By Omololu Olumuyiwa
Judith Omolara Egungbohun popularly known as “Lara Dende” is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur, hospitality executive, property investor, philanthropist, and community development advocate whose career reflects a deliberate blend of business excellence, innovation, and service to humanity.
As Managing Director of IBD International Hotels, Judith has built a professional identity around hospitality, strategic business management, property development, and people-centred enterprise. Her work extends beyond conventional commercial pursuits, encompassing education, youth empowerment, women’s development, community welfare, and humanitarian intervention.
A visionary entrepreneur with a strong commitment to sustainable impact, she represents a growing generation of Nigerian business leaders who understand that commercial success and social responsibility can coexist—and, when strategically aligned, can reinforce each other.
Her leadership philosophy is grounded in excellence, innovation, discretion, and service. Although she is increasingly recognised for her achievements, Judith remains notably private about much of her humanitarian work, believing that the true measure of service is the lives transformed rather than the publicity generated.
Hospitality and Business Leadership
Judith’s professional journey demonstrates a broad understanding of business operations, hospitality management, accounting, real estate, investment, and enterprise development.
As the Managing Director of IBD International Hotels, she provides strategic leadership within the hospitality sector, bringing together operational discipline, customer service, business development, and long-term enterprise sustainability.
Her interest in hospitality is supported by formal professional training, including a Certificate in Hotel Operations from Hotel Management Managers School (HMC). She is also undertaking a Hotel Owners Course at Hospitality Business School (HBS), further strengthening her knowledge of hotel ownership, investment, management, and the evolving demands of the hospitality industry.
Her approach to hospitality reflects an understanding that successful hotels are more than physical structures. They are service ecosystems that depend on people, experience, operational excellence, effective management, financial discipline, and the ability to anticipate changing customer expectations.
Through her wider business interests, Judith has also developed expertise in property entrepreneurship. As the founder of LRD Estate and LRD Apartments, she has pursued real estate opportunities across Ilaro, Abeokuta, and Akure with a particular focus on student hostel accommodation.
Her student housing investments demonstrate an entrepreneurial model that connects social need with sustainable business. By providing accommodation for students, these properties contribute to the educational ecosystem while creating long-term income-generating assets.
Education and Professional Development
Judith’s academic background combines accounting, business administration, and management—disciplines that provide a strong foundation for her work across hospitality, real estate, and entrepreneurship.
She holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting from the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
She subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
Her commitment to continuous professional development is further demonstrated by her professional certifications and fellowships.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Diplomacy and Financial Management (IBDFM), a Fellow of the Institute of Creative and Innovation Management of Nigeria (ICMN), and a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Risk and Investment Managers of Nigeria (IPRIMN).
These affiliations complement her practical business experience by strengthening her exposure to financial management, innovation, risk management, investment, and strategic enterprise leadership.
Entrepreneurial Portfolio
Judith’s diverse professional journey spans several complementary sectors. Having gained experience in banking and fashion, she later transitioned fully into hospitality, real estate, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy, where she has continued to build a multifaceted career driven by enterprise, innovation, and social impact.
She serves as Chief Executive Officer of MYRAK Nigeria, while also serving as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LRD Estate. Her property interests include LRD Apartments and other accommodation assets across Ogun State and Ondo State.
She is also the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IBD Foundation, an organisation through which her entrepreneurial leadership intersects with her humanitarian vision.
This diversified portfolio reflects a strategic approach to entrepreneurship. Rather than concentrating exclusively on one commercial activity, Judith has developed interests across hospitality, real estate, accommodation, investment, and social development.
At the centre of this approach is a belief in building enterprises capable of creating value over the long term while contributing positively to the communities in which they operate.
Humanitarian Leadership and Social Impact
Perhaps the most defining dimension of Judith’s public profile is her commitment to humanitarian service.
Through IBD Foundation, which she co-founded, she supports initiatives focused on community development, education, healthcare, social empowerment, and assistance to vulnerable populations.
In 2023, the foundation launched a large-scale, knowledge-based empowerment programme that trained more than 2,000 participants in practical and vocational skills. Areas covered included makeup artistry, hairstyling, photography, videography, gele styling, coding, and other income-generating skills.
The programme reflects Judith’s belief that sustainable empowerment should go beyond immediate financial assistance. By equipping people with practical skills, she seeks to provide beneficiaries with tools that can support independence, entrepreneurship, and long-term economic participation.
