ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE APRIL 2024

COVER
requires an ability to collaborate
effectively and efficiently to the
benefit of all.
Accomplish Magazine: What
influences how you deal with
leadership or management issues?
H. Tomi Davies(TD): First
and foremost is, are we having a
discussion? What is the context of
the discussion? Because if I'm looking
at a start-up for investment, I have
a well-drawn out criteria for that.
If I am looking at an employee for
employment, I have well-drawn out
criteria for that. If I'm looking at a
partner for a business opportunity,
there's a totally different set of criteria
for that.
Accomplish Magazine: Who are your
leadership and management role
models?
H. Tomi Davies(TD): Oh, there's
a long laundry list because of my
voracious, and, sometimes - my
wife says - annoying reading habit.
But they go from Warren Buffett
through to Isaac Asimov. I've dove
into things as wide as... I don't know if
you know who Paul McKenna is. But
even Keith Richards, who used to run
Guinness Nigeria Plc. in Lagos, is one
of the people whose style... I loved
his intimate style and approach.
Yeah, there are quite a number of
people on that list with varying levels
of influence on my style. I trust that
helps.
Accomplish Magazine: Having
mentioned these names, we'd like to
ask you, did mentorship play a part
in preparing you for the successes
you recorded?
Tomi Davies(TD): Very, very
much so. I've had the privilege and
the benefit of some amazing mentors
throughout my life. Right from the
very, very early beginnings where I
had the privilege of being mentored
by the Late Reverend Tope Johnson.
Then, moving on to university where
my mentor was a gentleman by the
name of Prof. Lionel Howard. And, of
course, the Late Femi Johnson, who
built Johnson Insurance, was also a
mentor.
And in terms of inspiration, I had
people like Chief Livinus Ike Onunaku,
Gamaliel Onosode, Philip Asiodu,
and Yetunde Emmanuel; people
whose lives I looked at and wanted to
emulate.
Internationally, I've been influenced
Have a clear vision
of what you want to
achieve and stay
true to your core
values. This will
not only guide your
decision making
process but also
inspire a team and
attracts customers
who share
your values.
by people like Steven Covey, Brian
Tracy, who I co-authored a book
with, Candice Johnson, the former
president of the European Business
Angel Network. And, for angel
investing, my mentor has been David
S. Rose, who is the founder of the New
York Angels and, of course, the builder
of Gust.
BOOK SIGNING IN CAPE TOWN 2023
Today, I'm Collaborator-in-Chief
at TVC Labs. TVC Labs was inspired
by Bill Gross, who I had the privilege of
meeting in 1998 and, therefore, in 1999
started TechnoVision to emulate what
he was doing with Idealab. Those are
the inspirations of mentorship I've had
throughout.
Accomplish Magazine: Let's go to
your family pedigree. You are the
son of the Late Chief H. O. Davies we
were reading about in History and
Government textbooks back in time.
Your family pedigree and business
accomplishments must have given
you some insights about why Nigeria
is the way it is now. We'd like to know
what you think about what Nigeria
has turned out to be.
H. Tomi Davies(TD): What
Nigeria has turned out to be is what
Nigerians expected it to be. I am not
a religious person but I'm relatively
spiritual. So, I believe in the concept
of affirmations. You are what you
believe. You are what you think.
You are what you do. Those are
fundamentals of human life.
Our lives have a way of
manifesting our thoughts. My late
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