Modupe Ogunyemi

Years in Tech

7

Current Role

Head of Marketing, Bounce News, Media24 at Naspers Group

Core Skills

Digital Marketing, Content Creation, Media Production, Brand Management, Advertising, Marketing Analytics, PR and Communications.

Interview Date

14th December 2018

I have a Bachelors from the University of Ibadan and a Masters in Marketing Communications from the University of Surrey, UK. I started my career in traditional media, working in the electronic media and later client-side as a media relations, corporate affairs/ corporate communications executive. My love for the internet from the days of dial-up internet services led me into digital marketing and tech. I have worked in tech in various capacities, from classifieds to eCommerce to Online Media and other verticals. I have also worked with teams in multiple countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, United States etc both directly and remotely. I have garnered over 14 years post graduation work experience in both tech and non-tech. In May 2017, I was featured as one of University of Surrey’s aMayzing Alumni.

What experiences led you to technology and how did you develop the skills to compete in the industry?

I had an inordinate love for the internet and would spend hours on end just surfing the web. And then I went to study in the UK and saw opportunities to convert that proclivity into an actual career. After my Masters, I sought internships in tech/ digital related companies to acquire the requisite skills practically. One of the internships was at Freeads Classifieds, a consumer to consumer online marketplace in the UK. There, I got promoted to a full time staff and the rest as they say, is history.

How has your background helped/differentiated you in the tech industry?

Having worked for years in traditional media, I am able to adopt a 360 degree approach to digital campaigns and user experience designs. It is sometimes easy for us in the tech space to lose sight of non-techies’ touch points in discovering and using our products. A product can be technically sound yet fail to connect or convert end users.

What advice would you give to women considering a career in technology? What do you wish you had known?

My advice would be this: be open to learning! As at the time I was doing internships in the UK, I had already become a head of a unit in Nigeria. And so from a point of view, it might have been said to be a backward move but I wanted to learn and I was willing to make the sacrifice for it. So the biggest advice I can give women considering a career in technology or any industry for that matter, is to be willing to do whatever it takes to learn.

And learn continuously because the technology industry is in a constant state of flux, so never rest on your oars or think you have known it all. Hmmn, what do I wish I had known? I wish I had know much earlier that a computer science degree was not an essential requirement for working in technology, perhaps I would have got in earlier. But still, no regrets because I have had and continue to have an amazing run with it.