I grew up in Kano state in northern Nigeria, where I have happy memories of playing soccer with friends and family on sand fields. I studied metallurgical and materials engineering at university, with a view to a career in that field. In the end, though, I joined PwC Nigeria in Lagos.
I chose the ACCA Qualification because of its global recognition and the prestige that comes with having the abbreviation after your name.
After eight years with PwC, I dipped my feet briefly into corporate waters, as revenue assurance manager at a provider of mobile telecoms infrastructure. Everything changed in 2018 when I decided to emigrate, moving with my family to Canada. There, I started out with EY, before rejoining PwC in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I've spent most of my career with PwC so it was like a homecoming for me.
I feel satisfied when a client recognises that I have delivered value
My parents, who were civil servants, taught me the virtues of hard work and humility, and to always strive for excellence. My mum taught me to focus on my goals so I could bring them to fruition, while also teaching me to celebrate the little wins.
I have always had a passion for solving complex problems. My career in practice has provided me with the opportunity to help clients with some challenging issues such as streamlining business processes for efficiency, identifying the root cause of persistent failure to meet budget targets, helping clients gain insights from complex data, etc. I also enjoy working on diverse projects across different industries. I feel satisfied when a client recognises that I have delivered value.
If I were not a risk assurance professional, I would be doing some form of consulting. I particularly enjoy using data for decision making.
Moving to Canada in 2018 was the biggest risk I have taken in my life – and very cold. We arrived in the middle of winter and had to purchase new winter jackets since ours from Nigeria would not cut it! We also had to learn a lot of new things, such as the need to book appointments for almost everything from visiting your doctor to seeing a financial advisor, even having a haircut. This was a huge adjustment for us.
If I had law-making powers, I would enforce greater diversity, inclusion and equity in society. I am the national executive and Atlantic Canada co-chair of PwC’s Black Professionals Inclusion Network, which gives me the opportunity to be at the forefront of D&I and lend my voice in bridging the gap.
One of my proudest moments was setting up and managing the revenue assurance functions in a previous role. I identified potential revenue leakages estimated at US$1m, provided recommendations and received an employee reward and recognition award.
I recently had the opportunity to train graduate hires across North America. It was inspiring to see the energy, drive and determination to succeed demonstrated by the new campus recruits. It was also a chance to play my part in developing the firm's greatest resource – her people.
Outside of work, I’m an ardent Liverpool FC fan, and I enjoy watching the Premier League. I also play tennis.
