Women across the world’s events and hospitality sector have been urged to rethink leadership by embracing authenticity, building deeper connections, and investing in themselves to create lasting influence, according to the Founder and Managing Director of Elle’s Icebox, Chizoba Atsu.
In an article titled ‘Redefining Leadership: How Women Can Build Power and Lasting Connections in the Events Industry,’ Atsu said leading in the industry resembles commanding an orchestra, where vendors, clients, guests, logistics, and design must work together to create harmony.
“Although entering this field has traditionally presented a number of difficulties for women, it has also created special chances to redefine what real leadership entails,” Atsu said in the piece shared with The PUNCH.
Atsu, who has spent nearly two decades reshaping Nigeria’s cocktail and mobile bar business and overseen more than 10,000 high-profile events, said leadership is measured less by status than by presence.
“It’s about building trust, offering a vision compelling enough to rally others, and showing up with consistency and resilience,” she noted.
He asserted that leadership is a continuous process that starts with mastering one’s craft. For her, that meant moving beyond mixing drinks to designing experiences that celebrated culture, told stories and delivered value.
“Confidence creates space for influence, and mastery develops confidence,” she wrote.
She added that the industry is built on relationships. “The connections you make, the connections you foster, and the communities you support are what give this industry its power,” the entrepreneur stated.
According to Atsu, treating vendors with respect can turn them into partners for growth, while clients who trust a leader will carry their story into new spaces.
She outlined three key lessons for women aiming to advance in leadership roles, urging women to invest in themselves by continually growing, changing, and broadening their knowledge.
The entrepreneur encouraged them to be authentic leaders, drawing strength from their unique perspectives as women. She also emphasised the need to create deep connections, stressing that the events industry relies on partnerships and relationships and that no brand can succeed on its own.
For Atsu, being a woman in leadership is about more than securing a seat at the table. “It involves setting up new tables, constructing bridges for people to cross, and demonstrating that a leader can be both firm and compassionate, creative and grounded,” she said.
Reflecting on nearly two decades in the sector, Atsu said success rarely comes from individual effort but from the people leaders empower, the groups they inspire, and the relationships they nurture.
“When women really embrace that power, we do more than just organise events; we revolutionise entire sectors,” she said.
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