Obi James Consultancy Limited

I am deeply honoured to be recognised as one of the "UK Top 100 African Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs 2024". Growing up in Nigeria, surrounded by the richness of our culture and the resilience of our people, I was taught the power of community, courage, and hope. To now stand alongside 99 remarkable individuals who embody these values is a moment of immense pride and gratitude. Africa’s story is one of brilliance, innovation, transformation and resilience. As we celebrate these achievements, I am reminded of the responsibility we carry - not just to reclaim our narrative but to actively create the thriving, vibrant continent we envision. Together, we have the opportunity to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders who will carry this momentum forward. I am especially excited about my forthcoming travels to the continent this year - through meaningful programmes, impactful work, and, of course, basking in some much-needed African sunshine! Thank you to the African Business Chamber (AfBC) Top 100 Initiative for shining a light on the contributions of African Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs in the UK and for reminding us of the boundless possibilities when we come together. Here’s to celebrating Africa, its leaders, and the brighter future we are building every day!🌍✨❤️

Over the holidays, I watched 6888 with my daughters - a story of extraordinary leadership, teamwork, and purpose. It’s a powerful reminder that when leaders pause, reflect, and embrace the diversity within their teams, they unlock potential that can lead to remarkable results. In my latest article, I explore how the lessons from the 6888 apply to today’s senior leadership teams. Leaders - let’s make this the year where every team member’s strengths are fully embraced, your successors are empowered & developed; and every challenge becomes an opportunity for collective growth.

As we approach the end of the year, I am reflecting with immense gratitude. This year's picture captures my greatest joy and a constant reminder of why I do the work that I do. 🙏🏼 2024 has been a year filled with purpose and impact. I feel deeply blessed to have collaborated with incredible individuals, leaders and teams to make strides in their self leadership, inclusive leadership development, organisational culture change and growth. 🙏🏼 Together, we’ve sown seeds of change that will continue to grow. 🙏🏼 Thank you to my clients, connections, colleagues - some of whom have journeyed with me for 25 years - champions, allies, and even critical friends. 🙏🏼 Each of you has contributed in unique ways to motivating me whilst feeding my core values of freedom, respect, love, justice & fairness and service. 🙏🏼 This year, I’m proud of the person I’ve been and excited for who I’m becoming. 🙏🏼 To everyone reading this, wherever you find yourself today, take a moment to pause. Be grateful that you’re here. Count your blessings. Embrace the lessons. 🙏🏼 Let’s hold onto both our successes and our learnings as we reflect on 2024, and step into 2025 with hope & intention. 🙏🏼 I pray it will be a year of even greater opportunities, growth, and joy for all of us. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Holiday season and a beautiful start to the new year.🎄🎄🎄 With gratitude, Obi 🙏🏼❤️

🎥 I’m thrilled to share my heartfelt conversation with Juliana Olayinka on Channels Television Global Business News! In this interview, we touch on some of the transformative changes already taking place in Nigeria’s business landscape and explore how the principles of 'Let Go Leadership' can help us amplify this momentum; and kickstart change, where needed. 🇳🇬 A glimpse of our discussion: ✅️ The Essence of 'Let Go Leadership' - shifting from control to empowerment, fostering inclusive and innovative workplaces that maximise resources. ✅️ Navigating some of Nigeria's Workplace Dynamics - breaking free from rigid hierarchies and traditional approaches to unlock creativity and collaboration. ✅️ Empowering African Women Leaders - balancing strength with vulnerability, while prioritising mental well-being in leadership roles. ✅️ Harnessing Nigeria’s Talent & Future Leaders - with over 70% of our population under 30, our youth are the heartbeat of Nigeria’s future. We have a real opportunity to lead differently, letting go of traditional models (where necessary) to unleash our future leaders' incredible potential and creativity. 💬 Essentially: “Letting go means creating an inclusive, high-performing environment that allows us to develop our brilliant pipeline of talent and effectively succession plan within our organisations. It’s about sharing power without relinquishing authority or accountability.” This conversation is more than just about my book - it’s an invitation to leaders and businesses to rethink and reset leadership to build a dynamic business landscape, ready for the challenges of tomorrow. ✅️ Being part of Nigeria’s growth story fills me with immense pride and joy. With wild hope, we must celebrate every bit of progress, however small, while embracing the needed journey ahead. As my father always reminded me, “Rome was not built in a day!” Thank you for a very enlightening and inspiring discussion, Juliana. Let’s keep building together - one leader, one team, one organisation at a time. 🙏🏼🇳🇬❤️ 👉 Watch the 10-minute interview below:

