By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An emerging marketing and communications conglomerate, Verdant Zeal Marketing Communications Group, has announced the appointment of Mr Dipo Adesida as its pioneer Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Executive Vice Chairman of the firm, Dr Tunji Olugbodi, made this disclosure on behalf of the board and management of Verdant Zeal Group.
The Public Relations guru in Nigeria described the appointment of Mr Adesida, which took effect from Wednesday, August 1, 2018, as one of the strategic moves of advancing the operational innovation of the group.
“We are delighted to elevate Dipo Adesida to be the Pioneer Chief Operating Officer of the Group. He is a veteran of the Iconic Verdant Zeal class of 2007 who has been immersed in the workings of the organization.
“This advancement is also a clear indication of the new spirit of adequate recognition and reward system as the organization continues to expand her footprint across Africa. We are building a world class organization where employees thrive and are allowed to express their creativity,” Mr Olugbodi was quoted as saying in the statement made available to Business Post today.
Mr Adesida joined Verdant Zeal as a Deputy Manager in 2007 and has risen through the ranks to the position of the Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to his appointment, he had served in various capacities within the Verdant Zeal Group such as Group Director, Content, Strategy and Innovation; Chief Operating Officer, Brainbox iMedia, the Digital Marketing Subsidiary of the Group and Creative Director.
He had earlier worked at SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi, Lagos as a trainee copywriter and Immersion Marketing Strategies (IMS Group) Lagos as a Senior Copywriter.
Mr Adesida, by this appointment, would have oversight functions for Creative Content, Operational Excellence, New Market Development and Digital transformation of the entire organization.
Commenting on his latest appointment, Mr Adesida said, “I am delighted to accept this great opportunity to serve with the Verdant Zeal Group. I do not take lightly the trust that has been vested in me and will work towards creatively transforming and enhancing the service delivery of the organization and optimize the business processes.”
Dipo, as he is fondly called, holds a first degree in Dramatic Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; a Diploma in Filmmaking from New York Film Academy, USA and a Certificate in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
He is also an alumnus of the British Council/University of Glamorgan (now University of South Wales) Centre for Creative Enterprise Development and associate member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).
As part of his preparatory process for strategic leadership in business and entrepreneurship, Mr Adesida was one of 500 young Africans inducted into the Mandela Washington Fellowship by President Barack Obama in Washington DC in the summer of 2015 with the mandate to raise the bar for leadership on the continent. He is a published author of a collection of non-fictional short stories.
