Executive Director of Optiva Capital Partners, Ambassador Amaka Diane Okeke, has urged women to embrace resilience, focus, and continuous growth in their leadership journeys. She said this while speaking at the She Can Do More Conference 6.0 held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos recently.
Speaking on the topic, “Navigating Your Way to Leadership,” Okeke recounted her unconventional start, admitting she had no clear career ambitions in her early years beyond the desire to marry a wealthy man. “That was my only dream, I went to school because my father wanted me to at least speak good English before getting married.”
Her turning point came after a six-year relationship ended abruptly, leaving her with no job, no possessions, and no clear direction. A chance meeting with a mentor on Lagos Island would redefine her life. “He told me, ‘You have potential to be more,” Okeke recalled. Offered a one-month trainee role at Optiva Capital, she accepted the challenge despite deep self-doubt.
From that first day when she closed her first deal by echoing her chairman’s pitch to lead over 1,300 employees today, Okeke’s 12-year rise from trainee to Executive Director is marked by disciplined focus and strategic mentorship. “I felt like the years I wasted created a hunger to accelerate my growth,” she said.
Okeke outlined key strategies that shaped her journey: Faith in God, purpose discovery, knowledge acquisition, focus and commitment, avoiding distractions and resisting lucrative but misaligned opportunities. Resilience, support networks, leveraging strengths and prioritising mental and physical well-being to sustain high performance.
Okeke’s leadership message was clear: navigating to the top is not a sprint but a marathon, requiring courage, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. “Decide what kind of leader you want to be, the impact you want to have, and the legacy you want to leave.”
Today, women make up 73 percent of Optiva Capital Partners’ workforce. “Women are the power force,” she declared. “Give a woman a mountain, and she’ll die there making it work,” she added.
