Sonia Irabor

EARLY LIFE

Sonia Irabor was born on 3 January 1990 in Lagos, Nigeria. She is the daughter of prominent media practitioners Soni Irabor, a radio and TV broadcaster, and Betty Irabor, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Genevieve Magazine. Irabor began her involvement in media at age 13, managing the "Teen Zone" column for Genevieve Magazine

PERSONAL LIFE

Irabor has described her personal life as limited due to her professional commitments, stating in interviews, "I don't have much of a personal life." She emphasizes independence from her mother's legacy, noting, "My mother's shoes are too big to fill, I am carving my own path." Additional quotes reflect on her family influence: "What I appreciate is that my mother’s passion is hers, and it has not in any way been forced upon me. So I’m marching to my own beat but there is interestingly and excitingly that crossover on my journey," and "Absolutely. I grew up watching how she worked. I have learnt from her ethics, her unrelenting spirit and – perhaps most importantly – her mistakes."

CAREER

Sonia Irabor is a Nigerian writer, actress, filmmaker, and media executive, currently serving as Editor of Genevieve Magazine since 2017. Her media career includes roles as a radio presenter, producer, and public relations professional. After university, she worked as Assistant Editor and UK Correspondent for Genevieve Magazine. In acting, classically trained in the UK, she has appeared in stage plays, films, and TV series such as Man Of Her Dreams, Inspector K, Table, and Slum King (2023). She has discussed the magazine's digital shift: "The digital platform allows us to do so much more and bring an even wider spectrum of content to our readers worldwide. It is an exciting digital journey we are on."

Irabor graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Media Studies from the University of Leicester in 2011 and a Diploma in Professional Acting from Drama Studio London in 2016. Her achievements include being named one of Forbes Africa's 30-under-30 creatives in 2018, recognition on the YNaija power list as one of the 10 most powerful young persons in media, and, alongside her mother, ranking number 11 on the 2021 "25 Most Powerful Women in Journalism" list by Women in Journalism Africa.