Damilola Olagunju

London Business School

“An African with a passion for improving the livelihoods of micro-small business owners in Africa.”

Hometown: Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have something in common with five of the last eight US Presidents

Undergraduate School and Major: The University of Manchester, MEng Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Boston Consulting Group; Consultant

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? Although most of us in the MBA programme have different goals, the one thing in common we all have is that we are open to exploring new opportunities with the realization that we oftentimes don’t know what we don’t know. London creates the opportunity for us to explore and learn from the diverse experiences of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. As a commercial hub of not just the UK but also Europe, London provides exposure to a wide range of sectors from the largest financial or technology subsectors, to smaller, up and coming sectors.

London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programs in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next two years? I have a major interest in developing innovative solutions to support the businesses and livelihoods of Micro-Merchants in Nigeria and Africa, a segment of the population that serves as the backbone of the economy of many African countries. On day one of Orientation Week at LBS, I met a classmate from Colombia who had been working on similar topics in her country. She began talking about several projects she had worked on and various ongoing initiatives in this sector of the country. As she spoke on, I began to realise how similar both countries are in terms of the challenges faced in the sector. From this conversation, I identified a number of innovative solutions that could have high potential at addressing the challenges faced in Nigeria if correctly replicated (with some slight modification to fit the Nigerian context). I was able to get her opinion on the replicability of some of these solutions three days later over a cup of coffee, during which we were able to define more concretely some conceptual solutions that could work. This highlights the value of having these global perspectives in the class as each person is able to add value by bringing nuanced insights based on their unique experiences and exposure.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of London Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The flexibility of LBS’ MBA programme was a key decision driver for choosing the business school – the extremely tailored nature of the second year and the opportunity to complete both the Entrepreneurship Summer School and the Global Business Exchange (GBE) in a city such as Johannesburg, which explores the role of Micro-Businesses in spurring Economic Growth. Furthermore, flexibility was an important dimension for me as I considered which business schools to apply to because I wanted an experience that allowed me to explore multiple pathways, be it undertaking multiple internships during the programme or exploring new entrepreneurial ventures. The LBS MBA programme affords me this opportunity.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? Due to my interests in Nigeria and Africa at large, I am excited about becoming one of the leaders and faces of the Africa Club. I am particularly looking forward to helping the club plan the annual Africa Business Summit (2022) where I will be a valuable contributor to planning the event. The theme of the summit is often focused on growing opportunities, unlocking value and empowering the growing youth population in Africa by leveraging technology and focused on impact investing, two areas I am passionate about.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Micro Small Businesses (MSBs) are the backbone of economies globally, especially in Nigeria where they account for ~52% of GDP and 84% of employment.  Despite their significant contribution to the Nigerian economy, they remain underserved with solutions that will help them overcome challenges they face and achieve their goals. I know this first-hand as three generations of my family — my great grand-mother, grand-mother and aunt — are small business owners. MSB owners like my aunt have high aspirations for their businesses, but are beset by several challenges. Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to work on a project focused on building solutions to tackle this issue, I took it instantaneously.

I worked with an organisation with the resources and singular objective of addressing some of the most significant challenges faced by these MSB owners, developed and implemented appropriate solutions, and observed real impact being made. As a result, we were able to help over 100 MSB owners double their profits within three months of working with them.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? My career had always taken a front seat to everything else in my life, be it my family life or personal life. This was understood and accepted by my family and friends. Having witnessed the losses COVID-19 brought to the lives of close friends and family, my perspective on where my priorities should lie changed. I realized the importance of finding a balance between my career and time with my family. COVID-19 made me understand that these are not mutually exclusive and both should be equally important. This is another reason I decided to pursue the MBA at LBS, as the programme allows me to prioritize time with my family.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? This was the ideal time for me to pursue my MBA as I was beginning to transition into more leadership roles in my company, and I felt I needed time to develop leadership and relationship skills which would better set me up for success in these leadership roles. I identified four concepts that I needed to excel – Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Relationships to be successful in the next phase of my career and these concepts are strongly incorporated into the MBA programme at LBS.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? Be honest, take the time to deeply reflect on your motivations for applying for an MBA, your medium- and long-term goals and why London Business School is best suited to help you meet those goals. Engage with current students and alumni to get a true picture of the benefits of London Business School’s MBA programme as you’ll be able to get more nuanced insights into life at LBS and expectations during the programme. Finally, if possible, try to get more international exposure which you can highlight in your application. This will show the admissions team you’ll be able to settle well into one of the most culturally diverse MBA programmes in the world.

DON’T MISS: MEET LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023