Connecting Africa’s Skilled Professionals
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Tunji Akintokun
I was educated at....
....South Bank University and Cranfield School of Management.
My first job was....
....that of a Microelectronics Hardware Engineer specialising in designing disk storage systems for Personal Computers.
What I do now is....
....Head of Sales for Small to Medium Businesses responsible for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia for Cisco Systems.
Tunji Akintokun is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and holds a Master of Science Degree in Software Engineering from London's Southbank University. He is also a member of the British Computer Society (MBCS).
He is responsible for leading Cisco's Small to Medium Business sales efforts in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia.
The role involves close collaboration with Cisco's Partner, Marketing, Services and Cisco Capital organizations in driving sales acceleration and enablement initiatives with the Cisco SMB sales teams across the EMEAR region.
He previously held the position of Head of Sales for Commercial and Small Business - EMEAR, Head of Sales for Small Business - Europe, Director - Small Business EMEA for the Linksys division of Cisco and was a lead member of the transition team that integrated this division back into Cisco in 2008.
A 14 year Cisco veteran, he has held several positions including Area Sales Manager and Regional Sales Manager for the UK Channel organisation responsible for large network integrators focused on enterprise customers and small partners focused on the SMB customer segment.
Akintokun has previously held positions at Digital, Tiny Computers, Businessland, NeXT, Elcom and Specialist Computer Centres in a career spanning over 25 years in Information Technology and Communications.
He lives in London and is married with 2 children. His interests include collecting and restoring old computers, restoration of classic cars and he is a season ticketholder at his local football team, Arsenal
What I learned along the way is....
....that patience and perseverance are required in abundance as you go through your chosen career and be prepared to embrace change. If possible, always find a good mentor both personally and professionally.
My greatest influence has been....
....my older brother, who is my role model in all aspects of life. He sacrificed a lot for me to pursue my education when we lost our parents and continues to be my benchmark in striving for success.
The best advice I ever received is....
....When building teams, always hire people better than yourself.
My top tips for succeeding in my career area are....
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