hey there!

🚀

My career story

FINDING MY FEET IN A STARTUP:

After completing my MBA specializing in marketing, I began my career in advertising. I worked with some of the leading ad-agencies such as Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi. This was before digital marketing was even a thing, but not in the ‘Mad Men’ sort of way :)

Believe it or not, the creative ad-agencies were a bit too straight-jacketed for my liking. Therefore, I decided to quit the ad-world and join an ed-tech startup. The startup allowed me to wear multiple hats which I enjoyed, but most of my work was around marketing and product development. The three years at the startup were a crash course in various stages of product lifecycle and management, and I was hungry for more.

Campaigns can take you places:

After learning the ropes of digital and content marketing at the startup, I went on to join the digital marketing team of a fast growing Indian university. The marketing budgets were huge when compared to the startup and we ended up running campaigns in over ten countries. This helped me gain an understanding of scaling and growth.

One of the target countries for the University campaigns was Nigeria. Having read about Nigeria’s potential to become a digital economy and leapfrogging its way in digital transformation certainly made me curious about the place.

With Nigerian students at the University. Delhi, Jan 2012

A three month visit to Nigeria turned into a six year adventure:

Curiosity has been my career’s north star! From my small hometown of 2.5 million* people (small by Indian standards), it led me to megacities like Mumbai and Delhi. “What are the largest and fastest growing markets in the world?” I asked myself. In 2013, I made the move to the fastest growing city of Africa - Lagos, when a Nigerian P.R. firm reached out to me to lead their digital transformation. I was extremely excited about the opportunity to work in a new country and experience new culture.

My contract with the P.R. agency was for three months but I ended up extending my stay. After realizing the opportunity in Nigeria firsthand, I decided to start my own digital agency.
* population in 2004
With Daryn Wober, CEO of Ventra Media. Lagos, Nov 2015

Entrepreneur me:

The first year was tough! What was I thinking starting an agency in Nigeria? I didn’t have any network, or many friends at the time. However, my content marketing skills proved vital in getting me a foot in the door at right places. I started a photography blog showcasing the energy and vibrancy of Nigeria, and in a few months everyone was talking about it, including the Guardian. (Insert link). The backlinks and hustle paid off eventually, and my first client was a fast growing Nigerian Bank.

There was just no looking back from there. To keep up with the demand for web development related work, I had to set up a back-office in India. Initially, it was a challenge to manage things remotely because of the time zones and several projects running in parallel, but I quickly learnt about systems and checklists. This fuelled growth, leading to more referral work with some of Nigeria’s top businesses and non-profits.

Global M&A crash course:

Being in the (almost) same time zone helped the agency win some EU clients, followed by others in North America. In late 2015, Ventra Media, a British agency, acquired my business. Working with Ventra as a Product and Content Director, was a phenomenal experience and we built some amazing digital products, including West Africa’s largest digital news platform.

I continued to consult startups on product development and digital marketing for the next couple of years which was also when I started self-learning UX design.

North American move:

I absolutely loved my time in Nigeria, but the constant devaluation of the Nigerian currency was making it challenging to stay afloat. In 2017, I visited Toronto to see some friends (and Niagara Falls of-course), and really loved the city. And finally, in April 2019 when it was time to say goodbye to (sunny and warm) Lagos, I chose Toronto. The emerging tech-sector and the stable Canadian economy played a really important role in my decision making.

After settling in Toronto’s lovely mid-town neighbourhood, I enrolled in a full-time UX Diploma course. This was an outstanding experience which brought me a step closer to my career goals. After the course was completed, I continued to consult with businesses on their digital journey.

The sum is certainly greater (and fulfilling) than the parts when it comes to life experiences. My interaction with different cultures in several countries has shaped me into a human of the world.

With my BrainStation UX cohort. Toronto, Nov 2019
Hey there.

If you’ve made it here, you really want to know more about me, and that means a lot. Thank you for your interest.
🚀

My career story

Finding my feet in a startup:
After completing my MBA specializing in marketing, I began my career in advertising. I worked with some of the leading ad-agencies such as Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi. This was before digital marketing was even a thing, but not in the ‘Mad Men’ sort of way :)