This year stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. I leaned into tough conversations - raw, uncomfortable ones - across every level of the organisations I work with, including my own. What I learned is this: the power of diversity isn’t in assembling differences; it’s in navigating the tension they create. High performance lives in those moments of conflict, not despite them, but because of them. Inclusion is the real work, and it’s not easy. It’s messy, emotional, and deeply human. But it’s also transformational. I’m sharing my reflections on this journey and the lessons I’ll carry into the new year. I hope they inspire you to lean in too...

Ropes courses, building bricks, and knocking them over - fun, right? And they have their place. But let’s not mistake activity for progress. ✅I’ve seen so many teams invest in away days that focus on surface-level bonding and shared experiences. These moments can be connecting, energising, and valuable. ✅But when they become a tick-box exercise or a distraction, they risk coming at the expense of the deeper development work teams truly need to excel. ✅The harder work - tackling the real, often avoided conversations about trust, misalignment, and behaviours that keep us stuck - is where teams find their flow. It’s uncomfortable, yes. Far from “fun,” but that’s where high-performing teams are built. ✅Because when a team is willing to face the elephant in the room, the discomfort gives way to breakthroughs: trust is rebuilt, accountability strengthens, and teams move from feeling stuck to experiencing real cohesion, teamwork, and shared purpose. ✅ So, what’s been your experience of moving beyond surface-level team development? Excited to have kicked off this journey with a fantastic team recently. I’ve shared more reflections - and their thoughtful email - in the article below.

Thrilled to share an update on my adventures with Soul Mama, THE music venue London didn’t know it needed but now can’t live without! 🌟🎶🎺🎻🥁🥰 Two months ago, I had the absolute pleasure of attending YolanDa Brown OBE DL’s spectacular opening performance at this incredible venue – an evening that set the tone for what Soul Mama is all about: music, magical ambience, and a vibe like no other. Last night, I was back at Soul Mama as a birthday treat for my sister Niina Ezewuzie, this time to see the fabulous Tommy Blaize. Yes, the Tommy Blaize you know and love from UK's Strictly Come Dancing!🕺🏽💃🏻 And let me tell you, he was phenomenal – smooth, soulful, and every bit as captivating as when I first saw him perform with Madeline Bell in 1999! (Fun fact: I’ve had a crush on him ever since, but that’s a whole other post.🙈😉) But Soul Mama is so much more than the music. The cocktails? Next level. Whether you’re sipping something classic or trying one of their signature creations, each one feels like a work of art.🍹🍸 The plantains (yes, plant-AINS, the Nigerian way!)? Crispy, golden perfection – honestly, they deserve their own standing ovation. And the service? Impeccable. From the moment you walk in, the team makes you feel like family.🙏🏼🥰 To top it all off, I had the most heartwarming moment with Adetokunbo T Oyelola, the co-founder of Soul Mama. When I gave this awesome brother my name at the door, he not only recognised it but went on to thank me for supporting them when this wonder was still just a dream. It was one of those magical moments where you realise you’ve just met a great friend you didn’t know you already had!🫂🙏🏼 And then he showed me something that took my breath away – my name on their Founders’ Wall! Thank you to my co-founders!🙏🏼🥰 Now, here’s the thing: even if you’re someone who struggles to let go and trust your team, once you step into Soul Mama, you will let go. And if you find that you can’t, you’ll rush back to the office, re-energised, ready to shape an engaging culture of role clarity, accountability, diversity, and inclusion.🤗 Why? So you can empower your people, reclaim your balance, and dash back to Soul Mama again and again – and actually have a life.🏃🏼♂️🏃🏽♀️ 🎶 Soul Mama is a destination, an experience, and an absolute gift to London. Treat yourself to a night there – and don’t forget to try the plantains! Better still, snap & share a pic when you go, and as a thank you, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book, Let Go Leadership: How Inclusive Leaders Share Power to Drive High Performance. 📚✨ Trust me, once you’ve been, you’ll never stop going back! 🤗🎶🥁🎻🎺🎷🕺🏽💃🏻🥰

