Eunice Omole ’07 in “The Apprentice Africa”

Eunice Omole
Class of ’07

Cornell Program in Real Estate alumna Eunice Omole ’07 is a game show contestant in “The Apprentice Africa,” a spinoff of the American reality show open only to native Nigerians and first-generation Africans living abroad. In December, prospective participants traveled to Washington, DC to audition for the show. Out of the hundreds that took part in auditions, Ms. Omole was one of 24 applicants selected. Ms. Omole is on leave from her studies at the Johnson School of Graduate Management, where she is pursuing a masters in business administration.

Contestants on the show, which began airing in February and is televised throughout Africa, live together in a mansion in Lagos, Nigeria. Each week, they compete as teams in a variety of business-related challenges. Recent tasks included developing and marketing a new fast-food chicken entrée, and redecorating a posh hotel suite. As in the American version, one contestant is eliminated each week. The winning contestant will receive a luxury automobile and a corporate job with a starting salary of $200,000. The tasks are designed to showcase emerging sectors in the African economy including such industries as telecommunications, banking, aviation, tourism, and hospitality. US residents who have followed the drama have had to settle for YouTube or “The Apprentice Africa” website for updates.

Ms. Omole has survived four boardroom elimination rounds thus far. In episode four, Ms. Omole’s team lost the hotel redecoration challenge, and she had to go before the CEO to plead her case for remaining on the show. Fortunately for Ms. Omole, she was not fired and remains to compete again.

Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman of Troyka Group and co-founder of Insight Grey, Africa’s largest advertising company, is CEO of “The Apprentice Africa.” The 63-year old executive has had a distinguished business career in advertising, first as a Deputy Managing Director of Grant Advertising and then starting Insight Grey in 1979. Mr. Shobanjo’s boardroom advisors include Omowunmi Fatodu, a career marketing communications and brand building professional, and Paul Olaleye, an experienced management executive and entrepreneur.

When Ms. Omole is not studying for her MBA or competing in reality game shows, she is the Managing Partner of California-based New Frontiers Investment Management. The company is a private equity firm specializing in residential development in China. Ms. Omole’s partners include fellow PRE alumni Nelson Geng (PRE ‘07), Qingtao Xing (PRE ‘07), and Penny Liu (PRE ’08).

For more information on Ms. Omole or “The Apprentice Africa” please visit: http://www.theapprenticeafrica.com/