Be creative, take risks and never turn your volume down

PwC Head of Technology Experience Temi, shares how changing course in her career and taking risks led to an award-winning career in Tech. Here’s her story…

Tell us about your background and career journey at PwC?

I grew up with my mum and brother in South East London. My mum, a civil servant, was deeply religious and was a reverend in a Nigerian church setting, she was always the one to encourage me to go after what I wanted. She never let me use the word ‘can’t.’

I lived on a tough housing estate and went to a really diverse school which exposed me to different cultures and backgrounds. My dream was always to be in the music industry but my local college didn’t offer a course that suited me so I chose to study Business and Finance. Outside the four walls of my home, the attitude where I lived was often quite negative, which was challenging but only fuelled my determination. It was this drive at work that eventually led me to PwC in 2015 as a Portfolio Manager. From there I moved into Project Management and finally landed in IT consultancy within Business Solutions.

What challenges have you faced in your career?

I’ll always remember a client I worked with in 2018 who mis-read my direct communication approach to work as ‘aggression.’ This was a career low for me, and I was devastated that my passion and ‘talking with my hands’ was interpreted in such a negative way.

I spoke to my career coach and told her that this was an example of the type of micro-aggression that many people like me faced regularly. Fortunately, she took the time to listen and advocate for me, it was the first time I understood how important good allyship is in the workplace. I also realised that if I felt that way, others who looked similar to me probably did too, so I created a Diversity and Inclusion initiative specifically for those in UK IT called #WeUKIT,  to give a voice to others who felt unrepresented. 

Why is championing Inclusion and Diversity so important to you?

I’m neuro-divergent and I see in pictures and images. Working in a world where everyone records information in a different way to me is challenging in itself. Discovering mind mapping was a game-changer for me. I used to feel self-conscious seeing people writing copious amounts of notes whilst I often only wrote one or two words, but I soon found that people were fascinated by it and wanted to know more. I now advocate for more inclusion in the way we deliver training, produce documents and communicate requirements.

I’ve been a life coach since my early 20s and I’m now part of the PwC Black to Black mentoring programme where I’m mentored by a black Director (who recently became a Partner) and mentor two Managers. I think it’s so important to take the time out to support people who may be facing similar challenges to you coming up in their career.