It’s 9am and raining heavily in Lagos when I call Olufunke Omoyele and she’s already been in the office for two hours. In the middle of managing various projects at Amazon Energy, this is not the first meeting of her day and it will not be her last — this is a normal day on the job.

Having graduated from Lagos State University in 2009 with a Bachelor in Management Technology, she has slowly made her way from interning while in school at the Flour Mills of Nigeria to overseeing wide-scale engineering and gas recovery operations at Amazon Energy where she’s been for 11 years. 

Alongside her career growth, she mentors young professionals looking to get into the industry in planning and project management upskilling. Omoyele is more than equipped to do this work of opening the door for others: Amazon Energy is one of the heavy-hitters on the continent when it comes to providing innovative integrated energy services in the power, oil, and gas sectors. Working both subsea and above ground, Amazon Energy’s engineering expertise, project planning detail, training, manpower and infrastructure development, and asset management portfolio has seen them work with clients such as Mobil, Chevron, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Addax Petroleum Development and more.

Read on to learn more about Omoyele’s extraordinary experience navigating the oil and gas sector in Nigeria so far. 

AMAKA: Please describe your role at Amazon Energy.

Omoyele: Amazon is an integrated energy solutions company with vast experience in engineering, design procurement and supply, project management, operations management, construction andtechnical services.

So, we have engineering projects, engineering design projects and then procurements and construction roles that I undertake. In my role as [senior] project controls, I have to plan the projects, and then I have to monitor and control time and resources. Currently, I take the lead in developing the time, which is the schedule, on any projects, engineering, procurement or construction. 

AMAKA: Describe your path to study and professional background. How did you find your way to this position at Amazon Energy?

Omoyele: For my first degree, I studied management technology at the university. I was able to specialize in project management, even from then. I went on to get certified as a project management professional, as I mentioned earlier. So, it wasn't like I planned to work in the oil and gas sector, I just didn't want to be stereotyped. I wanted to be able to maybe work in a bank, or oil and gas, or in construction. I wanted to be able to move into any space I'm able to find myself.

AMAKA: In what ways can more diverse representation of women in the energy sector have an effect on more African women entering the industry?

Omoyele: One of the things we can do is to share knowledge from the women that are in the space already — [share…] the current knowledge that we have with people, so that they understand that it's not as difficult as it seems. If you understand what you really want, if you understand what you're doing, if you love it, if you have developed some kind of interest in it as a woman, you can operate in any space or any profession. So, it's just to learn, learn, relearn, and teach. We share the skills and then it all boils down to the individual, really, in my opinion.

AMAKA: ​​In what ways do you connect the work that you do to your identity?

Omoyele: Growing up, I lived with mostly chartered accountants. We had one matron and every other person was an accountant or an auditor. I was like, ‘Okay, I don't want to do what every other person is doing’ because at that time, the idea I had was, as an accountant, I would always be an accountant forever. I said, ‘Okay. I’m going to do something different’. My mom actually wanted me to go into accountancy as well, at that time. Going in for my first degree, I had the opportunity to choose. I had computer engineering as a first choice, and then I had management technology as my second choice. Then I had, I think mathematics as a third choice. As it happened, I was given admission for management technology, and I ran with that.

AMAKA: Amazon Energy’s mission statement mentions providing quality standards and creative solutions with integrity and teamwork. If you had a personal missionstatement to guide your professional path, what would it be?

Omoyele: It would be all of what you've just mentioned — I love that, but I would add diligence to it. There's a quote that says, ‘Anything worth doing at all is worth doing well’. So, if I've decided that this is what I’m going to do, this is the path I’m going to take, then I’ll put in the work. 

AMAKA: What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned from your time in your current position?

Omoyele: I learned that, as a woman, if you understand your role, you understand what you're meant to do, you know how to do it well, there'll be no problem. If you're able to defend whatever you do professionally, even in the midst of men, things will go smoothly. I've learned that hard work and diligence help me to go over and beyond and I'm able to defend my work, over time, over and over. That has increased the confidence that my team has in me currently. They are sure that whatever is coming out from my end is watertight.

AMAKA: Within companies and corporations that are male-dominated, what can they do to have women that work for them feel more valued?

Omoyele: In my opinion, management should be more interested in their employees, both women and men. Employees come into the office every day; we spend most of our hours in a day in the office. So, I think organizations should be more involved and be more caring, especially for women as well. Women are mothers, wives — we have so many things going on. We are also meant to professionally achieve whatever task we're given; so many things might be going on in the head of an employee. The organization shouldn't just be all about the work but also what is happening in the individual’s life other than work because all those other things will, more often than not, eventually affect the work in the long run if not properly managed.

Also, by introducing continuous development for the employee — you make them feel important. Not everything is about an increase in pay: it doesn't end there. It's part of it but for most people, it's not the end. You can increase the salaries but care or welfare services goes a long way for some people, especially women because I believe that professional women do a lot more than the men. I'm in the office and I'm thinking about work. At some point during the day, definitely, I'll think about home. It's natural, there's nothing I can do about it. It's just the way we manage things — we manage a lot of things at the same time. So, if the organization can help women to be comfortable at their workplace, by supporting them more in their personal life, that’ll help. They can create some kind of policies that help the women better manage their time and achieve strategic objectives of the organization.

AMAKA: Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years and in what ways has Amazon Energy helped you envision your professional future?

Omoyele: It's a process, really. It's a continuous process, and there's continuous improvement. I have my personal plans, career and then otherwise, other business plans. In the next 10 years, I hope I just continue to do as much as I can in my space, continue to impact and share the knowledge that I have, as much as I can. 

I've been on the interview board for some roles in my department. Everybody that has come in, usually are men. So I felt that, okay, probably either women are not interested or they don't know that it's possible. It's either that or they don't have the right information because information is power. I’ve started something to address that by sharing my knowledge; I hope that I'll be able to continue and achieve more in helping others. [I want] women and men as well, but maybe mostly women, to understand that when we have the interest and we put our mind to it, we can function in any space as a woman, irrespective of if you're married or if you have a family or you don't have a family, or you have some other things you are doing. I've come to realize how powerful women are, to manage so many things at the same time. 

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AMAKA: What is the name of the mentoring program that you've started? Does it have a name yet?

Omoyele: I call it Project PPMC - Projects Planning, Monitoring, and Controls. Basically I put together what I do and what I've learned over the years and push it out there and see if it will benefit somebody.

AMAKA: This is within Amazon Energy or outside of it?

Omoyele: It's outside of Amazon Energy — anyone can apply. It's not restricted though [as] it's still at the cradle stage. It's just something that I might go into fully in the next stage of my life specifically with students and young professionals — training the next generation.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.