring both perspectives.

Industry leaders including Lanre Adisa, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria and Founder of Noah’s Ark Communications, alongside Steve Babaeko, Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, reinforced the importance of expanding leadership pathways for women while strengthening inclusive agency structures capable of supporting sustainable career progression across creative organisations.

Similarly, Femi Odugbemi, Producer and Founder of Zuri24 Media, drew attention to the responsibility of storytellers to reshape how women are represented across film and media ecosystems.

According to him, while participation by women in directing and producing roles continues to expand, the deeper task now lies in transforming the kinds of stories told about women so they reflect leadership realities rather than outdated stereotypes.

Joining virtually from New York, Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, Chief Executive Officer of A Wonder Media Company (AWMC), emphasised that collaboration between men and women remains essential to sustaining progress across global storytelling systems, noting that technology continues to remove geographic and structural barriers previously limiting participation.

Additional contributors including Mabel Adeteye, Elohor Olumide-Awe, Sade Dada, Feyisayo Alayande, Thubewa Diwani, Audrey Solvar, Osato Evbuomwan,  Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, and moderators Ralph Tathagata of MARKETING EDGE Publications Ltd. and Katharina Blum, Chief Executive Officer of Pulse Africa, contributed to discussions that explored leadership inclusion, compensation parity, digital storytelling transformation and access to international creative platforms, amongst several others.

Collectively, conversations throughout the day returned repeatedly to a central message: the future of the creative economy depends on intentionally recognising women’s expertise, expanding their access to decision-making spaces and ensuring their voices actively shape the narratives that define societies.

With Lagos hosting the inaugural edition of Through Her Lens, Black At has positioned Africa at the centre of a growing international movement aimed at strengthening equity, visibility and leadership opportunity for women across the global creative landscape, while laying the foundation for long-term structural change driven by research, collaboration and policy engagement.