Personality Profile: Lord Echendu
Early Life and family
Echendu Ndubuisi Anthony, aka Lord Echendu was born on 28 October 1985 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The seventh of ten children, his father was the Late Chief Echendu Christopher Francis Wichendu, a retired army general that served with the Nigeria army, and his mother was Echendu Princess Eucheria. He hails from Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State. Among his siblings are his brother, Chief Echendu Dennis, a former Managing Director of Mas El Mas Ltd., and his sister, Echendu Silver Maureen. He is a cousin of the former Nigerian footballer, Echendu Aiele, the central defender played for Sharks of Port Harcourt in the Nigeria Premier League before moving to the German Bundesliga where he plied his trade with clubs like Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Neunkirchen.
Education
Lord Echendu received his early education in Nigeria and East London, before proceeding to the University College London, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. He also studied for a professional certification in Engineering from the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute UK. Lord Echendu also holds several professional business and leadership certifications from the Harvard Business School, International Business and Management Institute Cambridge, Metropolitan Business School London, and is also an ambassador for Modern United Nations.
Entrepreneurial Journey
In a media interview, Lord Echendu stated that from the early years of his life he had always wanted to be a businessman; “I showed interest in business far back in primary school, where I’ll buy toy aeroplanes and use them to make money from friends.” So it was unsurprising when he launched his first business at 24. The company called Esh services began operations in 2009, specialising in warehouse construction. In 2009, he founded Echendu Oil and Gas, the firm provided offshore services in the UK oil and gas industry. In 2018, Echendu Sky Holdings was established as a conglomerate including subsidiaries such as the Echendu Sky Travels - an agency that provided travel consultancy and tour services, Echendu Cargo and Logistics - a supply chain management company that specialised in global shipments and logistics. In all, Lord Echendu has a stake in over 18 business entities.
He currently serves as the majority shareholder of Echendu Group of Companies, with operations in the United Kingdom, United States, Ghana and Nigeria. In 2022, the company entered into a contract with Shamrock, the Irish energy drink company for the distribution and marketing of its products in West Africa.
Philanthropy
In 2015, Lord Echendu founded the Echendu Ndubuisi Foundation, a non-profit organisation that operates as Echendu Unify, with the aim of reaching out to the less-privileged in the society and funding human capital. According to Lord Echendu, “the foundation will help to unify people and ideas to create opportunities for a better world.”
Echendu Unify has carried out several initiatives that included a charity campaign in Ghana in 2020, where Lord Echendu and his team visited the Hour of Grace Children Home in the Eastern Region of Ghana for the distribution of food items, toiletries and educational materials. They were also at Ussher Polyclinic in Accra to donate medical supplies and provide financial support to patients. At the Ankaful Main Prison in Cape Coast, the team also distributed food items and toiletries. The foundation also gave out cash donations to support the businesses of 95 young entrepreneurs that included 40 Ghanians, 40 Nigerians, 10 Togolese and 5 Ivorians.
Personal Life
The businessman is known for living a very private life, as he is rarely seen in social functions apart from his regular visits to orphanages and elderly homes for his charity activities. He is not married, but has a British-born daughter, Echendu Alexandra Catherina.
Achievements
Lord Echendu has received numerous awards in recognition of his entrepreneurial strides and selfless service to humanity. In 2010, he was knighted into the Catholic Order of St. Anthony for his “services to the growth of entrepreneurship.” Lord Echendu has also been awarded as Best Global CEO at the Afriawards, and a two-time recipient of the Young Creative CEO Award at the UK Biz Awards in 2011 and 2018. He is an ambassador of Modern UN and served as a keynote speaker at the UN’s Peace Across Borders event.
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