Amid widespread on-line scrutiny following the 2025 Essence Competition of Tradition, Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga is getting into the chat.
On Thursday, July 10, simply 4 days after the competition wrapped on Sunday, the CEO posted a considerably cryptic Instagram submit breaking down her function within the model’s present state of affairs and involvement within the 2025 Essence Fest.
“Out of an abundance of courtesy, I share this concerning my private integrity, skilled ethos & objective journey,” Wanga started earlier than hinting at her attainable current depart.
“#ImHighlyPercentSure that some lacking data has led to false assumptions concerning my depart as President/CEO, that predated the activation of operational planning for a big annualized occasion,” she continued, referencing her new memoir “I’m Extremely % Positive.” “My holistic profession experiences amidst the present socioeconomic local weather have NO PROVEN ROLE within the present state of affairs inside the firm and its supporters, however when straight requested a query that my background has perception into, I reply it inside the parameters of what I do know, have perspective on and am accountable to.”
Whereas there was no public announcement to counsel she’s now not the CEO or is on depart, Wanga joined Essence Ventures because the chief development officer in 2020 after 15 years at Goal. In 2022, she took over the reins as president and CEO of Essence Ventures, per her LinkedIn. The submit arrives amid a thorny few days on-line of backlash towards this 12 months’s competition. As many who attended reported having an exquisite expertise, there are nonetheless fairly a couple of elevating questions across the model’s present management because it continues to evolve with the occasions.
Specifically, some on-line have gone so far as to name out the present management straight, resulting in debates across the heritage of a few of its leaders.
In her submit, Wanga, who’s Kenyan, added, “My heritage, values, ideas, lived life and sense of group are a spot of pleasure, ardour and objective to #DemocratizeAuthenticity for the upliftment of all not just a few.”
She famous her beliefs that everybody is “obligated” to do their half to advance life and produce about significant change. Nonetheless, this must be performed responsibly.
“Leveraging factual and constructive observations, insights and experiences is the one acceptable option to drive change,” she continued. “And may happen as usually as wanted in service of progressing ahead, with enough space for the nuance of particular person views that needn’t align throughout all however mirror the realities of the voices that share it.”
Wanga stated she encourages debate and dialogue “inside the aforementioned guardrails” and with out “sensationalized slander with out proof, lies with out authorized protection, and character concoctions that give option to conviction and correction.”
“Some have with full data, demonstrated unsubstantiated behavioral undermining that displays an incapability to defend suggestions with out back-feeding fact,” she stated, concluding with, “The “defamation” and “disparagement” smoke that accompanies correlating the uncorrelated ain’t what anybody ought to need. Take Heed.”