What a privilege it was to speak about 'Self-Leadership & What It Means for Women to Win' at the inaugural 'When Women Win' London Summit & Fundraising Gala this past weekend! ✅️ First, a heartfelt thank you to the incredible Juliana Olayinka and Abi Okoya for hosting such a powerful and inspiring event. You created a space where we could connect deeply, celebrate unapologetically, and champion women wholeheartedly. Your vision and execution were nothing short of amazing! ✅️ Now, a personal moment that humbled me (and, let’s be honest, made me feel officially old 😅): a brilliant solicitor approached me at the end of the evening to share that she remembers me visiting her parents - dear friends of mine - when she was just 5 years old! What an honour to see her now thriving. It’s moments like these that remind us of the ripple effects of our actions and connections across generations. ✅️ To my fellow speakers - Genevieve Wakeley-Jones, Trishna Datta and Yetunde Ibe - thank you for your vulnerability, wisdom, and strength. Your words not only captivated the room but also inspired action, reflection, and transformation. It was a privilege to share the stage with you. ✅️ To all the women in attendance - your stories, energy, and openness made the evening electric. Thank you for showing up with so much authenticity and for inspiring us with your passion and courage. ✅️ Our awesome hosts ensured that this event wasn’t just about celebrating women; it was about paying it forward and empowering others. They raised funds to support Refuge, the UK’s largest provider of specialist services for survivors of domestic, sexual, and gender-based abuse. When ALL women win, the world wins. Thank YOU🙏🏼❤️

Letting go has been one of the hardest but most rewarding shifts in my journey as both a leader and a parent. I used to feel that I had to have all the answers and lead from the front. But over time, I’ve learned that when I step back, listen more deeply, and ask better questions, I harness diversity better and see sustainable growth - not just in others, but in myself too. This shift to more coaching rather than directing has been transformative and I share some of those reflections below. If you’re exploring how to create more space for others to step forward, I hope this resonates with you.

It was such a joy and privilege to facilitate a connection exercise, as well as leadership sessions at this year's World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF) with over 140 leaders from 35+ cities at in the stunning Al Shindagha Museum in Dubai. 💥This kick-off exercise was all about sparking connections, collaboration, and co-creation. ✅️It fills me with hope to see more cities joining this remarkable network to work together to develop vibrant, sustainable diverse communities and cities, while caring for and supporting one another in leadership. ✅️ Being back at WCCF this year has been a moving experience, especially hearing how last and previous years' connections have birthed transformative collaborations, mutual support and shared leadership across cities. ✅️ Leaders shared stories of projects and innovations that grew from previous conversations - a testament to the power of shared visions, nurtured relationships and co-creation. ✅️ Every city should be part of this network! ✅️ Especially in these challenging times, Arts and Culture breathe life into our communities, fostering resilience, unity, and hope. ✅️ They play a vital role in stimulating local economies, creating jobs, and attracting tourism; while sparking the creative thinking that drives INNOVATION ACROSS ALL SECTORS. ✅️ This forum provides city leaders with the invaluable tools, peer support, and inspiration to keep that creative spirit alive, even amid obstacles like economic uncertainty, social division, and climate challenges. ✅️ It was inspiring to witness how this forum and summit offers more than a network; it’s a lifeline for cities to realise they’re not alone in their challenges and that they don’t have to find solutions in isolation. ✅️ This space allows city leaders to celebrate successes, share best practices, and return to their cities with new ideas and renewed energy to nurture and uplift communities. ✅️ Thank you to every leader who attended for your passion and dedication to making our cities thrive. ✅️ Thank you to every city that enables and empowers their leaders to be a part of this network, and recognises the value of leadership development, shared leadership and co-creation. ✅️ And, a huge thank you to my dear friend Skinder Hundal MBE for capturing a video of me in action - it's wonderful to have moments like that preserved; to reflect on and share the energy and connections we built together. ✅️ And my deepest gratitude goes to the remarkable WCCF team for having me as an honorary member - an extension of the WCCF family. It’s an honour to be part of this inspiring community. Our values couldn't be more aligned!🙏🏼🌍❤️