How LBS spurs young leaders to leverage networks for professional growth

In an era where connections often shape careers as much as competence, the Lagos Business School (LBS), through its MBA Student Conference, empowered a new generation of young leaders to harness the power of strategic networking.

The conference, which brought together MBA students, alumni, business leaders, and industry experts for a full day of engaging discussions and knowledge sharing, was geared towards equipping emerging professionals with the tools to build meaningful relationships that drive both personal development and career advancement.

The MBA Student Conference organised by the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, was themed “Execution as a Competitive Edge: Skills, Systems, and Partnerships”.

Olayinka David-West, dean of Lagos Business School, in his address, encouraged participants to take full advantage of the learning and networking opportunities and to set the stage for insightful conversation and collaborations.

“This conference is not just an event but an expression of what LBS stands for. It demonstrates that excellence at LBS is not confined to the classroom.

“It is actively lived out in how our students organise, collaborate, and engage with the world. By adding this conference to our student-led platforms, you enrich the leadership, innovation, and culture of excellence that define our school,” he said.

Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate and distinguished business leader, in his keynote address, emphasised the critical role of execution in achieving real results.

Speaking on the gap between strategy and execution, the ex-governor of Anambra State stressed that while ideas create vision, execution is what delivers real results.

He also emphasised the importance of accountability, strong systems, and partnerships built on trust as essential for lasting success.

“When it comes to delivering the result, execution is crucial, because without action and planning, failure is inevitable.

“For instance, as a trader, you’re the CEO, the chief financial officer, and operating officer, and everything revolves around you; hence, you must be disciplined,” he said.

Moreover, Obi emphasised that responsible leadership comes with a lot of discipline, which requires somebody competent, and has the capacity, compassion, and commitment, stressing that because that commitment drives responsible leadership.

“It’s not something you can’t execute halfway. As a leader, you have a company or a country that does well for one year and the next year falls back; that’s not a good leadership model; it has to be consistent. It’s that consistency that makes all the difference,” he noted.

Hannah Abraham, Business Development Manager & Growth Strategist at Dutun & Prime Edge Development, shared insights during an interview. She emphasised that execution serves as a competitive edge.

“You can have all the plans in the world; you can have five-year, 10-year good plans, but if you do not have the right execution and the right leadership.

“If you don’t have the right guts to push because if you don’t have the leadership to actually push the execution, you will not succeed,” she said.

Chinedu Udeze, customer experience manager at Ecobank, provided valuable perspectives when he said, “I think there needs to be a system of learning.

“There is a need to have a system of learning, and there is a need to have a system of failing fast. You need to fail fast, make accommodation for that, and then learn from that and begin to grow, that’s what I think organisations need to do.”

Udeze emphasised that companies also need to train their staff to ensure that they have the requisite capacity to deliver on the strategic objectives of the organisation.

In addition, he reiterated that execution requires discipline; hence, leaders should be able to follow execution religiously.

The conference highlighted the critical gap between strategy and execution, stressing that while ideas create vision, execution is what truly delivers results.

Discussions revolved around the necessity of accountability, strong systems, trust-based partnerships, continuous learning, and disciplined leadership for sustainable success in business and governance.

The conference was widely seen as a success, inspiring participants to view execution not just as a process, but as a true competitive advantage in leadership and business.