Oluwaseun Solanke
Lekki,Lagos
Summary
Persistent leader eager to lead and grow organizations. Skilled in strategic planning, problem-solving, and communication with good understanding of business principles, project management and team leadership. Collaborative with relentless work ethic.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
15
15
years of post-secondary education
5
5
Certificate
Work History
Vice President/CIO and Director, IT & Engineering
Airtel Nigeria
Ikoyi, Lagos
01.2019 - 08.2023
- Improved effectiveness and efficiency of existing IT & Engineering services, presenting increased commercial propositions for profitable results.
- Collaborated with Chief Commercial Officer to construct and implement product road maps for strategic company progression.
- Utilised expert assessment and problem solving skills in addressing system availability and performance, enabling increased sales and revenue growth.
- Ensured technology systems and procedures met overall company priorities.
- Researched new technologies and chose best options for company priorities and cost-effectiveness.
- Optimised production processes to maximise return on investment.
- Managed technology resources within department budgets.
- Advised on Information and communications technology policy and process improvements.
- Sourced new and emerging technologies to optimise information services.
- Led information and communications strategy development.
- Utilised expert assessment and problem solving skills in IT Operations, enabling 99.99% service availability of mission critical platforms.
Senior Director & Head of Digital BSS for EMEA
Ericsson
Victoria Island, Lagos, Lagos
01.2017 - 12.2018
- Drove business development initiatives through customer engagements and assessments, resulting in 30 new account wins in first 6 months of employment.
- Devised sales strategy to include additional revenue streams, boosting profitability by 35% within 12 months.
- Planned and implemented cross-selling initiatives, increasing wallet share of BSS revenue by 40%.
- Created territory plans that led to 50% revenue growth in EMEA within 12 months.
- Enhanced quality of services, conducting skills analysis to identify knowledge gaps and develop appropriate training plans.
- Exceeded project KPI goals by average of 25% through effective department resource allocation.
- Kept employee workloads fair and balanced to achieve objectives while maintaining high job satisfaction.
- Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions.
- Implemented process-improvement initiatives within department resulting in reduced operating costs.
Digital Sales Leader
Oracle
Victoria Island, Lagos
12.2014 - 12.2016
- Developed and nurtured digital transformation sales opportunities and maintained C-Level customer relationships within financial services and telecommunications industries.
- Hired and trained dedicated and high-achieving sales teams.
- Generated company growth through market expansion and sales.
- Achieved exceptional client satisfaction feedback and ratings.
- Retained existing customers and substantially grew customer base, product line and sales volume.
- Increased year-on-year sales by 50%, implementing strategic business growth and retention initiatives.
- Planned and developed strategies to increase sales territory positioning, exceeding company targets.
- Interfaced with customers, determined needs, provided recommendations and up-sold services.
- Exceeded sales goals and improved profitability by developing sales strategies and business plans according to market trends.
- Maintained regular contact and strong relationships with existing customers by providing comprehensive support.
Manager, Technology Services Greece & Africa
Hewlett Packard
Victoria Island, Lagos
08.2011 - 11.2014
- Managed staffing schedules for 150 employees, delivering operational efficiency whilst remaining under budget.
- Applied expertise in team leadership to address productivity and performance issues, motivating staff to achieve KPIs.
- Addressed customer issues with compassion and professionalism, ensuring swift, successful resolution.
- Developed strong teams by skilfully recruiting, orienting and training loyal, hard-working employees.
- Supported business development activities and onboarded new clients to grow revenues.
- Responded to customer inquiries for sales information, pricing structures and product details.
- Evaluated customer needs and buying patterns to offer targeted product recommendations.
- Maintained expert-level knowledge of product and service offerings.
Senior Manager Information Technology
Hewlett Packard
Houston, Texas, United States
06.2004 - 02.2010
- Executed performance reports and submitted to management for review.
- Expanded use of VMware technologies, achieving multiple server and desktop virtualisation.
- Aligned IT strategy with business needs, prioritising value for money, security and contractual requirements.
- Led IT support for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line hardware and software issues.
- Identified and recommended cost-effective technology solutions.
- Led infrastructure projects to install and upgrade various systems.
- Oversaw execution of IT projects from inception to execution.
- Executed projects using Waterfall and Agile methodologies.
- Managed team of IT support technicians, developing workflows and processes.
- Tested and administered disaster recovery plans for different systems.
Software Engineer
Calibre Systems
Virginia, United States
05.2003 - 08.2003
- Built, tested and deployed scalable and modular software products.
- Performed regression and system-level testing to verify software quality and function prior to release.
