Striking Whilst Hot with Tola Adeleke
A Citi babe, with credentials to match.
Naturally when you are tasked with finding amazing women to interview, you first look within your circle to see if there is at least one such woman. Turns out there are a number of them, but Tola, because of who she is, was one of the first that I thought about. I’m grateful to Tola for sharing with us a bit about her leadership journey. I couldn’t convince her to share, just how much of an awesome person she is also outside of work, but you are here for her work gems, so I guess all’s well that ends well.
Name: Tola Adeleke
Current Role: Senior Vice President - Commercial Banker/Relationship Manager - Digital, Technology (incl. Fintech) & Communications - Citi Commercial Bank (UK)
Company: Citi
Bio: Tola is currently a Senior Vice President with over 15 years of banking experience spanning across six Citi cities (Lagos, Johannesburg, Libreville, Nairobi, Dublin & London). Previously she managed Commercial Cards implementation and operations for the bank. In her current role she manages UK headquartered Digital Tech & Comms clients.
Tola is also Co-Chair of Citi London’s Black Heritage Network. She promotes personal and professional advancement through mentorship. She enjoys flower arranging, dancing, theatre, travelling, listening to podcasts and she collects African Contemporary Art.
Interview
1) What was your first managerial role? Did you want to be a manager or was this a seized opportunity?
I seized the opportunity! After rolling off a Graduate training program, I was offered a managerial role which involved managing Cards Operations within a wider team. The bank was preparing to launch a cards program and this was a unique opportunity to help build a business from scratch so early in my career. This role gave me the opportunity to, understand how products are built and launched, further develop my communication skills and build an entrepreneurial mindset.
2) You were a manager for over 10 years, what key things did you learn?
Over the years, I have learnt the difference between being a manager and a leader. Managers are focused on tasks and roles, whilst leaders are driven by people, vision and strategy.
The intersection of management and leadership is the sweet spot we should all strive for.
3) What has been the hardest part of your journey in being a female leader?
We all face different challenges as we grow. Thankfully, I have not had many. I am grateful to have been lead and inspired by women whose wisdom I have been able to tap into when challenges have arisen.
One thing I have found that can be difficult is planning. As you grow, your career and some personal goals can be in conflict. For instance fertility and the motherhood tax. It’s important for women to know about these challenges earlier on in their careers so they can take some of these things into consideration and plan better.
4) You are now a Senior Vice President (SVP) at Citi Bank, and were previously a Vice President (VP)what did it take to go from being a manager to VP and then a SVP? Was there a mindset shift required?
Yes, I was already operating at the next level, the level I wanted to be in, irrespective of if the promotion was successful or not (it was!). I was clear about what I wanted, asked direct questions to the people who could make it happen and also sought their support. I gained valuable feedback from bosses, sponsors and mentors. I utilised my network and was deliberate with carrying people along.
All our successes and failures shape our future. They create an aggregate value that we can apply to opportunities. So nothing is ever lost. Do your best and the best will come.
5) What do you think women in leadership roles can do better with respect to emerging female leaders and what advice would you give to a young female manager?
Vulnerable and honest conversations!
I would advise leaders to continue to pay their experience forward by having transparent discussions. Leaders should more proactively seek out junior talent to coach and support them wholeheartedly.
Emerging leaders should be authentic, emulate their role models in their own way and remain inquisitive.
For both emerging and more established leaders I recommend that they both continuously work on being the manager or leader they wish they had…even in the most difficult times.
Please feel free to add anything else that you think might be useful to those reading:
Lead where you are ! It doesn’t matter what your position or role is…Lead!
Her Six:
A woman who inspires you: My mother, who is a published author. She is fun, inquisitive and has a vast knowledge in many subject areas.
Last Book / Podcast:
Book - Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It teaches you to harness the instinctual, intuitive, and creative nature of being a woman.
*clicks add to cart* - I found this book here too, but its sold out, so back to Amazon.
Podcast - Something from The Read or The World In Brief by The Economist
A restaurant you would recommend:
Cañete - A great tapas and cocktails bar in Barcelona.
Your ideal city to live in:
New York - I loved Sex & The City! I also loved Suits which was set in NY but filmed in Toronto. Anywhere with great opportunities!
A brand/ product you can’t live without:
What is one book / website/ podcast / or public resource that has helped you with leadership journey - Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Angela Duckworth
Buy Grit here if you are in Nigeria.
I love it when I learn from the interviews and so far I have. I’m especially taking away Tola’s approach to leveling up and getting that next promotion. I’m already a big believer in operating at the next level, but I do think I could utilise the people that can make it happen a bit more. I also think she touched upon something super important for a lot of women, the conflict between career growth and motherhood. This is a topic that needs to be delved into a bit more. I heard on a podcast somewhere that the impact of having a child for career women, on their earnings, was the equivalent to being hit by a meteorite. Permit the hyperbole 😅, but you get the point. I also agree with her, that nothing is ever lost, all that we learn through success and failure, really does create aggregate value. Lastly, I love the fact that she has been able to cultivate an entrepreneurial approach whilst working in a formal institution and look forward to seeing where that will take her. Thank you Tola for these gems 💕.
P.s We should move to New York together ✈️
Thank you for reading, stay tuned for the next interview and please leave a comment.