Full of ideas, innovations, and talents, Damilola Hassan heads the Trustees Division of Meristem. In her 14 years at Meristem, she has contributed to the growth of the organisation, harnessing her comprehensive experience in investment advisory, asset management, marketing and corporate communications, and client relationship management. Her contributions have positioned Meristem as the choice investment partner in the Nigerian Capital Market.
Damilola is a graduate of microbiology and holds an MSc and an MBA in finance and business management. She is a Chartered Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, an Authorized Dealing Clerk of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments, United Kingdom, and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Nigeria. She is a facilitator at The Entrepreneurship Academy, Lagos Nigeria and serves as Trustee to the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande Foundation. When not creating wealth for clients, Damilola loves to read and write.
In this woman of the month interview, Damilola Hassan speaks on challenges, balance, and having the right mindset.
In the course of your career journey, how were you able to turn challenges into opportunities?
I am of the firm belief that challenges are life’s gifts to us. They are the stones we climb to attain the next level. So, if we can see challenges as ladders to the next level, it will be easier to embrace the challenge and see the good in it. I have learnt to be truthful to myself by asking myself difficult questions: What resources do I have to leverage on? How do I go about it? Objectively answering these what and how questions help a great deal in turning these challenges into opportunities.
As Managing Director of Meristem Trustees, what have been the major achievements of the company?
Major achievements? Putting a smile on the face of our clients every day. When you have clients who are willing to trust you wholeheartedly with sensitive issues such as planning their estate and preserving their wealth across generations, you can’t afford to take it for granted. Attaining that level of partnership and trust is a major achievement a client-oriented company like Meristem Trustees Limited could ever wish for and we are grateful to have it.
How does Meristem Trustees envision building on these achievements over the next 5-10 years?
As a business we are guided by the philosophy that “our success depends entirely on the extent to which our clients’ objectives are met”. We constantly put ourselves in the place of our clients and serve them like we would serve ourselves. When they are not happy, we have failed and when they smile, we also smile. This alone drives us, and we strongly believe that over the next 5-10 years and even beyond, ensuring that we keep our clients smiling will be pivotal to building on what we have achieved so far.
How do you juggle multiple roles and still maintain a work-family balance?
So many times, we are so fixated on balance believing that there must be an equal apportioning of our time across work, family, and other endeavours. For me, it is about deploying your energy in what you love per time while being creative about it. So importantly, as individuals, we must learn to set our priorities right and the truth is that what is important to us per time will vary depending on what is at stake.
Delegation is a key thing we lose sight of and I learnt this early. There are certain things you do not have to do all by yourself. I have learnt to delegate and outsource duties and responsibilities so that I am able to attend to other pressing matters.
Lastly, we all can use a strong support system and I have learnt to reach out to mine whenever I need them to come through. We all need strong support, and be sure to be a support for others too.
What would you say is the number one thing limiting female career professionals from reaching their goals?
Mindset. The mindset that there are limitations, ‘I can’t do this; what happens if I fail?’ and so on. Am I saying there are no limitations and that the coast is totally clear? Absolutely not, but like we know battles are fought and won in the mind. If we can address certain things first in the mind, what we can do and what we can achieve, we will realize that there are no limitations that can hold us from reaching our goals.
What inspired your love for writing?
I enjoy retelling vintage and real stories in a contemporary context. It is something I do occasionally but I hope to create more time for it in the nearest future. I currently do not have any published works.
What do you take pride in?
My Faith. My Family. My Work