Tara Fela-Durotoye

Tara Fela-Durotoye

Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur and lawyer. Tara is the Managing Director and Creative Director of House of Tara International. She is the creator of the Tara Orekelewa Beauty range and the H.I.P Beauty range. She is one of the most powerful women in the make-up industry who pioneered the bridal makeup industry in Nigeria.

She received her primary education at Command Children School, Victoria Island and her secondary education at Nigeria Navy Secondary School, Ojo. She graduated from the Lagos State University, with a degree in Law and proceeded to establish the House of Tara International, a business  she started whilst still an undergraduate. In 1999, she launched the first bridal directory in Nigeria, she set up the international standard makeup studios and established the first makeup school in Nigeria.

Tara is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive Programme, INSEAD Abu Dhabi, Yale University, the Stanford SEED Transformation Programme, and the Harvard Kennedy School having completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy in the 21st century. She is a member of the France/Nigeria Investment club incorporated in 2018 by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Tara is considered a renowned force in the Nigerian female entrepreneurship community. She has impacted and empowered thousands of beauty entrepreneurs through the “Tara Beauty Entrepreneur” initiative. She is a thought leader and major influencer through several in classroom and online courses, sharing her 20+ years of experience with other budding entrepreneurs.

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She has received several national and international Awards for her contribution to entrepreneurship and empowerment development. In 2007, Tara Fela-Durotoye was awarded the Africa SMME award and the Entrepreneur award in South Africa. In 2013, Forbes listed her as one of the 20 Young Power Women In Africa, the World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader. In 2018, she received an award for the Most Outstanding Business Woman of the Year 2018 by the African Economy Builders Awards, the African Makeup Icon by Ghana Makeup Awards as well as the Leadership Award for Entrepreneurship by Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria. In 2019, she received the award of excellence for Social Impact and Job Creation, a National Recognition awarded by the Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo. Most recently in March 2020, she was named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa by Forbes Woman Africa.

Her life’s work has been profiled on several international platforms including New York Forum Africa (NYFA), France24, Africa 24 by Reuters, Bloomberg and CNN’s African Voices.

Tara Fela-Durotoye is a trail-blazer worthy of emulation. We are inspired by her achievements.