Nkiru Olumide-Ojo

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Nkiru Olumide-Ojo
Nkiru Olumide-Ojo.jpg
NationalityNigerian
Alma mater University of Calabar (BSc)
Kingston University, Surrey London (MA)
Occupation(s)Women Issues' Advocate, Communications Professional
Employer Standard Bank Group
OrganizationLighthouse Network
Notable workThe Pressure Cooker (2017)

Nkiru Olumide-Ojo is a Nigerian writer, columnist, and marketing executive. She is the author of The Pressure Cooker: Lessons From a Woman at Work, and the founder of Lighthouse Women's Network. [1] [2] As a marketing professional, she has worked at a financial services group in South Africa and as a spokesperson for Stanbic IBTC Group and Forte Oil in Nigeria. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Born to an Igbo mother and an Edo father, Nkiru grew up in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. [6] [7]

She earned her bachelor's and postgraduate degrees in biological science from the University of Calabar. [8] She also has a master's degree in strategic marketing management from Kingston University in London. [3] [9]

Career

Over two decades, Olumide-Ojo has worked with national, regional, and multinational brands in Nigeria and other African markets. [10] [3] She has worked with Standard Bank Group in South Africa, and has been a spokesperson for companies including Forte Oil PLC and Stanbic IBTC Group in Nigeria. [10] [5] [4]

Around 2010, she began writing a column called "Pressure Cooker" for BusinessDay , a daily Nigerian business newspaper. [11] According to Olumide-Ojo, she was motivated to write the column after experiencing frustrations in juggling her career with having two young children. [11]

In 2017, her book titled The Pressure Cooker: Lessons from a Woman at Work was published by Narrative Landscape Press. [12] The book is a compilation of Olumide-Ojo's weekly column in BusinessDay, and focuses on issues related to women and the workplace. [7] [13]

Reviews of The Pressure Cooker

A review by Adebola Rayo-Falade in The Guardian stated the she considers the book "important" because "it's a front-row seat to envisioning the life of an average Nigerian woman...It does not just describe issues, it reads like a practical guide on how to navigate them." [1] A review by Hafsah Abubakar Matazu in Daily Trust called the book "enlightening and refreshing", praising the author for sharing her "failures and insecurities" and for "not shy[ing] away from the everyday issues encountered by career women, whether it's in the home front as a mother and wife or at the work place, where cases of gender inequality, sexism and competition between women are prevalent". [14] A review by Toyin Agunbiade in YNaija also commended the author's "refreshingly open manner", the way she expressed the need for women to be deliberate in their goals and "Then find the courage to ask for help/support from the people who surround them or people within their sphere of influence." [15] A review by Toni Khan of The Lagos Review analysing the "feminist agenda" of this book draws comparisons with Jean-Paul Sartre. [16]

The Lighthouse Women's Network

In 2004, Olumide-Ojo founded The Lighthouse Network, which offers programmes to help women of all ages prepare for the workplace and advance their careers. [17] [18]

Awards and public speaking

Olumide-Ojo has won numerous awards, including a Top 40 Under 40 award from NIPRO in 2008. [19] [20] In 2017, she won an award for best corporate brand manager from the Brand Journalists' Association of Nigeria (BJAN). [21] In 2008 and 2017, she was named one of the leading women in marketing and communication by Marketing World West Africa. [22]

In 2018, she became 2nd vice-president of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria. [23] She has been a featured speaker at numerous events. She was invited to speak at the 2020 Forbes Woman Africa (FWA) Leading Women Summit; Google Nigeria's 2019 International Women's Day Celebration; Advertising Week Europe 2017; and many others. [24] [25] In 2024, Olumide-Ojo was selected to serve on the global jury of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. [26]

