To commemorate Pan-African Women’s Day, Tolulope Popoola sat with Similoluwa Okpeseyi, a top consultant, product strategist, and researcher in artificial intelligence, to discuss her professional journey, leadership philosophy, and vision for African women in the digital era.
A former Business Consultant at Ernst & Young (EY) and now a Master’s candidate in Engineering Management at Duke University, one of the world’s leading universities, where she studies on a scholarship, Okpeseyi has distinguished herself at the intersection of business, technology, and human development.
Q: You’ve worked at Ernst & Young and led several high-impact projects across Africa. How did that experience shape your perspective on business transformation?
Simi: My time at EY was truly transformative. I worked on diverse projects ranging from financial modelling and regulatory compliance to learning interventions for large organisations. For example, I helped design and implement a company-wide learning program for one of the largest telecommunications companies in Nigeria, covering 17 divisions and over 13 million subscribers. It was incredibly rewarding to see how structured training and data analytics could directly improve productivity.
I also developed automated Excel models for Capital Adequacy and Liquidity Ratios for a multilateral financial institution, ensuring compliance with Central Bank of Nigeria regulations. Using R, Python, and macroeconomic modelling, my team forecasted industry trends and implemented Basel III frameworks for eight organisations. These experiences deepened my conviction that technology and policy can co-exist to drive inclusive economic growth.
Q: Great response. From your consulting work, it’s clear you’re passionate about creating measurable impact. What motivated your transition into leadership and education-focused initiatives?
Simi: I’ve always believed that empowerment begins with access to education, mentorship, and opportunity. During my work with Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE), I served as a Senior Project Manager and mentored women on how to balance education and career goals.
We also collaborated with Jobberman to train more than 2,000 young women in employability and soft skills. That experience reinforced a powerful truth for me: talent is universal, but opportunity is not. As professionals, we have a duty to bridge that gap through advocacy, mentorship, and sustainable training initiatives.
Q: That’s inspiring. It’s interesting that you later developed a Student Learning & Time Management Application. How did that idea come about?
Simi: The project, which we called STEM (Student Learning & Time Management App), was born from observing how many students struggle with procrastination and burnout. I wanted to create a tool that promoted discipline without feeling rigid.
The app integrates reminders, task-tracking, and an anonymous teacher-student communication platform, which encourages proactive engagement. The results were outstanding. Students reported better academic performance, stronger participation, and a healthier study-life balance. For me, that project symbolises what technology should do: enable people to reach their potential.
Q: That’s an impressive mix of technical innovation and social impact. Later, you joined MLP Games as a Market Entry Strategist — that’s a very different industry. What attracted you to that role?
Simi: Yes, between June and August 2023, I worked at MLP Games as a Market Entry Strategist. It was exciting because it brought together creativity, research, and strategy. I led a team of interns to design a pre-launch strategy for a new line of tech-enabled tabletop board games targeting the education sector.
We extracted insights from user interviews and turned them into actionable recommendations for design and execution. I also helped identify a potential market opportunity for tech-integrated tabletop gaming in Africa. Communicating that strategy to stakeholders and seeing how innovation could bridge learning and entertainment was an incredible experience.
Q: Wonderful. Speaking of strategy, you’re being considered for recognition by the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC). Tell us about that.
Simi: It’s truly an honour. The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) is Nigeria’s nationally recognised professional body for management consulting and the country’s official member of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), which holds consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC.
Being considered to be a Fellow reflects my work as a Business Consultant who has helped organisations optimise systems, strengthen compliance, and implement data-driven strategies. It’s more than a credential; it’s recognition of consistent effort to transform organisations responsibly and sustainably.
Q: That’s remarkable. You’ve also earned several professional certifications. How have they influenced your career growth?
Simi: Continuous learning is my anchor. I hold the EY Data Integration Certificate (2021), The Art of Wireframing Certificate (2023), and PMI Organisational Transformation: Implementation (2023). Each of these helped me merge creativity with structure, understanding not just how to build systems, but how to make them adaptive and human-centred.
They’ve also given me the language to bridge communication between technical teams and decision-makers, a crucial skill in any innovation-driven environment.
Q: Great insight. Since this feature celebrates Pan-African Women’s Day, what message do you have for women across the continent?
Simi: I’d say this: You belong in every space your ambition leads you to. African women are not waiting for permission; we are building, leading, and innovating across industries.
Whether you’re a consultant, engineer, artist, or policy analyst, embrace continuous learning and resilience. The world is watching Africa rise, and women are at the centre of that story.
About Similoluwa Okpeseyi
Similoluwa Okpeseyi is a top business consultant, product manager, and artificial intelligence researcher. She previously worked with Ernst & Young (EY) on large-scale business transformation and regulatory compliance projects across Africa. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Engineering Management at Duke University, USA, one of the world’s leading institutions, on a scholarship. Her consulting work and research on AI and organisational transformation continue to shape conversations around innovation, policy, and inclusive growth across sectors.
