House of Tara CEO bags national award for job creation

The Chief Executive Officer of the House of Tara International, Tara Fela-Durotoye has been awarded a national recognition award for her contribution in social impact and job creation.

The award was presented to her by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan during the second national MSME awards 2019 at the Banquet Hall, State House, Aso Rock, Abuja.

Tara Fela-Durotoye has helped build the make-up industry in Nigeria from the ground up as she founded Africa’s first indigenous make -up brand over two decades ago while Ali Baba received the award for being the trailblazer in the comedy industry.

With over two decades of being in the beauty business, Tara Fela-Durotoye is most passionate about female empowerment and helping women run more successful businesses with initiatives like the beauty entrepreneur scheme which has set up over 15, 000 women to own their own beauty business.

There is also a bi-annual event to reward the top beauty entrepreneurs tagged: “1, 000 voices.” This platform is specially designed to celebrate and reward the top 1, 000 beauty entrepreneurs and sales representatives in the business.

Tara Fela-Durotoye is also responsible for the growth of the beauty industry through Nigeria’s first makeup conference in 2014. This conference featured the shapers of the make-up artistry in Nigeria, amassing a combined 80 years experience in the industry.

Building up other women and giving them a rope to climb to the very top of their make-up artistry career is also one of the formidable platforms Fela-Durotoye has created, having trained over 5, 000 professional make-up artistes both home and abroad (Seychelles, Ghana, Liberia and UK).

All of these professional make-up artistes have gone on to start their own beauty businesses and are making waves.

Mentorship and career advocacy is also one of Tara’s greatest passions as she has gone on to establish the TFD series with her mentor, Ibukun Awosika, where young females are mentored on starting and sustaining successful businesses, wealth creation, choosing the right spouse and all in all, living a well rounded life to the fullest.

The support Fela-Durotoye shows isn’t limited to just make-up artistes, but also extends to other fairly new beauty businesses like Hegai & Esther, Vane and Taos; all of these beauty brands are retailed across all 24 House of Tara studios nationwide.

“Paying It Forward” is one of Fela-Durotoye’s phrases which she lives by as it definitely creates a ripple effect in the industry and the world at large. House of Tara International is Africa’s first indigenous make-up brand that caters to all women of colour, currently has 26 branches, 14 make-up schools and two franchises nationwide.