Wadé Owojori
Programme Management And Strategy
Purfleet-On-Thames
Summary
Accomplished Innovation Fund Director with 10+ years of experience managing and delivering complex projects in the mobile industry. Skilled in strategic planning, stakeholder management, marketing, and fundraising. Seeking a dynamic leadership position to apply exceptional skills and expertise in driving growth and innovation. Collaborative leader who partners with coworkers to promote an engaged and empowering work culture. Documented strengths in building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders in fast-paced settings.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work History
Innovation Fund Director
GSMA
London
01.2020 - Current
- Developed a high-performing team across London, Nairobi, Indonesia, Pakistan and India by providing mentorship, guidance and opportunities for professional growth.
- Built and established multi-stakeholder relationships required to scope the requirements for each round of innovation fund and reflect on the outcomes of the fund.
- Developed a data and insights strategy and lead the team responsible for data analysis and publications. To date 3 seminal reports have been published
- Established a strategy and secured budget to provide venture building (e.g. investment readiness training, sales and marketing support) for GSMA Innovation Fund portfolio companies in low and middle income countries.
- Oversaw the due diligence process for evaluating potential investments and successfully led the funding of 60+ high-potential startups who have raised an additional £200m in follow on funding.
- Worked with marketing to create and execute a comprehensive marketing and branding strategy for the innovation fund that included a revamped website, social media strategy and a newsletter. This resulted in increased awareness and interest from potential investors and entrepreneurs
- Developed and maintained relationships with key stakeholders, including startups, investors, and industry experts, to ensure ongoing support and growth of the innovation fund
Senior Project Manager
GSMA
04.2018 - 12.2019
- Developed and implemented project management processes and methodologies for a cross functional team geographically spread across London, Nairobi, Singapore, India and Pakistan. This resulted in improved team collaboration through weekly team calls and monthly progress reporting meetings.
- Led business planning cycles by working closely with the Head of Programme and the team to develop the programme brief (project initiation document), KPIs, quality plans and annual programme budget.
- Managed a £10 million budget for two innovation funds established to fund early stage start-ups in low and middle income countries.
- Conducted end of year evaluations to identify areas of improvement and implement corrective actions for future endeavors.
- Onboarded and trained two project managers, building pipeline of future leaders.
Project Manager
GSMA
03.2015 - 03.2018
- Coordinated a multi-organisational product management workstream across leading telcos in Europe (T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone, Telefonica, KPN), Asia (China Mobile) and North America (AT&T and Sprint). The team was responsible for developing product requirements for Rich Communication Services (RCS) - an interoperable telco grade messaging solution
- Maintained the product requirements document and product backlog based on a consensus approach across a multi-stakeholder team.
- Developed and managed the user experience testing for handset manufacturers and vendors deploying RCS
- Planned and coordinated successful video webinars that promoted the commercial benefits of launching RCS to a global audience of key industry stakeholders
- Managed the production of fortnightly project status reports and weekly update of project activity calendar for programme leadership team.
- Represented the team at industry events to present the latest agreed set of features
- Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Communicated effectively with team members to deliver updates on project milestones and deadlines.
- Collaborated with marketing, and support teams to promote new specifications and demos at Mobile World Congress on time and within budget.
Assistant Project Manager
GSMA
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Assisted the project manager with the administration of all procedures and project documentation via the on-line repository for the project
- Maintained RAID Log for each project
- Liaised with external stakeholders
- Provided administrative support for Senior Project Director, Project Director, Project Managers
Project Administrator
GSMA
08.2011 - 01.2013
- Monitored, tracked and responded to queries from project mailbox
- Proofread and edited project documents for accuracy and consistency
Project Co-ordinator
Windsor Fellowship
08.2008 - 11.2010
- Company Overview: The Windsor Fellowship provides learning and development opportunities for students in Further and Higher Education
- Internships and development seminars are available in partnership with leading organisations in the public and private sectors
- Coordinated the delivery of various programmes for students from diverse backgrounds, including mentoring schemes, leadership workshops, career fairs, etc
- Managed the recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers and mentors
- Prepared reports and evaluations on programme outcomes and impact
- Established and maintained partnerships with universities, employers, sponsors and other stakeholders
- The Windsor Fellowship provides learning and development opportunities for students in Further and Higher Education
- Internships and development seminars are available in partnership with leading organisations in the public and private sectors
Education
BA (Hons) - Business and Marketing
London Metropolitan University
GB 09.2005 - 06.2008
Skills
PRINCE2 Foundation
PRINCE2 AGILE Foundation
MS Office - Excel, PowerPoint,SharePoint
Problem-solving
Project management
Operations management
Team management
Relationship building
Certification
Africa Impact Investing Fellowship
Timeline
Africa Impact Investing Fellowship
12-2023
Innovation Fund Director
GSMA
01.2020 - Current
Senior Project Manager
GSMA
04.2018 - 12.2019
Project Manager
GSMA
03.2015 - 03.2018
Assistant Project Manager
GSMA
01.2013 - 01.2015
Project Administrator
GSMA
08.2011 - 01.2013
Project Co-ordinator
Windsor Fellowship
08.2008 - 11.2010
BA (Hons) - Business and Marketing
London Metropolitan University
09.2005 - 06.2008
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