She has a track record of impactful human resources practices that have brought tangible results to the organizations she has worked for. Her holistic, integrated approach as a human resources practitioner allows her to champion solutions to address both employees’ and employers’ challenges from all angles.
She is a commercial-oriented human resources practitioner, certified coach and scrum master with core expertise in strategy, business and people management, as well as an in-depth understanding of the technology industry. The person we speak of is Mrs. Ejiro Ogunbanjo, the current Group Head of Human Resources at one of Nigeria’s leading Banks.
She said: ‘‘I work with business leaders and organizations to co-create and implement solutions that drive employee ownership and business performance while leveraging coaching skills to facilitate a more effective engagement with stakeholders. Over the last 15 years, I have added value in various capacities including leading internal HR and consulting teams across multiple sectors to achieve measurable outcomes such as increased employee engagement and top talent retention, increased revenue and PBT; and creating people systems which led to several HR and business accolades including 3 time winners of the Hofstede Culture Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the NECA Employer Excellence Award for the Banking and Financial Services Industry. I also serve as an advisor to Founders/CEOs on business strategy, products, technology, people management, funding, scaling and other potential cogs in the wheel of growing a business”
Ejirowho has a first degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management and a Master’s in Managerial Psychology in addition to a Senior Professional in Human Resources International certification from the HR Certification Institute also sat on the advisory board of a tech academy with a focus on developing tech talent. Additionally, just last year, she was made one of the inaugural mentors for the Women in Tech – Nigeria Chapter ‘‘Mentor Me Programme’’. For those who may not know, the Women in Tech Programme is the world’s leading organization for inclusion, diversity and equity in STEAM with over 200,000 members across 6 continents.
The indefatigable professional HR Practitioner who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria and a certified professional coach; was recognized as one of the top 100 Career Women in Africa a few months ago. The compilation which featured women from 16 countries and 5 African regions – recognizes the outstanding achievements of women who have made remarkable impact in their industries.
Explaining why she went into the human resources profession, she says her dad Rev. OritseneyeEnemigin greatly influenced her decision. According to her: “I recall growing up and wondering why people were always in our house. Everyone wanted my dad to meet their new baby, their about-to-be wedded spouse, wanted some advice or the other and our house was a revolving door of people who would come looking downcast sometimes but always left with a smile. I recall following him to work when I was younger and I could see the admiration and deep respect people had for him, and the thought of being able to impact lives as he did started to appeal to me. It was then I started nursing the idea of becoming a “Personnel Manager” as the profession was called then’’.
Continuing further, she asserted: “When I got into the university years later to study Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management, I was one of the 3 people in a class of about 30 who deliberately applied to the university to study Human Resource Management. It has always been HR for me and though I have constantly received excellent feedback on my contribution to business strategy, products, sales, and business development, harnessing human potential in a way that delivers a win-win for both employees and the business will always be my passion”
Expatiating on the role of HR in any business and society, she posited: “People know a lot about the role HR plays for employees and organizations, but I also believe that HR plays a very important role in the community/society. When HR co-creates an environment that enables performance, employee compensation and standard of living improves. This will have a positive impact on the quality of life in families and communities. There are also a lot of people whose life trajectory has changed, thanks to HR interventions. They have improved public speaking, poise and general life skills beyond the workplace, thanks to development interventions implemented at their various organizations and those skills are still earning them an income long after the job may have ended. HR professionals have the potential to impact individuals, companies and the larger society, and it is a privilege to be part of this esteemed profession’’.
Ejiro who has considered writing a book on her experiences as an HR professional leading a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-generational team in a patriarchal and turbulent environment such as Nigeria says there is a lot that HR people advocate for on behalf of employees that they would never know because they only get to see the ones that were approved. Similarly, she hinted that there are a lot of times HR deescalates issues that can impact business performance by advocating with employees on behalf of the organization when issues arise. Finding the balance between employee and organizational interests, she pointed out, is where a number of HR people struggle; adding that she has learnt to tackle it by relying on the grace of God, empathy, stakeholder management, technical expertise, knowing and understanding the business of her organization, as well as, knowing and understanding the key issues impacting the work force at any given time.
On her critical success factors, she mentioned her faith in God, the support of her family, especially her husband and a growth mindset constantly focused on impact and making a difference.
