Mahmood Owolabi is proof that persistence defines success. From navigating the hurdles of the UK’s inflexible job market to co-founding one of the disruptive EdTech platforms, Transition Faculty, Owolabi has made a profession out of doing the not possible.
Owolabi’s journey is a masterclass in defying odds and shattering glass ceilings. After overcoming a serious barrier, he’s now rewriting the principles of profession transitions for a complete era of African professionals.
At a time when African abilities are gaining unprecedented world consideration, Owolabi is main the cost, proving that the way forward for work is borderless. His mission? To coach, mentor, and empower the subsequent wave of tech expertise able to tackle the world.
A Humble Starting with Huge Goals
Contemporary out of college, Owolabi’s profession took flight throughout the e-commerce growth in Nigeria, the place he labored with a rising tech startup. The expertise was a formative one, sparking a lifelong curiosity about shopper behaviour and the “why” behind buying selections.
“Witnessing the creation and engineering of platforms that attracted and retained prospects sparked my deep fascination,” he tells Enterprise Elites Africa.
It didn’t take lengthy for Owolabi to translate that fascination right into a profession centered on advertising and shopper engagement, working with main manufacturers like Airtel, Sterling Financial institution, Flutterwave, and Unilever.
His early profession experiences laid a basis for what would turn into a driving pressure in his skilled life—understanding easy methods to harness the facility of selling to construct and scale tech companies.
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The Turning Level
Owolabi’s choice to relocate to the UK was a pivotal second in his profession. The UK, with its refined tech market, appeared like the right place to additional his ambitions. Nevertheless it wasn’t the seamless transition he had imagined.
“I discovered it tough to switch my expertise into the UK job market, which frequently emphasises ‘UK expertise’,” he admits. This problem is one which many worldwide professionals face, and for Owolabi, it was a stark reminder of how sure job markets may be closed off to outsiders, no matter their {qualifications}.
As an alternative of succumbing to frustration, Owolabi noticed this as a possibility for drawback fixing. He started documenting each step he took to safe job interviews, carry out properly in them, and ultimately land presents. It labored. His first function at a tech startup in Wembley, North London, was the breakthrough he wanted.
After updating his LinkedIn profile with this success, he was shocked by the flood of inquiries from pals and acquaintances—a lot of them fellow Nigerians—who have been battling the identical problem of transferring African work expertise into the UK market. “It grew to become clear that I wasn’t alone in dealing with this problem,” Owolabi notes. His means to navigate the UK job market grew to become a invaluable asset to others.
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