Custodian Interview: Airtel Nigeria CEO, Segun Ogunsanya

In the chat below, we discussed his journey, his time as MD of Coca-Cola Ghana, Airtel’s stance on youth empowerment, and many more

Good evening Mr. Ogunsanya, how are you doing today?

I am very well, thanks.

You are currently the CEO of Airtel Nigeria, can you describe your journey and how you got to this current position?

Okay, let me start from the very beginning. I am an engineer, a chartered accountant, and also a banker.  I started my career with a firm of chartered accountants after university. Shortly after,I completed my youth corps with Siemens, I realized I wanted to be a complete business man and not just an Engineer.  So  I decided to add a business flair to my engineering background by training as an accountant. I joined the best accounting firm back then – Arthur Andersen & Co.  After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, I worked in a bank for a couple of years, before joining Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited as the Treasurer of the Nigeria Operations. I ended up spending 17 years in Coca-Cola in 4 different countries. I was MD of Coca Cola bottling company in Ghana, I was MD/CEO of Coca-Cola Sabco in Kenya, then MD/CEO of Nigerian Bottling Company – a Coca-Cola Hellenic owned company. Few months into my Coca-Cola Hellenic CEO role,  Bharti Airtel came calling, and I decided to join telecommunications. What I saw with Airtel was something like a jewel that has not been fully exploited. With the support of a good time, we have raised the reputation and performance of Airtel to a new level. Almost 3 years later, I believe we have done pretty well. We delivered most of the goals I set for the company when I joined. The credit goes to a very good team and supportive shareholders. I have been very clear and realistic about our vision. This combined with a strong performance culture have propelled us forward.

In your career thus far, what has been your hardest challenge?

When I joined Coca-Cola, I joined as a treasurer; As a treasurer you are in the limelight, dealing with all the banks. Then I went to work for Coca-Cola on a short term assignment in Atlanta. After the short term assignment, I was posted to what I considered a back office – Budget Department. I initially didn’t like it at all. But it turned out to be a preparation step for me. Being the head of Budget and Planning gave me invaluable insight into how the business is being run. I learnt a lot. I was privileged to touch base with all the key stakeholders of the company. Looking back, this was a huge turning point in my career.

It is public knowledge that Airtel are big on youth empowerment, can you elaborate on this?

I really believe that for Nigeria to prosper, we must give the youths support and chance to prosper. More than half of the population of Nigeria is young. The only way a company can remain vibrant is by giving the young ones the opportunity to also prosper. Everything we do is meant to connect the youths with chances that trigger their potential. We provide connectivity, whether we are connecting you with the artist of your choice, whether we are connecting you with the right business opportunities or right schools. Beyond that connection, we also present opportunities to entrepreneurs to turn their innovations into money. We launched something called Catapult A Start Up some few months ago to cater for young entrepreneurs. The contest was conceived to reward the best entrepreneurial initiatives. We like to present our brand as youthful.

What is your vision for Airtel in the next couple of years?

We want to be the best telecommunications company in Nigeria, in terms of quality of service, customer service, experience, and offer our registered customers a complete and jovial experience. We will be unmatched by any other telecoms company.

Are you looking into the idea of hosting a concert in regards to the Airtel brand?

We do have a lot of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. We also have other brand related stuff. I mean, I don’t know if you have seen in the papers, we just signed 5 new brand ambassadors (Tuface, Phyno, Patronizing, IK and Akpororo) and had a fantastic event for them early last month. We do have a mix of ambassadors-three musicians, one comedian, and one TV presenter. Beyond that, we do charity work- we just commissioned a new school in Kwara State 3 weeks ago. We spread our wealth; my philosophy is if you are privileged to be successful, you have a duty to lift other people out of poverty. Whether by providing schools, giving out scholarships, whatever you do, we just must not forget to lift other people off. A prosperous society is good for business and for everyone.

I agree, I feel that in Nigeria, due to lack of patriotism, we don’t see many people giving back to communities. Everyone’s concern is their individual wealth and family..only.

Sometimes I think also it’s the feeling of you give what you can afford to give, it is too small to make an impact. Whereas the more you do it, the more impact you make on thousands of people’s lives. I have come to a point where I give back because it’s a good cause, but also because I enjoy it now. I really don’t think there is any greater sense of fulfillment than giving to someone who can never repay you. Don’t give because you are expecting something in return, give because it’s the right thing to do.

What are the tedious parts of being in the telecoms industry?

Telecoms is a very competitive industry,  it is very very dynamic, but like any other thing you choose to do, if you are not very clear, focused or creative, you will fail. Personally, I try not to do everything, I select things which I know I do very well, and things I am not so good at, I get people to do it and learn from them to better myself.

How has it been communicating with various staffs in the three different countries you have worked in?

When you are outside your country it is a different culture, culture plays a very important part in communication. I’m Nigerian, so I am obviously able to bond better with people here than perhaps in Kenya. But the key is being transparent when you are communicating. Make sure you have strong values; there shouldn’t be a difference in what you say, and what you do.

For the youths who are interested in getting into Coca-Cola business, or telecommunications, what tips do you have for them?

What I say to anybody is follow your passion, don’t do something because of money. If you do something you truly like, you are going to make money out of it. If you do it because of money then you are not going to be the best at it. There’s really no bigger joy in business than making money doing something you enjoy.

Is your primary business solely within Nigeria?

Not at all, we are operating in 17 different countries. We have ways of collaborating with the other 16 countries, be it conferences, PowerPoint, Skype, we are all in contact. In Nigeria, we do have different types of customers; corporate customers, consumers, individuals, and different departments. We have a very broad portfolio of relationships.

Do you work with other telecommunications companies in Nigeria?

We do work with other companies, we do rely on some for various things. We all have a relationship with each other. We work with other GSM companies for connectivity stuff, every company can learn something different from the next. It is important to be open-minded. Although we compete, it is a friendly competition as we collaborate too. Very good for business.

Thank you very much Mr. Ogunsanya, we at Culture Custodian appreciate it.

Was lovely. Thank you.