Personal life

Nkiru Olumide-Ojo is married to Olumide Ojo and they have two children. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 Adebola Rayo-Falade (16 November 2017). "Olumide-Ojo's Pressure Cooker motivates women for ambition". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria.
  2. ↑ Moses-Ashike, Hope (13 April 2021). "VFD Group advocates equal opportunities for women in organisations". BusinessDay. Nigeria. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nkiru Olumide-Ojo: 'Including men in gender conversations helps greatly'". The Guardian. Nigeria. 8 June 2019. ProQuest   2236547481 . Retrieved 14 February 2025– via ProQuest.
  4. 1 2 "Stanbic IBTC to Drive SMEs, Growth Through Social Media". AllAfrica.com. 22 February 2015. ProQuest   1657431034 . Retrieved 14 February 2025– via ProQuest.
  5. 1 2 "Workers Shut Down AP, as Company Sacks 170". AllAfrica.com. ProQuest   885895560 . Retrieved 14 February 2025– via ProQuest.
  6. ↑ Toni Kan (16 December 2017). "The Pressure Cooker: Nkiru's agenda for women". Vanguard.
  7. 1 2 "The Pressure Cooker Lets Out a Good Steam". ThisDay. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "Cannes Lions appoints Nkiru Olumide-Ojo as judge for 2024 festival". Brand Impact. Nigeria. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "TOP 40 FEMALES UNDER FORTY - Global Top 40 Under 40 Nigerian Female Professionals". NiPRO International. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  10. 1 2 Ogbe, Omawumi (31 August 2020). "Africa's leading women in PR and Marketing - by Omawumi Ogbe". BlackHouse Media.
  11. 1 2 3 Ojoye, Taiwo (5 December 2017). "Day Olumide-Ojo took The Pressure Cooker to Terra Kulture". Punch.
  12. ↑ Kemi Lanre-Aremu (3 December 2017). "Maintaining work-life balance is constant struggle — Nkiru Olumide-Ojo". Punch.
  13. ↑ "Nkiru Olumide-Ojo: Speaking my mind through my book". Vanguard. 10 December 2017.
  14. ↑ Hafsah Abubakar Matazu (24 December 2017). "Nkiru's guide for the ambitious woman in 'The Pressure Cooker'". Daily Trust. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  15. ↑ Agunbiade, Toyin (16 November 2017). "Book Review: The Pressure Cooker by Nkiru Olumide-Ojo is a confidence boost for trying times". YNaija . Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "Nkiru Olumide-Ojo's "The Pressure Cooker" and its feminist Agenda – Toni Kan". The Lagos Review . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  17. ↑ Kemi Ajumobi (25 May 2018). "Light House Women's Network to hold 5th edition of development conference". Business Day.
  18. ↑ "The Lighthouse Network Selected SheBlooms.' Partner". This Day. 10 December 2021. ProQuest   2608492400 . Retrieved 14 February 2025– via ProQuest.
  19. ↑ Chuks Nwanne (23 December 2017). "Pressure Cooker... Success nuggets for career women in print". Guardian.
  20. ↑ "Global Top 40 Under 40 Nigerian Female Professional". NiPRO International. 2 February 2008.
  21. ↑ "Ani-Mumuney, Olugbodi, others win 2017 Brands & Marketing Awards". Marketing Edge. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017.
  22. ↑ "PR Power List 2022- Meet Top 50 PR Professionals in Nigeria". The Guardian. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  23. ↑ Raheem Akingbolu (8 October 2017). "ADVAN: Great Expectations, as Ani-Mumuney Steps in". ThisDay.
  24. ↑ "2020 FWA Leading Women Summit announces its speaker line-up". Media Update. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  25. ↑ "Advertising Week Europe 2017 (1.2 Billion Stories) Speakers - Nkiru Olumide-Ojo". Advertising Week. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  26. ↑ Rawlings, Charlotte (12 April 2024). "Franki Goodwin and Felix Richter among UK figures on Cannes Lions Awarding Jury". Campaign (Online). ProQuest   3160035328 . Retrieved 15 February 2025– via ProQuest.
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