ADESHOLA EKPO
Business Development Director at Uwin Iwin Nigeria Limited
Lagos, Nigeria
WiiN Ed: What industry achievement are you most proud of?
AE: The highest achievement in recent times, would be when my organisation got recognised by IMA with an award for “Excellence in travels Incentives”. It meant a lot, more because it was during the pandemic, and it involved lot of collaborations and team work to give a memorable experience to our client. It was also top of mind for us as an organisation to make our client happy and to motivate the corporate world to start building confidence back in Travels (Incentives).
WiiN Ed: What personal achievement are you most proud of?
AE: In over 9 years of partnering with organisations to create Incentives solutions for their Performance, Employee engagement and Staff motivation, my proudest is managing a client who has a large sales force of over 3,000 field sales agents in over 4,000 stores in various geopolitical locations of Nigeria. Given the size of these participants, my client depended on me to keep engagement levels high, keep the team motivated and keep the expected targets met. The consistency with keeping the field team happy has kept the organisation performing and I celebrate their wins with them as we move along.
WiiN Ed: What has been your favourite WiiN moment so far until now?
AE: Being a WiiN woman is an exciting experience for me, when I joined, it was with the mind set of making acquaintance with other women professionals in the industry to learn more about the business, how its done in other climes, expand my knowledge and grow as a leader. Every opportunity I have gotten to participate in our educational, learning and industry sessions online has been rewarding. The few I have attended has been shaping me personally and given me insights on the diversity of the Incentives business.
WiiN Ed: What inspires you?
AE: I like new experiences and challenges that drives me to learn and expand my circle of influence. I am inspired by women who rise through the red tapes of the industry shattering glass ceilings and making a difference. Within the industry, my biggest dream for the African Incentives business market is to see it grow across continents to increase business possibilities for organisations globally by providing innovative incentives for their performance. This drives and inspires me constantly to seek innovative solutions to make businesses more transactable in the world global village.
WiiN Ed: What advice would you give ladies joining the industry now?
AE: My advice for the new ladies joining the Incentives industry is to keep a laser focus and be industrious. The industry is huge, it is multi layered and its has many potentials to offer. They would find it challenging of course but keeping a circle of partnerships within the industry helps, as well as getting a mentor who will help them navigate the industry. As a new entrant some years ago myself, I felt alien initially, but I was blessed to have a good support system in the industry to teach and lead me, so it is imperative to be open to learning and getting industry certifications by writing professional exams.
WiiN Ed: What are you looking forward in 2023?
AE: For 2023, I look forward to more collaborations in the industry that will be geared towards being ahead with creative Performance solutions in the global market. I am expectant that in the industry bridges can be built in the industry, that crosses continents to expand the business possibilities and opportunities in the industry as well. My dream will be to see more creative Incentives solutions being developed to grow on the traditional offerings we have in the market as well.
ELIZABETH CROW
Business Development Manager at Burgopak
England, United Kingdom
WiiN Ed: What industry achievement are you most proud of?
EC: Working as part of an amazing team to win the Best Industry Provider of the year award. We have innovated a lot in this space and it’s great to be recognised for the contributions we’ve made.
Here are some key insights about what we offer:
WiiN Ed: What personal achievement are you most proud of?
EC: Following a creative passion of mine and creating a jewellery brand called Liz Crow London. I got my first little order recently, so that has been a real highlight.
WiiN Ed:What has been your favourite WiiN moment of the last year?
EC: My favourite Wiin moment has to be the 2nd anniversary brunch where I got to meet the lovely founders! It was just lovely for everyone to spend time together and chat after only ever meeting some of the group and most of the founders online.
WiiN Ed: What inspires you?
I’m inspired by fun, high energy and creative environments, which is one of the reasons I love working for Burgopak, within the Gift and Loyalty space. There is always something new going on in the studio (such as our super fun and engaging Take out range featuring the Naughty Hot Dog!), similarly the industry is also fun with lots of innovation.
WiiN Ed: What advice would you give ladies joining the industry now?
EC: Get fully immersed and meet as many people in the industry as you can! After working in various industries at Burgopak over my 11 years at the company, it is the most welcoming and friendly industry I have been lucky to be part of. People genuinely want to help, build relationships and generally have fun together whilst doing business! I feel very grateful to be working in such a supportive environment.
WiiN Ed: What are you looking forward to in the next few months?
EC: We are working on a new gift card range for Travel and Hospitality, which will feature more amazingly fun and engaging designs, so I can’t wait to be presenting those early next year! On a personal level, I’m off to Petra in a couple of weeks which has always been on my bucket list. We’ll be travelling around Jordan, staying in the desert under the starry skies and floating in the dead sea, so I’m pretty excited!