By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Mokutima Ajileye, is the Managing Director of Procter and Gamble, Nigeria. As an experienced marketing and business leader with 18-year old vast accomplishments growing businesses, based on astute strategic planning and problem-solving competencies.  She has built brands across developing and developed regions (India, Middle East, Africa, and Europe), developed disruptive forms in mature product categories, and led world-class teams. She has consistently delivered revenue, profit, and market share growth while developing capabilities/talents within the organization. Endowed with an entrepreneurial mindset, which has enabled her to take on start-up roles

With over 17 years’ experience in business; marketing it is clear to see that you are exactly what your organization was looking for when they began their search for a new Country Head in Nigeria. Do you feel that P&G prepared you for this responsibility over the course of your career? Also, do you feel many more women are ready to take on more leadership roles in Nigerian organizations today?

 Absolutely, the company is a promote-from-within organisation and so this means we are also a groom-from-within company. I am privileged to say that my time at P&G was spent being groomed by the best in the business and this is what prepared me to step into the role I occupy today. I had the privilege to work many years in Nigeria but also abroad in our Switzerland office, learning as much as I could to bring back to Nigeria.

 I do think that more women are ready to take on more leadership roles in Nigeria especially. The women in our organisation are just as passionate, driven, and hungry for new challenges as their male counterparts. The next step will be about empowering them to get there.

You moved from manufacturing to marketing and at the time you had zero experience in this field. Now you are known for excellent marketing campaigns like the Ariel Ankara product launch. How much credit would you give the management at the time for seeing the potential in you; giving you an opportunity?

To be very honest, there was a time where I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I was still observing and learning about P&G and what working in different functions looked like. So, my move from manufacturing to marketing was really a result of two key things.

One, I got to a point in my career where I knew what I wanted and so I became very intentional about making it happen. I knew that marketing was where I wanted to be and so I spent time understanding what it would take to make the move.

 It is so important to use your voice and let those around you know what you want. As we do succession planning, knowing where the individuals’ interests lie makes it that much easier for us to plan and ensure that the interests of the individual and of the company can align.  I believe this is what the management team at P&G saw in me and chose to invest in.

Your company is a huge multinational organization with operations all over the world. What is the company’s stance on Gender Equality? And what programs and policies is your company putting in place to promote Gender Equality and support women and girls?

Earlier I mentioned that in my company, we see Equal. Equality and Inclusion as a fundamental part of who we are and how we operate every day. We also don’t want this to be something that we just say, but we want to ring true in our actions.

You know, at P&G, we want to do our part to rid the world of gender bias. This has become a deep personal passion of mine. The future is female, and we are ready.

Internally, our Sub-Saharan region is headed up by all female leaders, myself included. We have also just recently launched a program called #SharetheCare which offers up to 8 weeks of paternity leave for new fathers.  Externally, we purposefully leverage our advertising platforms to showcase what we believe equality should look like at home. You’ll see this in our Always #LikeAGirl campaign or in our Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign. We have also invested in the training and upskilling of hundreds of women- owned businesses across Africa. And last but not least, through our Always Keeping Girls in School program, we are able to ensure that nothing gets in the way of a girls education by offering free menstrual hygiene products and puberty education to over 300M girls across Nigeria.

I know you place a lot of emphasis on cultural nuances when it comes to business, but on the social side of things, people believe that our culture sometimes plays a part in restricting gender equality especially for women. How can society in general be more supportive of women especially in the workplace? Also, what would you like to see change?

I think that as much as we are pushing for equality, a key part of making that happen will be,  understanding that we are all actually very different. And while women are different from men, no two women are the same. This is what I believe society needs to understand. Gender equality is actually about creating space for there to be choice for one’s future without having expectations thrust upon.  I would like to see more people acknowledge this way of thinking so that we can truly move forward..