Classy, intelligent, amiable and deliberate about purpose, are few words that best describes Jennifer. She is a firm believer that to lead, one must serve. Jennifer Obayuwana has served in different positions at her family’s company, Polo Luxury Group, Nigeria’s leading luxury goods company and has risen to become its Executive Director.
She likes to call herself ‘ The Underboss’ because she is under the tutelage of her father, the Founder of Polo Limited. Their brand portfolio includes high-end Swiss watchmaking and jewellery brands including Rolex, Cartier, Breguet, Omega, Chopard, Roger Dubuis, Messika Longines, Montblanc, Piaget, Arnold and Son, Artya, Frederique Constant and so on.
“My father was the first to bring luxury to Nigeria 30 years ago. He had an amazing store on the mainland where he would sell Fendi watches and Patek Philippe. Watches are still our biggest and most valuable company asset,” She revealed.
In the fashion space, they house brands like Gucci, Valentino, Alexandre Mcqueen, Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch to mention a few.
Obayuwana graduated from The American University of Paris with a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in International Relations from Franklin University in Switzerland. She has also taken several management courses at INSEAD, Columbia Business School, Lagos Business School and the Gemological Institute of America.
In her position as the Executive Director of Polo, Jennifer has played a significant role in the proliferation of international luxury brands in Nigeria. Under her direction, Polo has grown, sealing its place as Nigeria’s only official retailer of the world’s most prestigious watches, writing instruments and high-end accessories through offering a diverse portfolio of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands.
As the daughter of a pioneer in the luxury industry, it was inevitable that Obayuwana’s unwavering passion for luxury
and beauty would lead her into the family business. Her experience in building and maintaining luxury brand prestige also led to the creation of Polo’s new subsidiary, Polo Avenue, a multi-brand luxury specialty retailer that focuses on fashion, leather goods, footwear and fragrances, with strategic partners including: Gucci, Valentino, Alexander Mcqueen, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Marco De Vincenzo, Giuseppe Zanotti and more.
Despite all of her business achievements, Jennifer is also passionately charitable. Using the Polo Foundation as a vehicle, she is involved in several initiatives and charitable organisations focused on the empowerment of women and socio-economic issues affecting women in Nigeria.
With the numerous choices in brands available in the fashion space, Africa is way up there in terms of preference for sophistication because Africans know what they want and how to get it. This Jennifer attests to when she says “The average African shopper is highly intelligent and as such, we are committed to taking them through a deluxe involvement available to interested customers who can easily view our posh items wherever they are from their phones of devices. They are just a click away.”
According to her, “We’re seeing this emergence of upper-middle class Nigerians who spend $1,000 to $2,000 per visit on shoes and handbags. These are the clients that come back every month. Then there are also the high-net-worth individuals who may spend up to tens of thousands of dollars,” Jennifer said.
For Obayuwana, integrity means everything. She begins each day telling herself she has the opportunity to write a new story daily and that remaining humble is key, knowing that the past is truly a mirror for the future.
She sees her father as both her boss and her best friend. She readily describes him as a motivating visionary and pacesetter that pioneered the luxury goods industry in Nigeria.