Believe it or not, the creative ad-agencies were a bit too straight-jacketed for my liking. Therefore, I decided to quit the ad-world and join an ed-tech startup. The startup allowed me to wear multiple hats which I enjoyed, but most of my work was around marketing and product development. The three years at the startup were a crash course in various stages of product lifecycle and management, and I was hungry for more.
Campaigns can take you places:
After learning the ropes of digital and content marketing at the startup, I went on to join the digital marketing team of a fast growing Indian university. The marketing budgets were huge when compared to the startup and we ended up running campaigns in over ten countries. This helped me gain an understanding of scaling and growth.
One of the target countries for the University campaigns was Nigeria. Having read about Nigeria’s potential to become a digital economy and leapfrogging its way in digital transformation certainly made me curious about the place.
A three month visit to Nigeria turned into a six year adventure:
Curiosity has been my career’s north star! From my small hometown of 2.5 million* people (small by Indian standards), it led me to megacities like Mumbai and Delhi. “What are the largest and fastest growing markets in the world?” I asked myself. In 2013, I made the move to the fastest growing city of Africa - Lagos, when a Nigerian P.R. firm reached out to me to lead their digital transformation. I was extremely excited about the opportunity to work in a new country and experience new culture.

My contract with the P.R. agency was for three months but I ended up extending my stay. After realizing the opportunity in Nigeria firsthand, I decided to start my own digital agency.
* population in 2004
Entrepreneur me:
The first year was tough! What was I thinking starting an agency in Nigeria? I didn’t have any network, or many friends at the time. However, my content marketing skills proved vital in getting me a foot in the door at right places. I started a photography blog showcasing the energy and vibrancy of Nigeria, and in a few months everyone was talking about it, including the Guardian. (Insert link). The backlinks and hustle paid off eventually, and my first client was a fast growing Nigerian Bank.

There was just no looking back from there. To keep up with the demand for web development related work, I had to set up a back-office in India. Initially, it was a challenge to manage things remotely because of the time zones and several projects running in parallel, but I quickly learnt about systems and checklists. This fuelled growth, leading to more referral work with some of Nigeria’s top businesses and non-profits.
Global M&A crash course:
Being in the (almost) same time zone helped the agency win some EU clients, followed by others in North America. In late 2015, Ventra Media, a British agency, acquired my business. Working with Ventra as a Product and Content Director, was a phenomenal experience and we built some amazing digital products, including West Africa’s largest digital news platform.

I continued to consult startups on product development and digital marketing for the next couple of years which was also when I started self-learning UX design.
North American move:
I absolutely loved my time in Nigeria, but the constant devaluation of the Nigerian currency was making it challenging to stay afloat. In 2017, I visited Toronto to see some friends (and Niagara Falls of-course), and really loved the city. And finally, in April 2019 when it was time to say goodbye to (sunny and warm) Lagos, I chose Toronto. The emerging tech-sector and the stable Canadian economy played a really important role in my decision making.
After settling in Toronto’s lovely mid-town neighbourhood, I enrolled in a full-time UX Diploma course. This was an outstanding experience which brought me a step closer to my career goals. After the course was completed, I continued to consult with businesses on their digital journey.

The sum is certainly greater (and fulfilling) than the parts when it comes to life experiences. My interaction with different cultures in several countries has shaped me into a human of the world.
😎

Random facts about me

My last name ‘UBA’, an extremely rare surname in India, is carried by only a handful of families. To my disbelief, UBA was a more common name in Nigeria. Made me feel right at home! :)

Photography   has been a serious hobby of mine since 2003, and some of my pictures have been published in world's leading publications.

In my late 20s I bought the legendary Royal Enfield   motorcycle and went on some epic rides in India.
In partnership with a film-maker friend, I co-wrote and co-produced a short-film on social media’s impact on relationships. This was in 2006, much before Facebook and Youtube became big.
I have more tools for web-development, marketing, and design than I should.
Domain buying sites are often the most visited websites from my web browser.
Colemak is my preferred keyboard layout.
Ethiopian coffee is my favorite coffee.
My superpower is staying calm.
😎

Random facts about me

- My last name ‘UBA’, an extremely rare surname in India, is carried by only a handful of families. To my disbelief, UBA was a more common name in Nigeria. Made me feel right at home! :)

- Photography has been a serious hobby of mine since 2003. I lied to my father to buy my first SLR (film) camera.

- In my late 20s I bought the legendary Royal Enfield motorcycle and did some epic cross-country rides. 

- In partnership with a film-maker friend, I co-wrote and co-produced a short-film on social media’s impact on relationships. This was in 2006, much before Facebook and Youtube became big.

- I have more tools for web-development, marketing, and design than I should.

- Domain buying sites are often the most visited websites from my web browser.

- Colemak is my preferred keyboard layout.

- Ethiopian coffee is my favorite coffee.

- My superpower is staying calm.

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