The Royal Society of Arts (RSA), United Kingdom, has elected a Nigerian-born international legal and financial expert, Dr. Jennifer Douglas, is a member of the prestigious society. The recognition was given to him for his social influence in England and Africa.
A Fellowship of The Royal Society of Arts is an award given to a person who is considered to have made an outstanding contribution to social progress and development.
Dr Douglas is a lawyer with over 25 years of experience working in finance, law, education and the non-profit sector, in the UK, Nigeria and the UAE. He is the founder of Yayasan Gede, a non-profit organization with UN Observer status, whose mission focuses on bringing the undeserved burden of health and stigma ‘out of the shadows’ through advocacy and research on mental health.
Dr. Douglas, who made the list of 100 Most Famous Africans, a few weeks ago, was recently nominated for the Wintrade Global Award which came to three (3) locations of the London Stock Exchange, Lloyd’s of London and the London House of Lords, on the 13th, 14th and 15th of March . Her nomination is in the Woman Icon of the year category.
Founded in 1754 by William Shipley as the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the RSA was granted a Royal Charter in 1847, and the right to use the term “Royal” in its name by King Edward VII in 1908, the Royal Society. Art over 260 years old.
According to RSA CEO, Andy Haldane, RSA’s ambition is to build a society where everyone works and everyone participates. These ambitions can only be achieved through collective action to meet the challenges of today.
“Becoming a Fellow is an important way to support RSA’s vision. We want to start by saying thank you. It’s people like you who make our work possible.
“Throughout its history, the RSA has had a huge impact on the world. We have welcomed thinkers with competing visions of a better future including Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Marie Curie and David Attenborough.
“Today, we continue to develop social change initiatives such as the Future of Work program, which exists to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or starting point, can pursue good work in this era of technological change. We are also proud supporting several global Fellow-led initiatives.
Dr Douglas joins other famous colleagues such as Nelson Mandela, David Attenborough, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, Tim Berners-Lee and many others.
Dr Douglas, in his response to the prestigious appointment, said it was applauding to see RSA bringing like-minded individuals and organizations together to harness power for social good.
“My inner drive is to make an impact in the world, to know about this organization that fosters creative minds, even supports creative development and provides the necessary resources to produce results. This gives me confidence, that I am in the right community,” he said.