Guardian Nigeria
Florence San is a business executive, project manager and a strategy consultant, who leverages her multifaceted expertise to transform lives and businesses in competitive markets. With over 10 years experience as an entrepreneur and project consultant, she also has spent eight years pioneering a niche market and leading a boutique strategy management firm in the United Kingdom and emerging nations in Africa including Nigeria and Ghana. Currently serving as a Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Senior Strategy Consultant at Ren San and Co, she has a proven track record of delivering solutions.
Her expertise spans across brand management, risk analysis, business expansion and project management. She currently serves as the only Nigerian-British woman on the advisory board of the prestigious University College London (UCL). She has provided strategic guidance to about500 Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) founders across various sectors, helping them build sustainable organisations and improve their operational systems. As the Director of ‘Thrive’, a yearly capacity building community dedicated to giving back and equipping young women with the tools and resources needed to overcome challenges and succeed in their personal and professional lives, she helps women win in life and at work. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, she speaks about her impact on businesses while empowering women for success.
Share with us your background and how it influenced your career path?
I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and at the age of 10, I moved to the United Kingdom, where I have lived ever since. My father, a pharmacist and an apostle instilled in me values of generosity, kindness and resilience. He was always ready to lend a helping hand and make the best out of every situation. He always told my older siblings that success was attainable when you apply certain principles and believe in hard work. We were fortunate to have a good life, and I’ve always aspired to replicate that success for myself and my children. I believe that if your parents set a certain standard for you, you have to surpass it and provide your children with even greater opportunities.
When I moved to the UK, I faced many challenges during my teenage and early adulthood as I navigated life without my immediate family. I drew strength from the lessons learned from my father and became my own cheerleader, pushing myself to overcome obstacles and thrive despite the odds. While my family background championed careers in law and medicine, and my family members pursued paths in the sciences, my journey took a different turn. After my A-levels, I did not know what to do or what direction to go in due to certain circumstances. I could not see a future for myself. So, I applied for nursing as a practical means to secure employment and pay bills. However, my grades fell short, leading me to take a gap year to explore my options. The gap year I took transformed my life. My uncle, Mr. Ken-Afolabi, encouraged me and told me that grades are not always everything and that I should study, get work experience and try different things. So, I delved into various roles, gaining valuable experience in retail, administration, healthcare and entrepreneurship. Through this journey of self-discovery, I found strengths in administration, interpersonal skills and business acumen. The process inadvertently laid the foundation for my future path.
As a professional who has worked in different sectors, how have your experiences shaped you and your work?
I always consider it a privilege that people entrust me with their businesses and essentially their lives. Although we say that we will not take any nonsense, business and entrepreneurship have taught me that in fact, we will tolerate it. I have learnt that personality cannot be the driving force of what you do. Your personality should not dictate your actions, and it’s crucial to remain level-headed and composed, even in the face of adversity. This journey has taught me the importance of self-awareness. Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, tolerances and triggers allows you to self-regulate and maintain composure in challenging situations. I have also learnt that talent and referrals may open doors, but it’s your character that ultimately determines longevity and impact. Working across various sectors has taught me the importance of agility and adaptability. I am not rigid or resistant to change; instead, I embrace opportunities for growth and personal development. I have learnt to be meticulous and to uphold excellence in everything I do. Your work speaks volumes about your professionalism and integrity and it’s often remembered long after the initial interaction. Whether it is clients, partners or staff, treating people with respect, paying it forward and creating positive experiences fosters long-lasting relationships.
What drives you to run a platform that helps women win in life and at work?
While navigating this journey, I encountered the reality of gatekeeping and competition, where many withhold information and resources out of fear or self-interest. Despite this, I made a personal commitment to myself – as soon as I gained some stability and access to resources, I would break this cycle of gatekeeping. I firmly believe that success should not be hoarded but shared. Therefore, I pledged that a portion of our profits and earnings would always be dedicated to paying it forward and supporting other women in maximising their potential, both in their professional and personal lives. My motivation for this platform stems from my family history. Having lost my biological mother and witnessed my widowed father raise four children on his own before remarrying; I understand firsthand the challenges single parents face, especially in a country like Nigeria where resources and support are limited. I firmly believe that when parents lack support, it affects their children’s ability to reach their full potential. Thus, my goal with ‘Thrive’ is to continue this mission despite the obstacles, recognising that our lives are not solely about ourselves but about impacting others and giving back to our communities. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change the world for one person.
Most of these women are widows and single-parents. What has been the impact of your efforts over time?
Over the past seven years, we have impacted the lives of over 4,000 single-parent and widowed families in Nigeria across Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan and in Ghana across Accra and the United Kingdom. Our approach involves partnering with community leaders to identify these families and provide themwith essential support. We distribute food to alleviate their immediate needs and also extend assistance with school fees for their children. This practical support aims to ease the burden these families face and ensure that their children have access to education. In the UK, we organise impactful workshops designed to empower individuals to not just survive but alsothrive in both their professional and personal lives.
In the course of your career, you must have encountered challenges. How did you surmount them?
Some of the challenges I’ve faced over the last eight years have been enormous. This is where self-awareness and self-regulation come in. You have to know yourself and keep getting to know yourself. Understand who you are and who you want to be, and recognise the gap in between. Realise that everything in your life is helping to shape you to become better if you allow it and that’s the perspective I hold. Additionally, set boundaries; over-familiarity can breed contempt and disrespect. Do practical things like having a second phone, not getting carried away and remembering what started the relationships you have with clients; separate personal from professional, and prioritise. I lean on God, family and mentors for respite. Challenges always happen; they are part of our contract with life. The sooner we learn about ourselves and others and commit to constant self-reflection and development, the better we can deal with things.
How can we get more women to become successful and rise to the top as you have done? What tips do you have for younger women?
As someone who has navigated various professional landscapes, I haven’t reached the top yet but I am on my way there. It is crucial to have more women in the room, serving as connectors and individuals who leave the door open for others. Recently, I was appointed as the only Black woman on the board of a top 10 university in the world, University College London (UCL) and I am one of just four women in this position. I share this to highlight and emphasise the urgent need for more representation and support for women, particularly Black women, in such spaces.
There is also a need for us to be kinder to each other and more open about sharing our experiences. Sometimes it feels like we gatekeep information because we think someone is copying us;but many just need a blueprint or pattern to see that they can do it too. I am very willing to share my “how,” and I think more women need to adopt this openness. My practical tips for younger women would be:
Do the hard work. Excellence doesn’t come easy. Be prepared to pay the price and put in the effort to be the best in your field.
Have a heart for serving. Be a good steward of your responsibilities; whatever your hand finds to do, do it well. Sometimes not everything is about money; focus on making a meaningful impact.
Seek support. Never hesitate to seek advice or clarification. Don’t be afraid to ask the right questions, you cannot do it all alone. Learning from others’ experiences is invaluable.
Have a life goal. Work backwards from your main goal and ensure everything you do aligns with that focus. A strong sense of mission can guide you through challenges.
