by Francesca Uriri

Very seldom is a person able to have informed opinions on arts, science, culture, technology and marketing all at once, but Ebi Atawodi does; and manages to make it look effortless. She talks about standing out, being innovative, expanding horizons, and the absolutely essential need to travel. Ebi Atawodi is the Chief Marketing Officer at Afro Technologies, she was previously Head of Corporate Communications & Sponsorships at Etisalat. She is the Leading Lady for the week; be inspired!

How did you start out in your career?

I have always been a problem solver and so studying Electrical Electronics Engineering honed that skill but I remain a creative at heart. My first full time job was with a technology start up Connect2Car, I wore several hats as Graphic Designer, Web Master and Brand Manager. The skills I learnt on that job defined and shaped who I am today. My next job was at one of London’s leading design agencies Bostock and Pollitt – and as they say the rest was history.

What would you say is the key difference between Sales and Marketing?

The best way to describe this difference is with a story I like to tell. Picture two hunters sent into the wilderness by the leader of their village to catch game. They both set out hunting and return in 5 days. The first hunter returns with a wildebeest in tow, he is sweating but knows he has done well – the leader congratulates him for the bountiful kill. The second hunter returns empty handed but with sparks in his eyes, he says he has surveyed the area and guarantees a ton of wildebeests (and other game), he explains the terrain he has surveyed and the best approach – he needs a few hunters like his contemporary and he guarantees not just one but a few kills. Now the first hunter is a sales man, the second hunter is a marketer.

You seem to be very interested in design and aesthetics; is this an important element in Marketing?

A picture tells a thousand words. In marketing communications (which is essentially the voice of the marketer), being able to deliver your message as visually engaging and succinctly as possible always wins. We live in a very visual age, instagram, youtube, vimeo – these are all paradigm shits that tell you people are innately visually greedy. Companies like Nike, Coca Cola, Apple know this and they use it well – but design is of course just one aspect of Marketing.

4. On your blog, you credit Steve Jobs for having a huge impact on your life, can you explain this?
I do and when he died, I cried for a week. Lame I know. Steve Jobs was unashamedly a disrupter – he understood customer experience and marketing. He lived product design, he most importantly showed us one of the most interesting aspects of marketing – customers do not always know what they want. A mouse or a touch screen phone was a ridiculous idea until Apple made them what they are. Having over 10,000 songs in your pocket was unfathomable before the iPod.

You have a clever way with words, is publishing a novel part of your future plans?

[laughs] I wish my mother could hear you say that. I have published two books, Nigerians Behind the Lens and FIVE, but neither of them were fiction or novels, instead they were on photography. I am a visual story teller and I believe to build successful brands you have to get people engrained in your story and find a way to continually reinvent that story using words, experiences, images and other dimensions. But for now I think I will stick with little splashes of writing via my blog.

 Which is your favourite genre? Poetry, prose or drama?

Prose. If poetry is a flower, then prose is a tree – unassumingly intricate and beautiful.

Your blog, and Instagram page, capture your trips to all sorts of interesting places. Is travel an important aspect of your life, and why?

Absolutely! Meeting new people, getting lost in a new language, seeing new things is how we feed our self. Our thoughts, ideas and emotions are never really ours originally, they are a reflection of a collective of strung experiences – the more we see and experience the more colourful those ideas and emotions will be. Everyone NEEDS to travel.

How do you think women can advance their careers, especially in the corporate sector?
I have never been one to think of myself in the professional context as a woman first and a professional second. So my advice is the same to anyone, good work leaves a legacy, great work creates a legacy before you.

What do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for creating things that truly made a difference in people’s lives. My book ‘Nigerians Behind the Lens’ led to the first African only exhibition at the Tate Modern and an exhibition at the Smythsonian. The Etisalat Prize for Literature has been called the most presitgious prize out of Africa. These creations and moments are what I live for.
You seem to be very interested in culture and arts, why is this so?

The best way to answer this is with a quote by Seneca. “As the soil, however rich it may be, cannot be productive without cultivation, so the mind without culture can never produce good fruit.” We need culture and the arts to feed our superior mind, this is how we keep in touch with pure, propaganda-free, content. The Benin kingdom was one of the most powerful in West Africa – it also held the arts and bronze work quite highly. Arts and Culture are indicative of civilisation.

Since you’ve been on both ends, what would you say are the key differences between entrepreneurship and paid employment?

Entrepreneurship is working harder, risking more and giving your all now so that you can spend more of your future not having to – the sky is the limit but there are risks. Paid employment is less risk, more structured but with a more finite reward in my opinion.

What is your personal mantra?

The world is absolutely your oyster, the only thing that can truly stop you is yourself.

 In your opinion, how can women achieve their aspirations for more senior management positions?

In my opinion the same way anyone can achieve senior management positions, set yourself apart from the pack. As you climb the competition gets fierce. Make sure that all defining question “what makes you different” is crystal clear. Stand for something – the world already has too many clones.

 Who are your mentors?

Too many to mention! But my mother continues to be my friend, my confidant and the best free shrink there is.

Name 3 women you admire and why?

My mother Winifred Atawodi – why? Have you met her? She is called the first lady for a reason. Bjork – I absolutely love her unapologetic creativity, Bjork is a game changer and inspired a whole genre of music that was her own. I live by one of her quotes, “don’t fall into the trap of doing what you think you should be doing instead of what you want to be doing.” Margaret Thatcher – a formidable leader, the only woman who has held the office of british prime minister,and one of the longest serving, that is a mean feat and a reminder that nothing is impossible. I also have a soft spot for women in science and my few but precious friends are some of the most inspiring women I know.

What is your take on start-ups in Nigeria, particularly those that leverage on technology?

Technology is the future. A decade ago businesses like facebook and twitter were in their nascent days, now they are an integral part of our lifestyle. The mobile phone’s ubiquity in Africa has also resulted in a major leap frog, the average Nigerian household now spends more money on their mobile phones than food – fact. More people are connected to the internet thanks to the mobile phone and that means you suddenly have a completely different way of doing business and a market that is a push of a button away. The time for technology is now, companies like Konga, Paga and even the likes of Bella Naija are indicative of that paradigm shift.

Do you think it’s possible to merge what you like to do, with what you are paid to do?

It isn’t just possible, it should be mandatory. You are a hinderance to yourself and everyone around you when you work at a job you do not like. You lack passion and lack the drive to do your absolute best. Your job should not be perfunctory but rather a very close alignment to what you are absolutely passionate about.

List 3 books that have affected your career and personal outlook?

48 laws of power / Sun Zu’s – The Art of War (I read them almost simultaneously)
The World is Flat
Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People

 If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would you be doing?

I have this crazy idea of owning a restaurant, I probably still will at some point. I am quite the foodie.

What are your plans for the next 5 years?

That would be telling now wouldn’t it? Watch this space…

If you could, what would you tell your younger self?

Keep doing what you’re doing – do your absolute best and then some more, have less patience for people who bring you negative energy, don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense now for it will all make sense in the end.

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence – Vince Lombardi

The Leading Ladies Africa Series is a weekly interview series that focuses on women of African descent, showcases their experiences across all socio-economic sectors, highlights their personal and professional achievements and offers useful advice on how to make life more satisfying for women. It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa; an initiative that seeks to effectively mentor and inspire women, with particular emphasis on the African continent.
Do you know any woman of African descent doing phenomenal things? Send an email to [email protected] and we just might feature her.