Mr. Feyi Olubodun joined Insight communications, now Insight Publicis, in 2009 and rose to the position of Strategic Planning Director, from where he became  the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer in 2014. He is a consummate business thinker with incredible and articulated perspectives in the African consumer.

A graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, ‘Ile- Ife’ and an alumnus of both the Pan Atlantic African University and the Duke University, he has over a decade experience in leading business negotiations. He is also a strong advocate of business ethics and corporate governance standards.  Princewill Ekwujuru  presents to you the new helmsman of Insight Publicis.
INSIGHT Publicis has never had a non–founder transiting to become the company’s Managing Director/CEO in its 36 years of existence. Recently, an employee was picked as the Managing Director/ CEO, after a rigorous and protracted search by the Board of Directors. The qualities the board needed of the person to steer leadership of the company was a leader with an extraordinary ability to connect vision, a person with ideas to drive strategy and execution.

Feyi Olubodun

Among other things the board wanted was a person that can fuse into the new world order of business. What the board looked for was deposited in Mr. Seyi Olubodun. Basically, as dynamics of time had created a shift from foreign ownership and management of advertising businesses in Nigeria, they needed one equipped with the necessary credentials to build on the existing growth of the company.

Degree of foreign ownership

During the handing over of the baton to the new Managing Director/CEO in Lagos, the outgoing managing director/CEO of Insight Publicis, Mr. Jimi Awosika, the ‘Baale’ as he is popularly called in the advertising industry, had noted that the country was witnessing a new shift with the liberalisation of the creative industry to accommodate some degree of foreign ownership. He said this was now offering Nigerian ad agencies opportunities to expand beyond our shores, thereby encouraging global competitiveness and play.

Awosika had noted, “Nigeria is witnessing a situation whereby more than ever before, the economic outcomes of businesses are being powered by the exponential growth in the formation competition technology, thereby creating a new economy- the digital economy that will be a major determinant of business performance now and in the future.”

He said the company saw these developments as significant as the birthing of a new epoch, adding that “as epoch comes, only disruptive change and shift will suffice to make businesses and even individuals still relevant in this whole new world.”

Awosika said the company was committed to meeting the disruptions with more than equal force, “not only to maintain our many decades of industry leadership, but to determine the future.”

He stated that what the company tried to protect was the dynamics that have trailed the business which was why it wanted a person that has the temerity and charisma to propel the business to a further growth height, adding that “science and technology especially have influenced the interest of the mass media to facilitate the framing and spread up. Much as the dynamics of that time created a shift from the foreign ownership and management of advertising businesses in Nigeria. We are now witnessing a new shift with the liberalisation of the ad industry to accommodate some degree of foreign ownership which now offers Nigerian ad agencies the opportunities to expand beyond our shores, thereby encouraging global competitiveness and play.

According to Dr. Ken Ikpe, finding a successor who could follow ‘Baale’, Mr Awosika, was a huge challenge and we took that project very seriously. All those who were considered had the intellect, integrity, charisma required for the job. But one stood apart as a leader with an extraordinary ability to connect vision; one who has ideas to drive strategy and execution. Why we needed to emphasise on the process that gave birth to this candidate is because at Insight Refini, we like to eat our food as if it was our medicine so that we don’t end up eating our medicine as if it was our food. We are thankful to ‘baale.’ Becoming the Managing Director/CEO Insight Publicis was a dream come true for Olubodun as the opportunity to become the first non-founder CEO of Insight beckoned.

Guaranteeing sustainability

Olubodun believes that the Nigerian business landscape is not known for transiting well from owners to none owners and thereby guaranteeing sustainability and continuity of the business institution. He notes that the mandate and opportunity that the Insight board has given him is symbolic and powerful as well. On what is new about the new leadership, he said: “what is new about the new leadership is that the diversity is quite interesting from the point of view of experience. I spoke about Wole Ogundare who is not our Account Management Director, he is an FCA with more than 20 years in consulting and he is a thorough leader on the issues of the economy and all of that. He leads the Client service team.”

Business re-invention: “The challenging thing is to re-invent the business, that re-invention has to be carefully balanced. No doubt we need to bring in fresh talents that think differently, that have exposure to other industries that can bring value, but it is also important  that we retain what is core to us as we re-invest. That is also the reason we have Dr. Ken as the Group COO and he is somebody that is a personal mentor to me so that as we journey we know what to keep and what to adjust. We do have a great heritage and it is not something we’ll throw away. What you are seeing as a transition was not part of the partnership with Publicis. ‘This is just a natural progression.’

“On the leadership team there is about two to three females, one  heading the Creative department. We have a Bimpe Oloyede who is running our project management department. That is the department that makes sure the engine of the agency is working. It is run by a woman. This is a team that I have carefully selected and put together myself to help drive the agenda that I see.

Creative credentials

“They are all incredible people in terms of their pedigree, their capabilities and outlook for the future and their managerial skill, “there are exciting times ahead,” he noted.

Achievements: “Getting global recognition is very simple, it means you will global awards when it comes to creative credentials, it also means you get global awards when it comes to the quality of your strategic thinking and more importantly it means you can work with multinational clients across different market. We became the first African agency to enter and to win the WARC prize. WARC is the World Advertising Research Council, for social strategy, again on the Pepsi Long Throat campaign. The judges were amazed at what we submitted. The level at which we won was along with global agencies like BBH for instance. They were amazed that an African agency could think that way and execute such an excellent campaign. That was just in the area of our thinking in terms of digital strategy and how to work digital campaign.

“Again, we won gold at the Epica award this year. The unique thing about the Epica award is that it’s actually an award system set up by brand journalists that cover the industry globally. We won gold; we were the only Nigerian agency to win and one of the only three Publicis agencies to win that award worldwide.”