About Me

Most HR professionals hit a ceiling at Manager level and never understand why.

I did too. Until I cracked the code at global companies I worked for.

Now I teach ambitious HR professionals the exact best in class playbook I used to go from Individual Contributor to Senior Director—across 3 continents, 3 multinational companies, and 15 years of lessons most people never get access to.

Phase 1

The Beginning: Lagos, Nigeria (2007)

I graduated with an Economics degree in Nigeria full of ambition and zero connections. Went on to do my Masters in Economics and Finance in UK with zero clue on what my north star was going to be.

No mentors who'd "made it." Just a belief that if I worked hard enough, I'd eventually break through.

I was wrong.

For the first 3 years of my career, I did everything right:

✅ Worked late

✅ Volunteered for projects

✅ Got my CIPD certification

✅ Read every HR book I could find

And yet, promotions went to people who seemed less qualified but somehow "knew how to play the game."

I was frustrated. Burned out. Ready to quit HR entirely.

Phase 2

The Turning Point: One Conversation Changed Everything

Then I had coffee with a Senior HR Director at a multinational company.

I asked her point-blank: "What am I doing wrong?"

She looked at me and said something I'll never forget:

"Jide, you're playing checkers. Everyone at Director level and above is playing chess."

"You think it's about HR knowledge. It's not. It's about business impact, executive presence, and knowing which battles to fight."

"Nobody teaches this in school. You either figure it out, or you stay stuck."

That conversation changed my entire career.

Phase 3

The Journey: From Individual Contributor to Senior Director

I spent the next 15 years deliberately studying what separated HR Managers from HR Directors.

Not by reading more books, but by working at the companies where the best HR leaders operated.

Unilever

HR Business Partner → Associate HR Director

This is where I learned business partnering. HR wasn't a support function, it was a revenue driver. I learned to speak the language of operations, finance, and supply chain. I stopped bringing "HR problems" to executives and started bringing business solutions with an HR lens.

Lesson learned: If you can't tie your HR work to business outcomes, you'll never get a seat at the leadership table.

Mars

HR Director

This is where I learned executive presence. I watched HR Directors who commanded respect in boardrooms. They didn't talk more they talked better. They framed issues strategically. They knew when to push and when to let things breathe.

Lesson learned: The difference between Manager and Director isn't title. It's how you show up.

General Motors (GM)

Senior Director, HR & Labour Relations

This is where I learned Labour Relations mastery. Managing unions, negotiating collective agreements, handling grievances at scale. Most HR professionals avoid this area which is exactly why it became my competitive advantage.

Lesson learned: The skills most HR professionals avoid are the ones that make you irreplaceable.