Smart Nigerians Working With Mark Zuckerberg Facebook CEO, who employs an increasing number of Nigerians to work to get Facebook operations rolling.
Chukwuemeka Afigbo
Chukwuemeka Afigbo is one of the smartest people working with Mark Zuckerberg who may have left Google in 2015 for greener pastures, but he’s sure found them at Facebook! Working on Strategic Product Partnerships for Facebook in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chukwuemeka is responsible for developing deals and connections that are bringing the world’s biggest social media platform even closer to our continent. Chukwuemeka’s expertise made quite the impression on Mark Zuckerberg during his visit to Nigeria – not to mention Chukwuemeka’s deep understanding of the African market and passion for connecting people to the internet! Sounds like Chukwuemeka definitely knows where he wants to be.
Ime Archibong
Ime Archibong is far from an average Joe; in fact, he’s one of the smartest people that’s made his mark working with Mark Zuckerberg! Ime is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Facebook and leads a team responsible for connecting the product strategies with various business partners. Ime has worked on behalf of the Messenger app among other projects, but it doesn’t stop there – before Ime was pumping up Facebook’s reputation, he was an Advanced Technology Business Development Professional at IBM! Ime is an exceptional talent and if that isn’t enough to make us proud, we know Ime also had a hand in making Mark Zuckerberg’s visit to Nigeria a reality; thanks Ime!
Ebele Okobi
Ebele Okobi is one of the smart Nigerians working with Mark Zuckerberg. She is one of Nigeria’s most successful representatives in Silicon Valley. She has been leading the Public Policy for Facebook in Africa for the past two years, not to mention her impressive Global Head & Senior Legal Director, Human Rights post with Yahoo!. With Ebele’s leadership, Mark Zuckerberg’s recent trip to Nigeria was a major success. Ebele knows that her work goes beyond the business; it contributes to changing the narrative for Africans on a global stage. Hats off Ebele – you’re doing an amazing job!
Nmachi Jidenma
Nmachi Jidenma is a powerhouse who brings vast industry experience to her role managing Payments and Commerce Partnerships for Facebook Global in San Francisco Bay Area. Building on her solid foundation of work at PayPal, Google and JP Morgan, Nmachi single-handedly founded CPAfrica, where she still occasionally provides consulting services. Nmachi defies all odds with her ambitious projects and inspiring attitude – the world needs more Nmachis!
Laurence Aderemi
Laurence Aderemi’s talents have quite the reputation as one of the smart Nigerians working with Facebook. He began by creating Moni, a person-to-person money transfer app which earned him first place in the Start with e-novation competition in 2013. Who knew this would eventually lead Laurence to impress none other than tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg? Laurence was fast tracked straight to the top and become head of Payments and Commerce Partnerships at Facebook Global. That success sure came quickly for Laurence Aderemi!
Morin Oluwole
Morin Oluwole must have quite a few phrases for “multilingual” in fivefold, having grown up in Nigeria and lived on several continents. Her impressive track record as Chief of Staff, VP Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook obviously speaks fluently enough – Morin made an impact that reached far beyond her career title, being snapped up by the social media giant to be their Luxury Vertical Lead. One can only wonder what Morin dreams up when she dreams in five languages!
Lauryn (Hale) Ogbechie
Lauryn (Hale) Ogbechie is a Silicon Valley success story – she was elected as the Digital Organiser for President Obama’s re-election campaign, following her leadership position within the Strategic Partnership team at Facebook’s Global Platform Partnerships organisation. Lauryn works hard to help mobile developers build, grow and monetise their apps with Facebook platform products. Lauryn you rock!
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Francis Ebong
Francis Ebong is one of the smart Nigerians working with Mark Zuckerberg. He had already bagged his degree from The George Washington University when he join the world’s premier social media platform, joining Facebook in November 2015. Since then Francis has donned the mantle of Director of Online Operations, proving himself more than capable for the job with his educational qualification and technological know-how. Francis is one person for whom social media isn’t just about likes or comments – it’s about conquering the world.
Teniola Adedipe
Teniola Adedipe may have traded in Nigeria’s eCommerce giant, Konga, for the heights of Facebook, but she didn’t take her time to do so. Teniola was quite a dynamo, having switched gears as the Head, Merchandise Planning and Associate Director, Retail Operations within the space of just 14 months – all prior to joining Facebook and reaching Program Manager status at their Deal Desk & Global Agency. Teniola certainly proved that sometimes ambition knows no bounds!
Monica Ugwi
Monica Ugwi is one ambitious lady: although still relatively new to Facebook’s Product Operations division, she’s already excelled in an impressive array of roles with top-tier companies. Before her prized gig, Monica had the privilege of serving as Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company and Analyst at Goldman Sachs! Not only that, but Monica also holds a Computer Science degree and Masters in Business Administration from the impressive Stanford University Graduate School of Business. It looks like Monica last name isn’t just her surname – it’s made manifest in her dedication to success!
