As the 2024/25 school session commences, parents are grappling with rising costs for everything from tuition fees to transportation and school supplies. Schools are also facing increased operational expenses due to inflation and other economic factors. And educators are tasked with providing quality education in a demanding environment.
In this episode, we explored strategies for parents, school owners, and educators to navigate these new norms and ensure a successful school year.
Guest Profile
Temilola Adepetun is the founder and MD/CEO of SKLD Integrated Services Limited (formerly School Kits Limited), a leading sourcing company for educational, lifestyle and humanitarian aid supplies in Nigeria, with a presence in 6 states of the country serving over 500 companies.
She is passionate about learning and development and has been a facilitator of soft skills in entrepreneurship programs. She has served on mentoring Programs over the years mentoring other female entrepreneurs.
She started her 14-year career in the Oil and Gas Industry in 1986 during which she worked in various strategic departments such as Economics & Planning, Treasury, Insurance and Human Resources. She resigned in the year 2000 to pioneer the concept of a one-stop back-to-school store in Lagos, with the opening of her first retail store at Onikan on September 9th of the same year.
SKLD was launched with 2 members of staff over 20 years ago and currently, it operates 8 business locations across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt as well as liaison offices in Ibadan, Maiduguri and Damaturu.
Temilola has driven a very innovative and dynamic team towards achieving remarkable growth in her company. SKLD has 6 Retail outlets (with expansion plans for a total of 8 brick-and-mortar stores), an online back-to-school store; a robust wholesale business unit serving over 500 schools nationwide; and a garment production facility employing 93 garment workers and producing over 7,300 garments per month. Marcel Hughes Apparel, SKLD’s flagship uniform brand was launched in 2009 and has gained wide acceptance among hundreds of schools as Nigeria’s leading premium school wear brand. In November 2019, Temilola received the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) award in India, in recognition of her giant strides on her journey as a successful entrepreneur and for her contribution to empowering women.
Temilola holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Lagos (1982) and she is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance, London -A.C.I.I. (1985). She is also an Associate of Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ) and a Trustee of the Board of Courage Education Foundation, an NGO dedicated to educating indigent children. She is a member of the Garment and Accessories Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.