- Debugged and modified software components to fix faults.
- Collaborated with team members to create applications' system analysis based on client requirements.
- Created databases, data entry systems and web forms for diverse applications.
- Coordinated technical requirements for projects with internal and external stakeholders.
Projects
- 5G Launch - Rollout of 5G technology nationwide in Nigeria to support the growth of internet connectivity and digital communications spearheading use cases such as virtual reality, smart homes, cloud gaming, telemedicine, AI, and much more.
- eSIM - Rollout of eSIM technology in Nigeria to improve digital connectivity, e-Identity, and improved customer experience.
- VoLTE - Rollout of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology which allows for the possibility to make voice calls via the data connectivity of the LTE/4G mobile network.
- SmartCash Payment Service Bank (PSB) - Design, development and execution of the creation of a payment services bank leveraging innovative technologies to drive the growth of financial inclusion in Nigeria.
Skills
- Digital strategy
- Software development
- Agile methodologies
- DevOps
- Cloud Computing
- Complex problem solving
- Consulting
- P&L
- Operational leadership
- Financial management
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Foundations of Management
IESE Business School
Barcelona, Spain 09.2023 -
Some College (No Degree) - Management Consulting
Emory University - Goizueta Business School
Atlanta, Georgia, USA 09.2023 -
Some College (No Degree) - Management
London School of Economics And Political Science
London, United Kingdom 08.2023 -
Some College (No Degree) - Accelerated Management
Yale School of Management
Haven, Connecticut, USA /2022 - /2022
Some College (No Degree) - Artificial Intelligence
MIT Sloan School of Management
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA /2019 - /2020
Some College (No Degree) - Fintech Strategy
Oxford University, Said Business School
Oxford, United Kingdom /2018 - /2018
Bachelor of Science - Information Sciences and Systems
Morgan State Univ. - Graves School of Business
Baltimore, Maryland, USA 06.2000 - 05.2004
Bachelor of Science - Pure and Applied Chemistry
University of Ado-Ekiti
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State 09.1994 - 09.1999
Certification
- Information Security Certification - ISO 27001- Jul 2022
- Accelerated Management Program, Yale School of Management Executive Education - Jun 2022
- Artificial Intelligence - Implications for Business Strategy, MIT Sloan School of Management - Feb 2020
- Oxford Fintech Programme, University of Oxford Said Business School - Dec 2018
- Client Focused Engagement Skills, Oracle - Apr 2015
- ITIL Training - Dec 2007
Languages
English
Native
Accomplishments
- CIO of the Year 2022 - Technology & Telecommunications
- CIO of the Year 2020 - Technology & Telecommunications
Affiliations
- Association of Information Technology Professionals
- IT Service Management Forum (ITSMF)
Additional Information
- Married with two children.
- In my spare time, I read, and run.
Timeline
Some College (No Degree) - Foundations of Management
IESE Business School
09.2023 -
Some College (No Degree) - Management Consulting
Emory University - Goizueta Business School
09.2023 -
Some College (No Degree) - Management
London School of Economics And Political Science
08.2023 -
Vice President/CIO and Director, IT & Engineering
Airtel Nigeria
01.2019 - 08.2023
Senior Director & Head of Digital BSS for EMEA
Ericsson
01.2017 - 12.2018
Digital Sales Leader
Oracle
12.2014 - 12.2016
Manager, Technology Services Greece & Africa
Hewlett Packard
08.2011 - 11.2014
Senior Manager Information Technology
Hewlett Packard
06.2004 - 02.2010
Software Engineer
Calibre Systems
05.2003 - 08.2003
Bachelor of Science - Information Sciences and Systems
Morgan State Univ. - Graves School of Business
06.2000 - 05.2004
Bachelor of Science - Pure and Applied Chemistry
University of Ado-Ekiti
09.1994 - 09.1999
Some College (No Degree) - Accelerated Management
Yale School of Management
/2022 - /2022
Some College (No Degree) - Artificial Intelligence
MIT Sloan School of Management
/2019 - /2020
Some College (No Degree) - Fintech Strategy
Oxford University, Said Business School
/2018 - /2018
- Information Security Certification - ISO 27001- Jul 2022
- Accelerated Management Program, Yale School of Management Executive Education - Jun 2022
- Artificial Intelligence - Implications for Business Strategy, MIT Sloan School of Management - Feb 2020
- Oxford Fintech Programme, University of Oxford Said Business School - Dec 2018
- Client Focused Engagement Skills, Oracle - Apr 2015
- ITIL Training - Dec 2007
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