In the bustling heart of Lagos, where culture and commerce collide with ceaseless energy, a quiet revolution has been underway—one swatch of color, one brushstroke at a time. At the helm of this movement is Banke Meshida-Lawal, Founder and Creative Director of BM Pro, the Nigerian beauty powerhouse that has not only reimagined makeup for the African woman but also reshaped how Africa views female entrepreneurship, artistry, and leadership.
What started as a curious passion for color while studying English at the University of Lagos became the foundation for a multimillion-naira brand that today stands tall across borders.
“I didn’t set out to build an empire,” Banke once remarked in an interview. “I just wanted to do what I loved—and do it well.” That love evolved into BM Pro—Banke Meshida Professional—a name now etched into the annals of Africa’s beauty industry.
Banke’s story is not just one of artistic brilliance, but of resilient entrepreneurship.
In an era when makeup artistry was largely dismissed as unserious or secondary, she dared to dream differently. She turned skeptics into believers by letting the quality of her work speak louder than doubt.
Her journey wasn’t linear—there were early financial stumbles, staff betrayals, and moments of doubt. But what kept her going, she says, was “the conviction that my gift was meant to serve others.”
That conviction birthed a brand that is now synonymous with quality and authenticity. BM Pro products are meticulously formulated to cater to the needs of African skin tones and climate, filling a long-standing gap in the global beauty market.
With multiple retail outlets, an online store, and a distribution network that ships globally, BM Pro is more than a business—it is a movement.
But Banke’s impact goes far beyond cosmetics. Through structured mentorship, rigorous training, and open access to opportunities, she has helped launch the careers of hundreds of makeup artists across the continent. Many of her former trainees are now beauty entrepreneurs in their own right, paying her legacy forward.
Her approach to leadership is grounded in a clear ethos: structure, service, and sustainability. “Talent is just the beginning,” she often tells aspiring entrepreneurs. “What builds a business is the discipline to deliver—every single time.”
Her studios are run with the precision of a tech startup, and her brand decisions are data-informed.
While creativity remains at the core, Banke’s deep understanding of business mechanics—from supply chain management to customer service—has been instrumental in BM Pro’s long-term success.
Banke’s success is emblematic of a new wave of African women who are not waiting for permission to lead.
Her career has defied the artificial boundaries that often separate the creative from the corporate, the artistic from the strategic. In doing so, she has helped elevate beauty from vanity to visibility—making space for African narratives, faces, and excellence to shine on the global stage.
She is also an advocate for gender equity in business, often using her platform to highlight the systemic barriers women face, from access to financing to societal expectations.
“There is a need for deliberate structures that support women in business,” she said in a 2023 leadership forum. “We can’t just rely on resilience; we need ecosystems that work.”
As African economies look to diversify and digitize, creative industries like beauty, fashion, and media are emerging as critical growth sectors.
Banke Meshida-Lawal stands at the intersection of this evolution—demonstrating how creativity, when paired with strategy and purpose, can become a formidable economic force.
In many ways, her story is the African entrepreneurial dream—a vision born from passion, forged through hardship, and anchored in service. She’s not just making faces beautiful; she’s making Africa believe in the power of its own reflection.
Image Credit: BellaNaija Weddings