Her humanitarian activities also include a community feeding programme that provides meals to more than 2,000 less privileged people every Friday after Jumu’ah prayers, with meals delivered directly to beneficiaries.
Beyond feeding and vocational training, her interventions extend to widows, vulnerable children, elderly people, and disadvantaged families. Support has included scholarships, healthcare interventions, welfare assistance, and emergency relief.
What distinguishes Judith’s humanitarian approach is its practical and hands-on character. She is widely recognised for service delivered with humility and discretion, with many interventions taking place away from the public spotlight.
She has consistently maintained the philosophy that impact matters more than publicity. Consequently, the work visible to the public represents only a portion of her broader humanitarian activities.
Women and Youth Empowerment
Judith’s work demonstrates a particular commitment to creating opportunities for women and young people.
Her empowerment initiatives recognise that economic inclusion is a powerful instrument for social transformation. By supporting skills acquisition and vocational training, she contributes to helping beneficiaries develop productive capacities rather than remaining dependent on short-term assistance.
Her support for education and youth development similarly reflects her understanding that investment in people is one of the most sustainable forms of community development.
This philosophy is evident in both her philanthropic activities and her commercial investments, particularly her interest in student accommodation and initiatives that support young people in building productive futures.
Recognition and Awards
Judith’s contributions have attracted recognition from organisations and institutions for her entrepreneurial and humanitarian efforts.
Among her notable recognitions is the Most Promising Founder of the Year (Over 30 Category) at the SHE Global Awards 2025.
She has also received a Letter of Recognition from The Salvation Army, Brampton, Canada, alongside multiple commendations acknowledging her contributions to community service, women empowerment, youth development, and humanitarian leadership.
These recognitions complement rather than define her work. For Judith, recognition is best understood as an acknowledgement of service rather than its primary motivation.
Traditional and Community Identity
Judith is also known by the traditional title “Iya Ewe of Ebute Igbooro”, Ogun State, reflecting her connection to community and traditional structures.
Her community identity complements her professional and humanitarian roles, reinforcing her commitment to grassroots development and the wellbeing of people within and beyond her immediate environment.
She is married to Alhaji Ibrahim Egungbohun (IBD Dende) and is blessed with two biological children and several adopted children.
Her family life and community responsibilities form an important part of the personal values that underpin her approach to leadership, service, and social responsibility.
Leadership Philosophy
Judith Egungbohun Omolara Dende can best be described as a purpose-driven entrepreneur whose leadership is anchored in service.
Her professional philosophy brings together several core principles:
Vision: identifying opportunities and building enterprises around long-term possibilities; Excellence: maintaining high standards in business and hospitality operations; Innovation: embracing new ideas, skills, and business models; Sustainability: creating enterprises and social programmes capable of producing lasting value; People development: investing in skills, education, employment, and human potential; Compassion: responding practically to the needs of vulnerable members of society and Discretion: allowing results and impact to speak louder than publicity.
This combination of commercial ambition and social consciousness gives her leadership a distinctive character.
A Silent Achiever with a Broader Vision
One of the most notable aspects of Judith’s profile is the contrast between the scale of her activities and the modesty with which she presents them.
In an era when social impact is often measured by visibility, she has chosen a different path. Her philosophy is that genuine humanitarian service should be judged by the number of lives improved, opportunities created, and communities strengthened—not simply by the amount of attention an intervention receives.
That approach has earned her a reputation as a “Silent Achiever”, someone whose public profile captures only a fraction of the work taking place behind the scenes.
Her story is therefore not simply one of entrepreneurship. It is a story about using business knowledge, professional experience, resources, and influence to create opportunities for others.
Looking Ahead
As Judith continues to expand her interests in hospitality, real estate, entrepreneurship, and social development, her career points toward an increasingly integrated model of business leadership—one in which commercial enterprise can serve as a platform for broader economic and social impact.
Her continued professional training in hotel ownership and hospitality management suggests a commitment to deepening her expertise in an industry with significant potential for job creation, investment, tourism, and local economic development.
At the same time, her work through IBD Foundation demonstrates an enduring commitment to communities and vulnerable populations.
Taken together, her career offers a compelling example of purpose-led African entrepreneurship; building businesses, developing people, creating opportunities, and serving communities.
Judith Omolara Egungbohun (Lara Dende) stands at the intersection of hospitality, enterprise, property investment, philanthropy, and community leadership. Her journey illustrates the possibility of combining business success with meaningful social responsibility—and of making impact not merely a public statement, but a consistent way of life.
