By Banji Ayoola
The print edition of The Podium International Magazine will be formally launched in Akure, the Ondo State capital on August 3, 2023, at Bliss World Hotel, Ijapo.
Ondo State’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa, will be the Special Guest of Honour; while the Royal Father of the Day is the Jegun Olu-Ekun of Ile-Oluji Kingdom, Oba (Dr) Olufaderin Adetimehin, FIIN, FCIB, Jimoko II; while the Royal Host is the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, Odundun II.
A statement by the media outfit said that the event will also feature a business lecture on “The Role of Strategic Meeting in Business Development“, to be delivered by Dr. Wale Banmore, Ph.D., MD/CEO of STACO Insurance PLC.
The Podium is a general interest magazine that commenced operations in 2019 with an online edition via www.thepodiummedia.com. The print edition debuted in the United States in 2021. It currently circulates in Houston, Dallas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Indianapolis. It has also been unveiled in Lagos, London, Abuja, and Ibadan.
Its mission is to celebrate Nigerian professionals, business managers, and entrepreneurs with legitimate means of livelihood. The focus is on sharing success stories so that others can learn and be inspired.
Ahead of the Akure unveiling of the print edition of The Podium International Magazine, the Publisher, Mr. Ademola Akinbola, has reiterated that the vision is to build a global media brand that will celebrate the good deeds of Nigerians all over the world.
Speaking in Lagos during a virtual engagement session with the media and other stakeholders from Nigeria, as well as Europe and North America, Akinbola stated that the global unveiling is an inclusive marketing strategy aimed at extending the reach of the Magazine to major countries with a significant Nigerian population. Germany, Canada, and South Africa will follow in the course of 2023, respectively, he added.
As a general interest international magazine, it focuses on education, arts, sports, lifestyle, international relations, events, and entertainment. Besides, it features news, interviews, special reports, and opinion articles.
The print edition was unveiled in 2021 in major American cities such as Houston, Indianapolis, Maryland, and New York. The magazine has also been unveiled in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja (in Nigeria), and London, United Kingdom. The second UK unveiling will take place in Manchester on December 9.
The magazine has its global headquarters in the USA where it is registered as The Podium Media LLC. It is also registered in London, the UK, as The Podium Magazine Limited with the HRMC, UK. It operates in Nigeria as a subsidiary of Brand Stewards Limited.
The publisher, Akinbola’s robust Journalism career has taken him through The Guardian, West African Pilot, The Punch, and This Day newspapers during which he collaborated with different teams to revolutionize business reporting and advance the frontiers of Financial Journalism in Nigeria.
He subsequently ventured into Brand management and public relations, working with the British Council Nigeria as Head, Communications & Marketing, among other reputable organisations.
He is the author of five books – Building Enduring Corporate Reputation (first published in 2005 and reviewed under a new title, Built to Endure in 2010); It’s a Brand U World (2013); How to Brand Yourself and Your Business, and The Winning Organisation (2018). He is also the author of Who’s Who in Ile-Oluji (published in 1994, 2003, 2011, and 2016).
As a community development enthusiast, he has been publishing Ile-Oluji Times, Nigeria’s first international community-focused newspaper since 2011, as a way of promoting Ile-Oluji, headquarters of Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
He holds a Master of Communication & Language Arts degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and an M.Sc. in Digital Marketing from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. He is a certified trainer affiliated with the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD), Dublin, Ireland.
He is well-traveled, having visited Ireland, the UK, the USA, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, and Canada in personal and official capacities.