Ibrahim Shekoni
Ibrahim Sekoni has truly found success in his professional pursuits. Before joining the team of Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Ibrahim worked as a Mobile Product Manager at optionXpress, managing the top-rated mobile trading App across multiple platforms, and before that a Business Analyst at Phoenix bits LTD. Ibrahim made the jump to Silicon Valley’s most prestigious company in April 2015, where he currently acts as a Product Specialist. Ibrahim is truly one of Nigeria’s smartest exports and continues to prove why his previous experience makes him such an appropriate fit for Silicon Valley’s tech giant!
Olaoluwa Okelola
Olaoluwa Okelola is one of the smart Nigerians working with Mark Zuckerberg and he is having quite the journey! With a degree from Howard University and experience at Microsoft, Google, and now Facebook, Okelola is proving to be one bright – and well-travelled – Nigerian engineer. Okelola’s resume is almost as impressive as his appetite for knowledge: once Okelola had achieved secondary education at the International School Ibadan, he then capped it off with higher learning from Avi-Cenna International School and Howard University. Okelola’s further internships at Microsoft and Google demonstrate his status as a tech guru extraordinaire, but it was his 2007 decision to join Facebook that has kept him in the limelight of success ever since. Olaoluwa Okelola: a true pioneer in Nigerian software engineering!
Barbara Mbanefo
Barbara Mbanefo is an African success story, having gone from her Nigerian roots to inspiring heights in the software engineering world. After completing her studies in Nigeria she didn’t stop there, pushing on to France for a Masters in Software Engineering – where oddly enough she also picked up fluency in French as well! After this Barbara wowed all around the world, setting sail for Canada and the famous film sets of Hollywood, before finally arriving at Mark Zuckerberg’s doorstep. Barbara now works at Facebook as an iOS Apps Developer who helps businesses form strong connections with their customers – no small feat! Barbara Mbanefo is definitely one to watch.
Kunbi Adeyemo
Kunbi Adeyemo is one of the smart Nigerians working with Mark Zuckerberg and her career path is truly inspirational – one she could have only imagined several years ago. She first began her journey with Facebook as a Customer Insights Analyst, working with the North America Small and Medium Business team until 2013. But Kunbi was on the move, determined to make her mark. By December 2014, Kunbi made the leap of faith to relocate to the vivacious San Francisco Bay Area, where she currently serves as Facebook’s Diversity Programs Manager- Women in Computer Science. Kunbi has proven that even sky-high aspirations have their place in reality – if you have drive and ambition, your dreams can take off!
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Isaac Nwokocha
Isaac Nwokocha demonstrates that powerful combination of ambition and adventure which is why he got a lucrative job as a Product Data Integrity, Community Operations/Project Manager at Facebook. After obtaining his First Class degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2010, Isaac tried his hand in the world of entrepreneurship, co-founding two startups – most notably TrafficDey, a real-time road traffic web app. Undaunted by his achievement Isaac then decided to tackle Stanford next where he succeeded in completing a Master’s Degree in Management Science and Engineering – giving Isaac the credentials to land a dream job at Facebook.
Michael Awotedu
Michael Awotedu is one of the smart Nigerians working with Mark Zuckerberg and can claim an impressive CV. After achieving his MBA in Finance (with summa cum laude honors) from the University of Tampa John H. Sykes College of Business, Michael brings a wealth of experience to Facebook’s Risk Program Management. Michael has rubbed shoulders with risky ventures such as Walmart’s $30 billion check cashing portfolio all while keeping risk to a minimum. His financial expertise is now felt on products such as FB games, Oculus VR and Ads, where Michael helps Facilitate strategy and execution for Risk Management. Michael is certainly bringing something extra to the party!
Jane Okpala
Jane Okpala is a linguistic and logistic Wonder Woman who, armed with 10 years of combined expertise in strategic analysis, negotiation and management, has been keeping the community operations at Facebook shipshape. Having already sailed through her McKinsey & Company days where Jane served as an Associate on projects related to financial institutions and technology firms, Jane still sails on — upgrading technology, strengthening social good initiatives, and building goodwill all around. Jane’s linguistic talents are just as respected — having the feet planted firmly in 4 languages! With Jane in charge – one knows Facebook is in safe hands.
Dayo Olopade
Dayo Olopade has certainly ran the journalistic gamut, having started her career as a journalist in Washington, covering the 2008 campaign and the Obama era for publications including The Atlantic, The Guardian and The Washington Post. Then Dayo moved onto a different form of press coverage: applying her wealth of experience on the Facebook Media Partnerships Team to help publishers take full advantage of their relationship with Facebook. Dayo ensures that no stone is left unturned when it comes to this type of media partnership – she maintains a meticulous and insightful personal website that helps guide fellow journalists and publishers in their partnerships. Dayo’s enthusiasm and dedication to helping others has certainly served her well!
