Mo Abudu, “Ebony Life CEO” Biography, Career, Net Worth, Cars

In the Nigerian media and entertainment space, Mo Abudu needs to be introduced. She’s one of the pace-setters in the industry who continues to widen her pursuit and challenge many status quo in the Nigerian media and entertainment industry. 

Mo Abudu Wiki

Real name	Mosunmola Abudu
Date of birth	11 September 1964
Country of Origin	Federal Republic of Nigeria
Occupation	Media mogul, philanthropist
Net worth	$650 Million
Education	MidKent College Gillingham Campus, University of Westminster, The Ridgeway School & 6th Form College, North Kent College, West Kent College
Production company	Ebonylife TV

Over time, many have come to recognize her as one of the most influential Nigerian women. She has made it to the Forbes list of influential women in Nigeria, as well as being on the top list of richest women in Nigeria and across the African continent. Mo Abudu needs no introduction; she’s indeed one of the makers and movers of what goes on behind the scenes in the Nigerian media and entertainment landscape.

While you might know her name, there’s still that potential that there’s more you’ll need to know about the media mogul. In this article, we take you through some of the interesting things about Mo Abudu, spanning from her biography, personal life, career, cars she owns, and net worth. 

Mo Abudu Biography

Mosunmola Abudu, popularly known as Mo Abudu, was born in London, United Kingdom, on the 11th of September 1964. She’s the eldest child (out of three) of Mr. (who was an engineer and passed away in 1975) and Mrs Lawerence Akintunde (who was a caterer), who hails from Ondo town in Ondo State, in the South-West region of Nigeria. 

At age 7, Mo moved to Nigeria to live with her grandparents but later returned to the UK at age 11. Mo spent her formative years in London, attending the Ridgeway School, MidKent College, and West Kent College. She also got a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Westminster in London. 

Although a media mogul, Mo Abudu keeps details of her personal life private. However, she had a short-lived marriage with Tokunbo Abudu, a wealthy businessman who is the son of Chief Olatunde Abudu, a Nigerian businessman, and the Mayegun of Egbaland, who hails from Ogun state.

Mo’s marriage to Tokunbo Abudu had two children, Temidayo and Adekoyejo Abudu. But the marriage later ended in a divorce as the businesswoman stated that things didn’t work out between her and her ex-husband because other things make up a marriage aside from friendship. The ex-couple still stays cordial to date for their children, while Mo has retained her husband’s name, “Abudu,” even after the divorce.

Ever since the divorce, the media mogul has not revealed if she’s in another relationship or has remarried. She keeps that part of her life private while focusing on running her media empire, Ebonylife.

Mo Abudu Career

Speaking of owning an ultra-successful media empire, it’ll interest you to know that Mo Abudu did not start off her career in the media industry. Her initial career path is far removed from her current career pursuit. So, where did the billionaire CEO making strides in the media landscape in Nigeria and across the globe begin?

Mo Abudu started her professional career as a recruitment consultant in 1987, when she worked with Atlas Recruitment Consultancy firm in the UK. Afterwards, she switched to Starform Group, a successful business information group in the UK. Working at Starform Group, Mo was responsible for the research, design, and production of several conferences and seminars at Starform Group.

However, by 1993, she relocated to Nigeria to work with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (now ExxonMobil) as their head of Human Resources and Administration. Her role at the company built her skills in business discipline and corporate culture, which were vital skills when she later launched her own company.

After working with Exxon Mobile for almost a decade, in 2000 she resigned and started her firm, Vic Lawerence & Associates Limited, a Human Resources consultancy firm in Nigeria. Currently, her company has an executive training centre at Protea Hotel, Oakwood Park, Lagos.

Aside from being drawn to Human Resource Management. One other thing interested Mo. It was the interest to tell African stories the right way. It was this insight that gave birth to her talk show, Moments with Mo, regarded as Africa’s first syndicated daily talk show that focused on celebrating the achievements of Africa. Today, she’s the Executive Producer of the show, and the show airs across 49 African countries and on cable TV in the UK. A-list celebrities, governors, and presidents have graced her talk show. Some of them are Hilary Clinton and the managing director of IMF, Christine Lagarde. Through Moments with Mo, she has also created reality TV shows like The Debaters and Naija Diamonds, all championing Nigerian and African stories.

In 2013, Mo began to gradually actualize her dream of owning and running a media empire, and that was when Ebony Life TV was born. The media company is regarded as the first black entertainment and lifestyle global network. Ebony Life TV is a subsidiary of Media and Entertainment City Africa (MEC Africa). It began broadcasting on MultiChoice DSTV CH 165 and later moved on to Star Times Network in 2018. 

Subsequently, Mo established Ebony Life Films, a film production unit that started in 2014, and its debut movie was titled Fifty, a movie that tells the story of four friends living in Lagos, at the peak of their career who are forced by circumstances to take stock of their personal lives while juggling career and family. 

In 2016, Ebony Life Films was part of the ELFIKE Film Collective that produced the Nigerian Blockbuster, The Wedding Party. Other movies the company has produced include:

• The Wedding Party 2
• The Royal Hibiscus Hotel
• Netflix’s Oloture
• Netflix’s Blood Sisters

Aside from running a business empire, Mo is also a philanthropist who founded The Inspire Africa Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on raising funds for implementing social transformation initiatives. The foundation has organized charity concerts and partnered with other organizations to achieve its goals. The organization also has a charity store branded, The Designer Outlet for Charity.

Some of the awards and recognitions Mo has gotten for her exemplary career path include:

• 2013 Forbes Africa First Woman to Own a Pan Africa TV Channel
• Made the list of 25 Most Powerful Women in Global TV by Hollywood Reporter in 2013
• Entrepreneur of the Year at International Women’s Day Forum in New York in 2014
• Honorary Doctorate Degree from Babcock University in 2014
• Forbes Africa Most Successful Women of 2015
• Movie Producer of the Year at City People Movie Awards in 2015
• 2017 Special Recognition at City People Movie Awards
• IoD Entrepreneurial Award by Institute of Directors Nigeria in 2017
• FAME Award of Excellence in 2017
• 2018 50 Women Making Impact in Showbiz by Variety Magazine
• 2018 Glazia Persons of the Year Awards
• 2018 African Achievers Awards at UK House of Common

Also, in 2023, Mo Abudu’s media companies, Ebony Life, Idris Elba, and Green Door Pictures, partnered to amplify voices and tell more stories from the African continent.

Mo Abudu Cars

Mo Abudu lives in a Banana Island mansion worth over N600 million and owns assorted luxury cars like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, an Escalade ESV SUV, a Lexus LX570, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

In general, Mo Abudu’s fleet of cars should be worth over N1 billion. All these cars are signifiers that they don’t just go after cars.

She goes after cars known for their great performance (especially the off-roading G-Wagon—suited for Nigerian roads) and class when selecting her rides.

Mo Abudu Net Worth

In an article published in 2022, Forbes ranked Mo Abudu #99 on the list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Through her various business ventures and her media company, Mo Abudu has generated a huge net worth that’s estimated at $650 million.

Conclusion

When it comes to business and business management and growth. Mo Abudu has hacked the strategy, and it’s this strategy that she’s implemented into all her business that has greatly impacted its growth to date.