Inya Lawal is an entrepreneur working to be a world changer. She is the founder of two (2) not-for-profit organizations, Ascend Studios Foundation, for capacity building and social, educational and economic empowerment of women and youth in African communities; and, the Africa Children’s Creative Network – to discover and nurture creative skills in school age children. 

Inya serves as the secretary on the board of the Women In Film and Television International(WIFTI); and as president of the Women In Film and TV Africa (WIFT Africa). She is also a Fortune Most Powerful Women’s alumna and a lead program partner to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria. She partnered the U. S. Consulate General in Lagos to run the inaugural Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a White House/Department of State initiative designed to support women entrepreneurs with knowledge, network and funding to start and grow their businesses.

She oversees a diverse group with emerging and well-established businesses from different industries who received lessons on business management and networked with like-minded entrepreneurs and mentors.  

She works across Film, TV and brand consultancy. Her company – Ascend Studios produces TV and feature content, and its subsidiary Ascend Talent Management, manages the careers of talents from Africa and its diaspora.

 

Stella is the operational director of Ascend Studios Foundation’s Women Empowerment Program and the Regional director UK for the Africa Children’s Creative Network. She heads strategy for several empowerment programs at ASF.

Stella Lawal is a passionate film producer working to use films for impact. She’s one of the leading women in management at Ascend Studios where she oversees  production of TV and feature content