With the Olympics almost upon us we’ve been talking about inspiration and inspiring people recently on our Facebook page. Today’s blog marks the start of our RB inspired series and we’re hearing from Kemi from RB Nigeria on who has inspired her. Kemi worked in marketing for 10 years before joining RB a year ago and is a Category Manager.
“The person who has inspired me in my career and in life is my mum. I am Nigerian and Nigeria is a very conservative country, but my mum has always challenged gender stereotypes and the perceived ‘norms’ of society. When I was growing up she had a high-profile job, she worked for the government as an engineer and looked after projects such as rural electrification and building roads. She recently retired but now runs a centre for children in her spare time.
One of the most important lessons she taught me is that you can do whatever you want to do, and it is possible to have it all if you manage your time. She is a mother of four, and was supported by my father (a doctor), but this is now my attitude to my career and my family. My mum’s whole family was like this, all my aunts are also strong women so it runs in the blood, but they set me this example on a daily basis. My mum made it the norm.
My first job, in a different FMCG leader, was comfortable but it wasn’t exciting. My mum, whose job was changed as she moved between cities and projects, showed me that it was ok to take risks and I moved sector, from household cleaning to food. Now I’m now a category manager at RB in home and hygiene sectors. My mum also taught me that if something didn’t work out that was ok, it’s an opportunity that can be learnt from – which is also a value very important at RB. She energised me to be confident in my decision making as I have always felt supported.
Both my parents showed me that if I have a question to ask, I must be the one to ask it. This is why I like working at RB, within a few months here I identified a powerful opportunity and RB backed me to take a chance. I saw changes within a few weeks as it was progressed quickly. There might be a global recession on, but they are still prepared to take risks and make decisions.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been told is not to let anyone get you down and you should never feel like you can’t do something. Try it out and don’t be disheartened if it fails. I know that I have to look after my career, identify opportunities and act on them – if you’re forever waiting for others it means chances can pass you by.”
