Tosin Faniro-Dada (TFD) is a 2006 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree from Boston College. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Massachusetts.
Tosin currently heads the Lagos Innovates program at the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). She joined LSETF as the Head of Strategy & Partnerships in 2016. Prior to her time at LSETF, she worked in the Corporate Banking Division at Skye Bank – now Polaris Bank, and also, as a Financial Analyst at ARM. She spent three years in PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston auditing mutual and private equity funds.
In this quick chat with Pride Magazine Nigeria (PNG) she answers a wide range of questions from us.
PNG: Despite studying abroad and commencing your career over there, you have moved back to Nigeria. What inspired this move? And, how has your work experience been in comparison to your time abroad?
TFD: I was one of those people that always knew that they would move back. My parents moved back after school so, I was brought up with the intention of settling in Nigeria. Besides the fact my parents moved back, I cannot imagine living anywhere else but Lagos. My family and friends are here, my childhood memories are from here. Lagos has always and will always be home.
Corporate Nigeria is very different from Corporate America in terms of management style, employee engagement, and most importantly organizational culture. I have been fortunate to work in a few organizations that try to adopt global best practices such as ARM and LSETF. These organizations have leadership and management styles that are similar to organizations in Corporate America.
PNG: Skye Bank, ARM, now Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. One can say you are quite lucky where employment is concerned. To what do you owe this?
- Your qualifications (we note you graduated Summa Cum Laude which is the highest rating for a degree)?
- Good fortune?
- Connections?
- Or all of the above?
We are curious because finding good jobs in Nigeria, even for highly qualified graduates, is not easy.
TFD: I will say my qualifications help a great deal in getting me an interview with companies, I express myself as much I can during the interview, giving examples of achievements from prior organizations. This helps to get the job, now the most important thing is keeping the job, and this is where hard work comes in. My primary focus is to deliver good work, and I believe that your work will always speak for you. So even if you are in a challenging environment, no one will deny your experience, expertise, skills, and the value you are adding to the team.
It is also important to add that your network is very important. When I feel like I am ready to move on from an organization, I tell people in my network about my interests. What this does is that it keeps me on their minds if they come across an opportunity.
PNG: You head Lagos Innovates at LSETF. What exactly does your work entail?
TFD: I look after a set of programs aimed at making it easier to build successful tech startups in Lagos State. These programs help the very best founders and startups by facilitating access to infrastructure, talent, investor and peer networks. I also source for partnerships for Lagos Innovates to help widen our reach and provide experience and expertise in areas that we are testing.
PNG: Do you have a guiding philosophy that guides your actions and life in general?
TFD: I live by 3 rules: Be focused, Be consistent and Be flexible.
PNG: How would you describe your fashion style?
TFD: Simple, elegant and comfortable
PNG: You are a high-powered corporate lady. How do you balance work and life outside your career?
TFD: I am an advocate of work-life balance. No matter how busy I get, I ensure that I work out at least three times a week, and also make time for family and friends. It is very important for people to take mental breaks; this could be a weekend where you disconnect from work and just spend time alone or with your loved ones.
PNG: What advice will give to young ladies who want to get into the Nigerian corporate world and make a success of their career?
TFD: I will advise young girls to never stop learning, continue to self-develop, there are books, videos, seminars, etc. that can help you get better at what you are doing. Do your work extremely well no matter what it is you are doing and be open to opportunities. If you are passionate about something, start it and keep doing it, you can only get better.
PNG: Thank you for taking time off your very busy schedule to attend to our questions.