Adinkra Symbols Series. Featured CEO: Dr Theresa Beeko

Drawing Business Values from Ghanaian Adinkra Symbols Series
Featured CEO: Dr Theresa Beeko, President Manet Group of Companies

This week we thrilled to learn from Dr Theresa Beeko, President of the Manet Group of companies. Dr Beeko is an amazing woman first and foremost, and an even more remarkable entrepreneur. A pioneer in more ways than one, Dr Beeko heads the second largest real estate developer in Ghana.

It may come as no surprise that her favorite Adinkra symbol is Sankofa. A woman attuned to learning from the past and using the lessons from the past to forge a better future, her company has constructed thousands of residential units, a three-star hotel resort, and several other civil engineering facilities.

At the age of 25 her first business venture, a venture in the fisheries sector, failed, leaving her with a debt that ran into millions of dollars. Undeterred, Dr Theresa picked herself up, dusted off the misfortune and used it as fuel to enroll on an MBA course at the University of Ghana. A few years afterwards, the Manet Group was formed

Learn more about the resilience and fortitude of Dr Theressa Beeko

Which is your favorite Adinkra symbol?
Sankofa is my favorite symbol

How have values from this Adinkra impacted your business?
Past experiences in business ventures that did not succeed have awarded me with critical tools for all future endeavors. In my current career, past decisions and actions have a direct role in my evolution as a professional in my field. There’s a saying that “those who neglect the past past are doomed to repeat it” is a quote that resonates deeply with me due to its application in efficiency. Repetition can signify the absence of progression in business. Constantly repeating actions that do not yield positive results are characteristics of inefficient business practices.

What is the best career advice you ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to persevere no matter how difficult the objective or task may be. There have been points on my professional life where all odds appeared to be against me but my will to persevere and break through the obstacle was paramount in achieving my goals successfully.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Resilience is key in all aspects of business in any landscape. All businesses are accompanied by a varied degree of challenges with high and low points but one attribute paramount in your business practice is resilience. Resilience between organizations during economic down turn is the difference between a great company and a failed one.