Gbemisola Abudu
Gbemisola Abudu is a Nigerian-American business executive, strategic advisor, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on global growth strategy, market expansion, and cross-border partnerships across emerging and developed markets. She has held senior leadership roles across the United States, Africa, and the Middle East, spanning sports, luxury, aviation, and consumer sectors.
Abudu is the founder of the BMGA Foundation, a non-profit focused on gender equity and future-of-work readiness through the BMGA Fellows Program, which equips women across Africa and Asia with 21st-century skills, global exposure, and access to leadership networks. She also served as Managing Partner at Anap Jets, where she helped position the company as one of West Africa’s leading private aviation firms. At NBA Africa, Abudu held senior leadership responsibility for market development, partnerships, and regional strategy, contributing to initiatives including the successful planning and execution of the 2023 NBA All-Star Afrobeats-themed halftime show which featured Burna Boy, Tems and Rema. She launched the NBA Africa Triple Double Accelerator, focused on giving African creative entrepreneurs access to capital and visibility
Early life
Abudu was born in San Bernardino, California. Her father was a chemical engineer and her mother is a pharmacist. Her family roots are in Abeokuta, Nigeria. She is the third of seven children in the family. Although she spent her formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, she moved to Murrieta, California at the age of 14.Education
Abudu earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. She also holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and public relations from the University of Wyoming. In 2025, she completed the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports executive education program at Harvard Business School.Professional life
Abudu has a diverse professional background, having worked for organizations including Anap Jets, Polo Luxury, Louis Vuitton, White & Case LLP, The Walt Disney Company, and The Clorox Company.During her time at the NBA, she led the league's basketball and business development initiatives to expand the presence of basketball and the NBA in Nigeria. She was the youngest and also the only black woman to run a league office. In 2022, Sports Illustrated named her as one of the "100 Most Influential Black Women in Sports in the World". She was also named as one of ISPO's 30 Female Changemakers Shaping the Future of Sports.
In 2024, Abudu was appointed a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center, a Washington D.C.–based think tank focused on global policy and international affairs. In this role, she contributes to strategic dialogues on Africa’s global positioning, cultural influence, and economic development. In 2025, Abudu was listed as one of the Top 10 Black Women Leading in Sports by Magazine.