Omogiafo: Planning Important for Women in Work Place

In line with the International Women’s Day celebration that was marked recently, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Hotels, Mrs. Owen Omogiafo, in this encounter with Nume Ekeghe, narrates her experience as an executive as well as how to ensure work-life balance. 

Excerpts:

Congratulations on your recent appointment, how has the Journey been as a female executive?

I am now two months, one week on the job as MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels. And it’s our intent to be Africa’s foremost brand. It has been challenging, enlightening and at the same time very rewarding. You know, stepping into the industry whose leadership is pretty male dominated, it is not every time you find that a woman is in leadership of a hotel of our size, one that is listed, and one that is the owner of the only five-star hotel we have in Nigeria, which as you all know, is also affiliated with the Hilton. It’s a Hilton and it is managed by Hilton, but we own the Hotel. What we are about is that each guest that comes in has that distinct Transcorp hospitality touch.

Being a woman, how are you coping in a male-dominated industry?
I think I have an edge here over a number of other women. I was an only daughter for a very long time. I had three elder brothers and three other male cousins living with us. And honestly, it was really when I started working that I started realising that I am a woman and I was supposed to be different. Because when I was growing up, my father made me feel like there is nothing I can’t do. And he encouraged me. I could read very well at the age of five because of my father.

At the age of five, he would come with newspaper, and we would sit down together and read together. He would put scrabble board and we would play together. And mind you, I was the youngest child. So for me, I have always felt that I can do anything a man can do because it is how I have been brought up. That foundation meant so much to me now that I am an adult. That is why I said I have an edge over the average Nigerian women who were told not to climb trees. I was encouraged to climb trees. All those other things of old that this is what a woman or man must do never really featured in my life. And I also went to a mixed school and had relative freedom.

So coming into a male dominated environment; you can imagine how it is in the hospitality business. Your clients, a number of them are men and because of the fact that I grew up with guys all around me, I am able to understand the male folks, hold my home and much more. Naturally, being a woman there is always a little bit more expected of you. But when you show people that I can bring something to the table, and make sure you deliver. A number of people may have doubts about you, but when they engage you, they leave with a different impression. So that helped out. Being a female, they claim we know how to multi-task and it has conferred certain advantages. My predecessor laid a very good foundation in his time, but now that I am here, people come in now and say, ‘we are seeing the feminine touch.’ There is one of my staff, he is very efficient. But he didn’t used to smile. So I told him that it is important for our business and he has started smiling.
If you go to somewhere and someone attending to you keeps a gloomy face, you won’t want to even drink water. So these are thing I have also used to my advantage. Let people know that youb are capable of doing the job you have been employed to do. And the way you let them know is always in the doing and not just talking.

 Read full interview with Thisday

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