In today’s interconnected world, Nigerian professionals continue to break new ground in industries once dominated by Western methodologies. 

One such trailblazer is Loveth Rowland Onyekachi, a Mass Communication graduate who has risen to global prominence in Human Resources by reimagining the role of communication within organizations.

In this interview, Ms. Onyekachi shares her unique journey, groundbreaking innovations, and vision for the future of human capital development.

Ms. Onyekachi, your career trajectory from Mass Communication to becoming a leading voice in Human Resources is quite unique. What inspired this professional journey?

My fascination with organizational dynamics began during my undergraduate studies at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko. While many of my classmates were immersed in media production, I found myself increasingly drawn to how effective communication—or the lack thereof—could make or break an organization. I realized that many business challenges weren’t rooted in limited resources but rather in poor communication structures. That observation sparked my desire to apply communication science to human capital development.

Your work in HR has been described as revolutionary. What differentiates your methodology from traditional practices?

Traditional HR often treats communication as a support function. In my model—what I call the Integrated Communication Matrix for Organizational Excellence—communication is the core. At Globex Consortium International, where I serve as Chief Human Capital Strategist, we’ve redesigned recruitment and team-building to align with communication science. For example, we use neurolinguistic communication assessments to select candidates whose styles match our organizational ethos. It’s transformed how we build unified teams across diverse cultural landscapes.

You’ve worked in over 20 countries. How have these global experiences shaped your professional philosophy?

Immensely. Despite cultural differences, certain principles of human connection are universal. My global exposure helped me create frameworks that adapt locally yet remain globally effective. Interestingly, Nigerian communication practices—like storytelling and consensus-building—have proven powerful tools abroad when structured effectively. I’ve been able to codify these into methodologies that now guide multinational organizations.

You’re integrating neurocognitive science into organizational communication. How do you make these complex concepts accessible to businesses?

The key is design. Just like smartphones operate on advanced science we don’t need to understand, our systems simplify complexity. We build diagnostic tools and predictive algorithms that allow organizations to visualize communication breakdowns before they happen. These tools are intuitive to use, even if the science behind them is sophisticated.

With oversight of operations affecting more than 120,000 employees, what are the biggest workforce challenges today?

The first is connection fragmentation—as teams spread across platforms and geographies, maintaining human connection becomes difficult, stifling innovation and trust. The second is cognitive overload. Workers today absorb more information weekly than people did in a year decades ago. Most HR systems aren’t designed to handle that kind of mental strain, but mine are built around addressing these realities.

Your book is now required reading in business schools. What core message were you hoping to deliver?

That organizations are not machines—they are communicative organisms. Every policy and structure is an act of communication. If leaders can grasp this, they’ll stop treating communication as an accessory and begin viewing it as the operating system of their organization. That shift changes everything—from hiring to performance evaluation to leadership development.

As a Nigerian with global recognition, what advice do you have for young Nigerians interested in communication or HR?

Nigeria’s richest export is our intellectual power and unique cultural lens. I urge young Nigerians not to box themselves into traditional career silos. Innovation thrives at intersections. My work merges communication, HR, behavioral psychology, and data analytics. Alone, these fields are powerful. Together, they’re transformational.

What counsel would you offer the Nigerian government on advancing human capital?

Three things: Establish a National Center for Organizational Excellence to develop Nigerian-led approaches to HR and organizational development. Infuse communication science into public sector systems to improve trust and performance. Reform education to encourage cross-disciplinary innovation, because the real breakthroughs happen outside traditional silos.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on integrating artificial intelligence with human communication systems—what I call augmented organizational intelligence. This is not about replacing humans but enhancing how we navigate complexity together. I’m also launching the Quantum Human Capital Institute in Lagos to train the next generation of HR innovators. My dream is to make Nigeria the global brain trust for organizational science in the coming decade.