30Under30 Honouree: Awoloto Oladimeji

Great to hear from Significant Insights Global 30 under 30 honouree Awoloto Oladimeji, Consumer Insights & Category Manager who leads the market research and insights division at GrandOak Limited.

So, how did you get into the industry, and take us through how you got to this point?

I received an invitation to intern at a multinational Research company just as I was commencing the compulsory National Youth Service Corps initiative. Though I did not know it at the time, they were one of the biggest research companies in the world. After about 18 months of being exposed to the world of research, I moved to one of the biggest dairy companies in the world as a junior research executive – in about 3 years, I was leading the consumer insights and research team, with a focus expanding from Nigeria to Sub Saharan Africa. When I moved to GrandOak limited, I was lured by the idea of being the pioneer of their research and insights division for both the mainstream and premium facets of the business. The journey has been fast paced, with a lot of growth pains and birth pangs..But it’s been totally worth it.

Why should anyone consider a career in market research, data and insights?

I believe that a career in market research, data and insights offers a very unique opportunity to act as an intermediary between organizations and the everyday consumer. Seeing your work impact lives and households directly brings a sense of joy and fulfilment that is tough to put into words. And this is apart from the numerous lifelong skills you pick up like pattern recognition, insights generation and presentation and relationship management. In market research, numbers can represent lives, your reports can represent the dream of a community, your insightful recommendations represent the voices of consumers that might never have been heard otherwise. 

Career paths are rarely without challenges. Can you share an honest moment from your career when things didn’t go quite according to plan, but the lessons remain with you to this day?

The lesson : Accuracy & Precision is infinitely more important than checking boxes. I was leading a consumer sensory research for a dairy based beverage innovation, but during the data analysis phase, I was not as meticulous as I should have been because I was chasing a deadline. Naturally, the conclusions did not fit together and our recommendations could not be actioned. Eventually we had to redo the entire study, costing us an extra two months. 

Now I try to be accurate and meticulous within deadlines, but when it comes to it, I prioritize being accurate over checking a box. 

What two things should junior researchers focus on as they progress in their careers?

Stay hungry – The world of research & Insights is a fast evolving verse, and one of the worst things that can happen to a junior researcher is to stop learning. It is very easy to become archaic. 

Develop good relationship skills – Technical know-how will get you far, but good human relationship skills will get you even further. Humans are the literal bedrock of a long, enjoyable career in market research and insights. 

And do you have anyone who has helped your career so far that you’d like to acknowledge and say thanks or give a shout out to?

I dedicate this space to the two most influential people in my journey so far. 

Thanks to Ella Alero Morris for being the best boss I have ever worked with. She was not afraid to give me the right values to succeed, opportunities to explore, and the safe space to make mistakes. Her kind, careful nurturing, both on the job and off has had the single most impact on my career journey. 

Thanks to my mentor, Caleb Olusegun Agunbiade for access to people and places I would have never dreamed of. For the moments of training, knowledge sharing, eagerness to help, I am grateful. His path remains a constant source of inspiration, and is vital to keeping me hungry and humble