At Leo Burnett, I am committed to driving growth, innovation, and excellence- OluseyiLayade

A woman whose drive for results has earned her notable appointments, her career accomplishments can be inspiring. With a degree in Banking and Finance, she has surprisingly thrived in the advertising world and it is a wonder how she rose so rapidly in the profession to the position she holds today.OluseyiLayade, the Chief Operating Officer of Leo Burnett Lagos who started her career in the industry 16 years ago is quick to ascribe it to her willingness to seize opportunities head-on and courage. Above all, she is grateful to God for His guidance in her professional journey.
In addition to her leadership position in the firm where she works, she is also the Chairman of the Women in Advertising, a role she has dedicated to inspiring women to be their best in their chosen fields. Added to this, she takes pride in mentoring many young women, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their goals.

Can we have an insight into your background?
My career has been marked by success in leading culturally diverse cross-functional teams, driving growth ambitions for companies, and delivering groundbreaking campaigns with exceptional professionals.
Throughout my journey, I have honed my skills in collaboration, working to provide win-win solutions for multiple stakeholders. I thrive in making a positive impact on and off the job, and I am passionate about empowering others to do the same.
As the Chairman of Women in Advertising, I am dedicated to inspiring women to be the best in their chosen fields. I take pride in mentoring many young women, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their goals.
As COO of Leo Burnett Lagos, I am committed to leveraging my expertise to drive growth, innovation, and excellence in our agency. With my experience and passion for collaboration, I am confident that I am making a meaningful impact on our team and contributing to the success of our clients.

Can you take us through your career trajectory?
My journey in advertising began in 2000 with an internship at Lowe Lintas, where I got a taste of the industry. After completing my degree in Banking and Finance, and the compulsory National Youth Service Corps in 2006, I returned to advertising in 2008, this time joining 141 Worldwide, a Prima-Garnet Ogilvy Group company. After almost a decade, I grew from a fresh face to a middle management leader, and then got a unique opportunity to join SPV, the project office that led the consortium for OMNICOM after they won the MTN account. This was a pioneering move in the Nigerian advertising industry, and I was thrilled to be part of it.
As Head of Operations at the SPV, I was tasked with integrating and collaborating with existing agency competitors to drive integration, efficiency, effectiveness, and value for the 7-agency consortium and the leading telco brand in Nigeria. It was an incredible experience working with top professionals as colleagues and clients.
After three exciting years at SPV, I received a referral to join Ogilvy Nigeria as Group Head of Client Service and Innovation. During my two-year tenure, I delivered on the innovation mandate by leading my team with strategic initiatives that grew the company’s revenue by over 300% and expanded operations beyond core advertising into public relations and experiential marketing
In 2022, I received another referral to join Insight Publicis, Nigeria’s number one advertising agency. After a series of meetings with the legendary Baale Jimi Awosika, I was inspired to join the team as Account Management Director in 2023. Later that year, I received a board promotion and moved within the group to lead Leo Burnett Lagos as Chief Operating Officer under the leadership of Dr. Tayo Oyedeji as Group CEO.
Today, I’m Chief Leo at Leo Burnett Lagos, crafting humankind strategies for many brands in Nigeria.

From your career trajectory, it’s obvious you have risen very fast in the industry, what can you attribute as the reasons for this?
As I reflect on my career trajectory, I’m humbled by the realization that my rise in the industry is attributed to a combination of factors. I am grateful to God for guidance in my journey, which has taught me to live each day with purpose and intention. I’ve learned to approach every opportunity with a sense of responsibility, striving to do my best in every moment.
My courage and willingness to seize opportunities head-on have also been instructive. I’m driven by a set of principles that guide my actions and decisions, which I’ve codified using the initials of my name: SEYI. These principles are:
S: Simple and Strong-willed – I believe that simplicity is key to effective communication and problem-solving. I thrive in breaking down complex issues into their most basic forms, and I’m unwavering in my commitment to achieving desired outcomes.

