Can you give us a potted history of your career journey to date?

After completing my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University, I served for a year as Vice President of their Student Union. It was a senior role to take on so early in my career, and it accelerated my learning significantly.

It was while I was studying for my master’s at Imperial Business School that I became really interested in consulting. I was drawn to the idea of focused problem-solving and the opportunity to work across different industries.

After graduating, I worked as an Associate Consultant for a bit. I spent about half my time in the Private Equity group, completing commercial due diligence for various clients, and the other half in the general practice, working on a range of projects, predominantly in financial services and fintech. I realised fintech was where I wanted to focus long-term, so I pivoted in that direction.

That led me to my current company Xero, in the Strategy and Operations team. They are a cloud-based accounting software company that started in Australia and has since expanded into the UK and US markets. A big part of my role is figuring out how we can best serve our UK customers.  What I enjoy most is the creative, problem-solving element - working with people across the business to take a goal and ask, “How do we actually get there?”

The theme for Black History Month this year is “Standing firm in power and pride". What are you most proud of?

It’s funny to me that this is still the thing I feel the most proud of, because there are other things I’ve done that I’m really proud of and grateful to have had the opportunity to do. But honestly, what stands out is that I started university really young, at 17, and moved from Nigeria to the UK by myself, having never been to the country before.

I found a way to settle into a new environment, and I know that’s something a lot of international students go through. I think what makes me proud is how I just threw myself into it and did it all independently. I was living in a whole new country and starting a whole new life. Over time, I’ve built a community here of friends and people I care about. It’s been a process of branching out, going through this adventure, and coming out the other side relatively okay.

My advice for others in a similar situation is to embrace the adventure of it all. I think people can get scared or overwhelmed by the “newness” of everything, from the cold (which was a big shock for me!) to seeing so many different people from different parts of the world with their own traditions and ways of life.

But it is an adventure! You’re being exposed to so much - new ways of thinking, new ways of living, and new types of people. If you embrace it, rather than retreating or only sticking with people who are just like you, I think you become a more well-rounded person. It’s certainly the approach I took. I just went headfirst into everything, and I think I’m better off for it. 

How do you think leaders can use their own power to empower others?

There’s a lot of attention placed on a leader’s ability to lay out a vision and inspire people to move in the direction of that vision. I do think that’s important, but if we’re talking about making people feel empowered, I think it goes a long way to give people agency. To ask for their opinion, lean into it, and give them the opportunity to express themselves and make decisions.

This is something I’ve experienced myself recently. Whenever I wasn’t sure about something, I’d say to my manager, “This is kind of a big decision”. I’d go to him and explain the problem, lay out a couple of options, and ask for help. And he’d always respond with something like, “Oh, that’s interesting. What do you think?” He’d push me to come out of just presenting options and actually make a decision and talk through why I thought one direction was the right one. More often than not, he’d say, “Yeah, that makes sense to me. Go do that.”

That was incredibly empowering. It made me feel like my opinion was valued. But more than that, it was empowering to receive deference from someone in a leadership position. It was someone leaning on my expertise and judgment, rather than just dictating the direction from the top down. I think that’s a really great skill in a leader.

You won the Dean’s Community Award for Inclusive Business while you were a student. Can you tell us a bit more about the initiative?

The idea first came about during my undergraduate studies at Loughborough University, where I served as the Chairman of the International Students Network. Every year we hosted International Day, an event that gave international students the opportunity to showcase their culture through dedicated stalls. These featured everything from traditional artefacts to food and drink, allowing students to express their heritage in an authentic way. It was a beautiful celebration of culture that not only made participants feel proud of their backgrounds but also invited others to learn and engage with cultures they might not have encountered before.

When I joined Imperial, I knew I wanted to try something similar. As President of the Dean’s Advisory Council, I helped organise our own International Day that welcomed over 100 students.

From a breaking-barriers point of view, I think it made it easier for people to connect with cultures they potentially hadn’t before. I’m incredibly proud of the event and the impact it had. I loved seeing everyone enjoy themselves and build a deeper appreciation for different backgrounds and ways of living.

You joined the Alumni Advisory Council earlier this year. What impact do you hope you can have on the Business School and alumni community?

I think the really big value of the Imperial alumni community, like many alumni networks, is the sense of connection it builds. People are genuinely motivated to help each other as they leave university and embark on their career.

I’ve definitely been the kind of person who has reached out to follow alumni to ask questions about a job, or to ask for advice. I think that is an example of how having a community that is strong and connected, and that people are proud of, can help improve outcomes for all its members.

As a member of the AAC, I want to advocate for anything we can do to strengthen the connection people feel to the Imperial alumni community. I want to enable people to get as much value out of the community as possible, whether that is through outreach, events, or creating opportunities for people to meet and connect.

I also think it’s important for the School to consider how its decisions impact the long-term outcomes for alumni. Not necessarily prioritising alumni over everything else, but keeping us in mind as part of the broader conversation.

Ultimately, what I’m hoping to achieve is a stronger, more engaged community. A more perfect union, if you will!

What are the benefits of staying connected as an alum?

Imperial is one of the best universities in the world and attracts very smart people who go on to do amazing things. There is so much value in having access to that group of people, whether you want to have mentorship, build something together or just throw ideas around. It wouldn’t ordinarily be that easy to access so many talented people!

More than that, these are people who want to help you. I feel that sense of connection with fellow Imperial alums as we’ve had that shared experience, and you feel a sense of solidarity. You may not even have a connection to some of these people, but you still get a sense of them wanting to help you on your journey.

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt so far?

A huge life lesson, and a principle I try and live by, is focusing on useful I can be, whether that is with friends or in the workplace.

I don’t mean that in a transaction sense of “what can I do for you, so you can do something for me”. I mean genuinely asking “how can I meaningfully contribute to the people and situations around me?”

I think approaching anything with that mindset helps you make better decisions, become more professional, and be a stronger contributor to whatever you are a part of. For example, in moments at work where things feel unclear, perhaps the next step in a project isn’t obvious, it’s easy to freeze or wait for someone else to give direction. But if you approach that situation with the question “How can I be useful to the people around me?” it forces you to be more proactive. Maybe others are also feeling stuck or overwhelmed. So, look for ways to help such as gathering more information, offer to take something off someone’s plate, or just be a sounding board.

When you apply that principle on a bigger scale, I think that it can lead to a life that is much more purposeful. You start thinking, how can I be useful to my community, to my friends, to my family, and you begin to find ways you can improve the lives of the people around you. When you start to see the real impact of that further down the line, it can be hugely motivating.