The true narrative that surrounds Black people is their resolve that doesn’t falter with time and space. Black people can be described as the raw human resources which went through fire (trials and travails of life) before coming out to shine forth in excellence in all endeavors of life.
Over the years, Black people have been firing every cylinder of exploits to stay atop success and global recognition. They are bold, courageous, determined, and resolute in not being deterred to ace their goals with values that cannot be doused.
For every significant paradigm shift in all walks of life, there is an initiative of a Black man nuanced with creative thought and pragmatic dispositions. Little wonder global inventions and innovations start from the Black people.
In this edition of Duke of the Month, we will be celebrating two lustrous personas who have been steering the wheel of leadership in their respective fields with renowned success attached to their feats.
Sam Adeyemi: A Maestro Of Leadership Growth
Born in 1967, Sam Adeyemi has trained thousands of people in leadership for over two decades. He has been able to achieve this remarkable feat under the umbrella of Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA), which has graduated over 40,000 people since 2002, and through seminars, workshops and conferences. He is currently a mentor to hundreds of CEOs.
In corroboration of his adroit as a leadership expert, Sam Adeyemi founded the Daystar Leadership Academy in 2002. This is a non-profit leadership and management development institution that is geared at raising outstanding leaders and managers that would bring the needed transformation to the world. Since its inception, the academy has graduated over 20,000 students.
Sam Adeyemi holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Exeter, UK, and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Regent University, Virginia, USA. He is a member of the International Leadership Association and the Association of Talent Developers.
In recognition of his upright initiative in leadership and entrepreneurship, the 54-year-old Nigerian was in 2020 appointed as a Forbes Council Member. Sam Adeyemi is married to Nike Adeyemi, a social entrepreneur, and they are blessed with children.
Kevin Fenton: A Public Health Polymath
Fenton started his medical profession as a government doctor in Jamaica, with majors in public health. Having earned an MPH from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a doctorate in epidemiology from University College London, Fenton went to become a senior lecturer on HIV epidemiology and honorary consultant epidemiologist at the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre of the UK’s National Health Service and a lead researcher on the second National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles between 2000 and 2001.
By 2020, Fenton has been at the fore of public health in London, where his pivotal role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized and honored as he was ranked second in the 2021 Powerlist of the Most Influential Black Britons. This recognition came on the heels of Fenton’s work amid the pandemic, which has been focused on supporting BAME communities.
As Southwark’s Strategic Director for Place and Wellbeing, he led the council’s planning, regeneration, community engagement, and public health portfolios driving inclusive regeneration, asset-based community development, and promoting health in all policies.
