Funke Bucknor-Obruthe is a Nigerian entrepreneur and lawyer. She is the Founder and CEO of Zapphaire Events and is regarded as one of Nigeria’s pioneering event planners.
In 2014, Nigerian online magazine YNaija listed Bucknor-Obruthe in its “10 Most Powerful Under-40s in Business”. In 2016, she was listed in the BBC’s 100 Women series.
After practicing law briefly, Bucknor-Obruthe was employed at Tie Communications, an advertisement agency, where she worked for a short period. In 2003, her love for event planning made her start Zapphaire Events, an independent event planning enterprise.
She has since gone on to plan and organize several high-profile events within and outside Nigeria and has won awards and recognition, including being featured in CNN’s Inside Africa for planning a Nigerian royal wedding. Some of these include the Future Award for “Entrepreneur of the Year” (2006), the Wedding Planner Magazine Award for “Wedding Planner of the Year” (2007), Go2girl Life Achievement Awards (2011), and Nigerian Events Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Events Industry (2012).
