Oremeyi Adeola Akah: Advancing my finance career

Tell us about your journey to business school.

Right after graduating as an engineer in Nigeria, I joined a start-up team of six others to build, what has now become the largest indigenous electronic payment and switching company in Africa. After 7 years, despite the seeming success of my career and job satisfaction, there was a nagging need to extend the scope of what I considered a geographically and industry limited experience. I had a deep desire to understand business strategy from an international perspective with the aim of applying that knowledge in Africa.

What made you choose Cambridge?

I chose the Cambridge MBA programme for its long-established reputation and multicultural focus. Undoubtably, the Cambridge brand is one of the most recognised brands in education. I was looking for a business education with a practical and collaborative approach as well as a high-quality credential which I could leverage in my desire to contribute to building Sub-Saharan Africa. The Cambridge MBA was just that… and more.

What was the highlight of your MBA year?

A major highlight of my MBA experience was being part of the winning team in the 2011 Hult Global Case Challenge. We emerged as the winners out of over 1000 schools, including other top business schools. We were then sponsored to visit the finals in New York, where we met President Clinton in person. This team-win clearly emphasised the wealth and diversity of the ethnic and industry experiences of my classmates and on a more personal level, enhanced my appreciation of diverse ethnic, political and religious perspectives. 

The opportunity to work with global companies on live projects is a rare and unique feature of the Cambridge MBA. One of our project clients was a leading investment company in the Middle East and North Africa. We worked with the client to define a market entry strategy into Sub-Saharan Africa. That gave me the exposure to international business strategy that I was yearning for. This new experience in business strategy was further deepened by the rich course offered on the MBA programme, by a renowned authority in Strategy as well as the International Business Concentration. 

Finally, the MBA provided me with the opportunity of an internship with MasterCard Advisors. During my internship, I was able to apply the knowledge gained in classes, with my career experience in payments and work on major strategy analysis projects for some global banks. 

Beyond the academic wealth of the programme, the Cambridge MBA offered so much more. I had the privileged opportunity to learn from the personal experiences of some world leaders – in the political and business sphere – during the Cambridge Leadership Series. Having such discussions over dinner is a rare opportunity that you can only experience at Cambridge. 

And how did the MBA impact you professionally?

The Cambridge MBA has helped me become a more well- rounded and internationally vested individual, providing me with the tools required to lead in my field. The practical experience gained from the live projects and interactions with classmates daily, has been invaluable in my current role. 

Today, I am back to my previous employer in Nigeria and currently working on business expansion projects into other regions of Africa.