Connecting Africa’s Skilled Professionals
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Ola Fagbohun – Entrepreneur and Travel Writer... ...University of Nigeria, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria and South Bank University in London.
... ... a business partnership with a good friend; during our university holidays, we went from office to office selling bulk supplies of vegetable oil and soft drinks (our warehouse was his van), that his mum had bought from Cotonou [Republic of Benin]. We did this for two years.
... ... edit Diverse Traveller, an online travel magazine for women. I have also just finished a four month contract helping a leading insurer to build their consumer/ market research team, and delivering strategic insights to the rest of the business.
Ola Fagbohun is a woman of many careers, having worked in nutrition, banking, marketing and editing an online magazine. She earned a BSc (1988) and Post Graduate Diploma (1989) in Nutrition and Dietetics (from University of Nigeria and University Teaching Hospital Benin, Nigeria), followed by a Masters degree in International Business (1997) from the South Bank University, London.
Ola has over 10 years experience of researching markets and consumer behaviour. She has spent the last six working in the same field as a freelance consultant. In this time she has worked for many FTSE 100 companies, helping them to not only identify new consumer markets (U.K. and abroad), but serve their existing consumer base more efficiently.
Despite having degrees in Nutrition, on Ola’s return to London she went to work for Midland Bank (now HSBC), where she developed an interest in consumer marketing. Following her Masters degree, Ola moved into the market research and analysis team of HSBC where she began her ten year love affair with market and consumer research. However, in 2001, she decided to break with the world of permanent employment and work as an independent consultant. Over the last five and a half years she has worked both in the private and public sectors (central government), U.K. and foreign markets, researching people of all ages and backgrounds.
In 2005, looking for her next career challenge, Ola took a break from consulting, and set up Diverse Traveller - an online travel magazine for women, based on her love of travel, having visited, worked and studied in almost 20 countries, and travel writing.
….. `If you don’t ask, you don’t get’ and ‘talk with anyone and everyone.’ I am always amazed at the number of people I meet who fear they will have their business idea/concept stolen if they talk about it. Perhaps it’s the researcher in me, but I have found through discussing the things I do (and even plan to do) I have gained some very profitable advice, and made some very good friends.
…… ….. I don’t have just one; I am mainly influenced by the stories of people who have overcome adversity to achieve their dreams.
... ‘There is no such thing as I can’t.’ Over the years, I have learned that the only person who can restrict me is me. So instead of saying I can’t, I now say, ‘not now’.
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