Nkechi ‘Ink’ Eze is the founder of AsoEbiBella, a platform to promote traditional styles. In her teens, she won several national and school awards and honours including Best Participating Student at Junior Achievement Nigeria LEAD Camp and was appointed Head Girl of her secondary school. In that same year, she earned a prestigious place at International Baccalaureate School United World College of the Adriatic in Italy. She won several selective scholarships to attend Ivy League college, Brown University where she studied Modern Culture and Media.
“Age 16 was such a pivotal year in my life! I remember going to #LEADCamp so vividly alongside one of my best friends till today. I remember hosting the student segment of a TV show as my media project. I was nominated to read a poem we all wrote on @93.7 rhythm fm. That year, I won “Most Outstanding Participant” then I got a scholarship that led me to Brown University. When I think of what I’ve been able to do at #BellaNaija and at #AsoEbiBella, a big part of the seed started at 16 with the JAN Company Program and LEAD Camp. So grateful to be part of the #JAN family over a decade later, and I can only hope that the way those media trips and hearing those female entrepreneurs empowered me, I can inspire other little women like I was when I was 16.” she said.
She started her professional life at a Fortune 150 Company, in their highly sought after Marketing Development Program. During her time there, she started working for BellaNaija, after being an intern in its early days. She launched the Instagram page which has now grown to 2 million followers, and thousands across other platforms.
She was BellaNaija Weddings editor for four years, from 2013, and became Assistant Editor of BellaNaija leading the lifestyle sections – style, beauty and living.
Under her leadership, BellaNaija Weddings became Africa’s foremost wedding platform. BN Weddings gained international prominence, appearing on BuzzFeed amongst others, with Ink invited to speak at several wedding industry conferences at home and around the world – from Cape Town to Barbados, about digital media’s ability to transform their businesses, luxury and the rise of the Nigerian and multicultural wedding industry.
She also conceived of BBN Wonderland, Nigeria’s foremost bridal event with Baileys Nigeria which has attracted thousands of entries, and hosted tens of brilliant brides from around Nigeria. She pioneered BellaNaija’s most popular column #AsoEbiBella, which has grown its own following of 1,000,000 on Instagram alone and has evolved into its own new media company of which she is the lead, and this is just the beginning …