E: Empathy – I believe that understanding and acknowledging others’ perspectives is crucial in building strong relationships and achieving positive results. I strive to adopt broader perspectives, considering multiple scenarios and viewpoints, and championing empathy in my interactions.

Y: Yielding – When faced with opposing opinions or perspectives, I’m willing to yield to superior reasoning, recognizing that sometimes the best approach is to adapt and evolve.

I: Impact – My goal is to make a positive impact in every aspect of my life and work. I consciously strive to create value and leave a lasting legacy in many of my interactions.
These principles continuously help me drive growth.

Who and who have been most influential in shaping your life and career?
Many advertising leaders have shaped my career and I will attempt to mention them. From Lowe Lintas – Ms.Otolorin was the Creative Director at the time and I mostly always admired her by stealing glances every time I saw her upstairs on the creative floor. I was amazed at how an elderly woman would carry herself so graciously. There was Mr. Hycent Nwabuisi who was my first boss as he was Head of Client Service at the time, Iliked the fact that he seemed to be enjoying his job because they discussed many grand plans for Nigerian Breweries (Star) that seemed unbelievable to me and my young mind at the time.
Moving on to 141 Worldwide, I met Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi who was the Group CEO. As Group CEO all the staff across the group had intranet banters with him, he was friends with many of us on Facebook, and he was and I believe still is an absolutely generous man. He created a system in my view where staff welfare was at the forefront of everything else. So, doing the best for the organization and the clients will come naturally.
Mrs. BunmiOke wasa true inspiration as a woman leader, she led with so much dignity and was positivity. She would find a positive name for every pitch exercise and that really inspired me.
Mr. Soji Odedina, SOJ, Mr. Steve Babaeko, Steko,Sule Momoh, Suls, were brilliant leaders who pushed us to do the best we were ever capable of doing and would make it seem like fun.
You couldn’t have those kinds of bosses and not be great in life. Then there was Mr. Akuwudike, Oga John, as we call him. Only the best was good enough. Many more colleagues in 141 inspired me.
In SPV- Saidat Lawal Mohammed was unbelievably simple. I thought I was a guru in simplifying complex situations but I hadn’t met Saidat. Once I did, I marveled at how much grace a human being will demonstrate in the face of every and any situation. Managing the SPV’s operations under her leadership was remarkable.
Today, my Group CEO Dr. Tayo Oyedeji inspires me. With him, it doesn’t matter if you are new to a field, it can be learned. He inspires continuous learning and improvement.
Baale Jimi Awosika- Just by watching the relationship between the Vice Chairman and the Chairman, I feel like I owe them some drops of my sweat (lol). And of course, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo – I had only read about him in newspapers before I started working for him. Hearing inspiring stories and lessons directly from him especially at board meetings just makes me know that the only way to thrive in this profession is to be great at what you do.He once told a story about how he wanted to make a presentation to a client in Jos or so and all commercial flights were fully booked. My Chairman rented a private jet for the presentation. What other inspiration does anyone need to be great in this life?

How has the company been faring since you became its COO?
The company continues to have meaningful progress. Every team that has worked in Leo Burnett from inception has progressively added to the bricks of success and excellence that define Leo Burnett Lagos. Today, Leo Burnett is one of the companies in Nigeria that people are happy to work in, happy at work and look forward to coming to work. We area connected community with shared vison and value having fun doing excellent work for our clients, partners and ourselves.

What advice do you have for aspiring female professionals?
My advice for professionals in general is to understand and know that Nigeria’s success story cannot be complete without everyone’s collective input. As marketing communication professionals, we have major platforms that we can use to inspire culture-shaping initiatives. We have all it takes to positively shape our country’s future through our profession. We should be bold about positive initiatives, be forthright and be positive change ambassadors at every stage of career development. We should believe in this profession and uphold its tents with Dignity and Pride.

OluseyiLayade is the Chief Operating Officer at Leo Burnett