Barkue Tubman-Zawolo, the Chief of Staff & Diasporic Engagement at Essence Ventures and the granddaughter of Liberia’s late President William Tubman, recently shared insights about her role and experiences in an interview with Just4WomenAfrica.
Essence Ventures, under Barkue’s leadership, encompasses a diverse range of brands such as Essence Communication, Essence Magazine, Essence Festival & Culture, Black Women in Hollywood, AfroPunk, and Essence Studio.
Upon joining Essence Communications as the Chief of Staff to the CEO, Barkue’s initial focus was on stabilizing the business. However, the long-term vision was always to integrate all brands under the Essence Ventures umbrella. Describing her role, Barkue emphasized her partnership with the CEO and liaison with key leadership, focusing on strategic planning and creating processes to facilitate optimal performance and business growth. She stressed the importance of relationship building with stakeholders for leveraging brands and achieving scalability.
Diaspora Engagement holds a special significance for Barkue, who believes that Essence Ventures brands have a responsibility to connect with the disconnected Diaspora. She advocates for intentional connection within the Black community, with a focus on economic inclusion as a key driver of return on investment.
Beyond her role at Essence Ventures, Barkue is the founder of Miss Boss Lady Entertainment, later rebranded as MBL International Group. Her motivation stemmed from working in a heavily male-dominated industry, prompting her to create a female-owned music management firm to empower young women and highlight opportunities available to them. MBL International Group diversified its services when Barkue returned to Liberia, engaging with governments, diplomatic corps, and renowned figures like Bob Johnson, founder of BET, and organizations like Delta, Tony Blair AGI, the United Nations, and the World Bank
In addressing marketing and PR challenges in Liberia compared to Ghana and Nigeria, Barkue highlighted the need for enhanced educational exposure exposure to enhance the country’s visibility and growth.
When asked about her experiences in a male-dominated industry, Barkue credited her upbringing for instilling confidence and fearlessness attitude. She emphasized the importance of demanding and earning respect through hard work, successful outcomes, and effective relationship building. Barkue emphasized the value that women bring to the table, stressing that their contributions cannot be ignored in any professional setting.
