Celine Edimesumbe Loader, CEO and Editorial Director,

    Aspire Magazine

Born in Cameroon , West Africa, Celine Edimesumbe Loader, gained a Masters Degree (M.Sc.) in Development Economics from the University of Reading in 1990.

Worked for the software giant Microsoft from 1990-1998, holding various roles, including Operations Analyst, Strategic Planning Analyst, Internal Communications Manager (with Microsoft UK) and then Regional Product Marketing Manager (with Microsoft Africa & Middle East).

A seasoned business executive, Celine took a break from the corporate world to be a full-time stay-at-home mother to her young children. In 2003 she set up her own business, Aspire Media Limited, which then launched the international glossy magazine ASPIRE in 2004. Published alternate-monthly, ASPIRE is distributed mainly in the UK , but also available in selected countries in Europe, Africa, USA and the Caribbean .

About ASPIRE

Despite the plethora of consumer magazines that exist today, ex-Microsoft business executive, Celine Loader, felt that there was a gap in the market for a high quality and intelligent magazine for the growing aspirational and upwardly-mobile black and mixed-heritage audience in Europe and around the world. So she decided to launch ASPIRE Magazine. This was no mean feat in the high-risk world of publishing, where 90% of new publications fail within the first six months. However, since launching in April 2004, ASPIRE has been slowly building momentum to become a respected media brand in this niche market and driving a rapidly growing readership across the UK, Europe, Africa, USA and the Caribbean.

With a unique mix of glamour and substance, ASPIRE combines fashion and entertainment with intelligent analyses, success stories and informative editorials on current affairs. The ethos is to inspire, inform, entertain, celebrate and promote discussion. As an independent publisher, Ms Loader's own achievement in succeeding in publishing, thus far, without the massive budgets of the big publishers, is worthy of note.

This 2006, as ASPIRE reaches its 2nd anniversary, ASPIRE has successfully negotiated access into the premium magazine retail outlets WH Smiths & Tescos, as well as prestigious stores like Harrods, Selfridges and Borders.

Celine says, “There is a definite market for ASPIRE, as African and Caribbean people increasingly assert their Afro-European or Black British identity in a more sophisticated manner. Until we own and control media, our image will always be one-dimensional and not likely to be a wholly positive one. People of colour have made tremendous contributions to the development of this world, but you don't get a sense of this from mainstream media - which often weigh heavily on the side of misery and the negative stereotypes. The vision for ASPIRE is to redress that balance, by highlighting positive stories and identifying strong personalities and role models, to enhance the perception of our people and to inspire emerging generations.”