16 •
The Lion King
• October - December 2015
Ask the executive
|
Pamela Shodipo
SBG Head, Lagos 1
Pamela
Shodipo
P
amela Shodipo is an
interviewer’s delight.
Witty and intelligent, she
has a crisp answer to every
question. A dogged woman
that has excelled in a man’s
world. Her region won the
‘highest trade volume’ award
for two consecutive years at
the annual UBA CEO Awards
ceremony.
Pamela oversees one of the most stra-
tegic geographic business areas in the
UBA Group. She currently has supervi-
sory responsibility over 26 Branches in
and around Victoria Island, Lekki and
Lagos Island areas of Lagos, Nigeria.
She is a Deputy General Manager with
over 20 years banking experience,
with 9 of those in UBA. Pamela has a
B.SC in Psychology from University of
Lagos and also an M.BA from Cardiff
Business School, University of Wales.
With an acute taste for knowledge,
she has attended several sales, cred-
it, negotiation, leadership, customer
service and financial training pro-
grammes organized by different insti-
tutions including Lagos Business School
(LBS). She is also an Associate Member
of Women in Management, Business
and Public Service (WIMBIZ).
In this interview with LKM, she talks
about her job, life and aspirations.
Please tell us about yourself and what
you do for the bank.
I oversee 26 Branches around Victoria
Island, Lekki and Lagos Island areas
of Lagos. As the leader of this vital
business area in the Bank, my respon-
sibilities are to drive sustainable busi-
ness growth with measurable Key
Performance Indices like Balance
Sheet and Income Statement. As a
Leader, I ensure that I am a Role
Model in all my interactions with inter-
nal and external customers. I act as a
mentor to several people that have
interaction with me.
What do you love most about being
a banker?
I love the fact that I have contributed
immensely to various stakeholders in
my Banking career. I enjoy the profes-
sion a lot. Banking continues to broad-
en my horizon in terms of Leadership,
knowledge acquisition, advisory
capacity, mentoring skills enhance-
ment, adaptability, increased net-
working and spheres of influence.
Banking has also helped to expand
my network, particularly colleagues
that have been impactful to me. I
must mention that being a banker has
helped to strengthen my personality.
What is the biggest challenge that
comes with your job and how do you
deal with it?
The biggest challenge that comes
with my job is the ever-changing busi-
ness environment and the constant
regulatory headwinds affecting our
customers’ businesses. The positive
side to this is that my creative and
dogged side is put to test. For me, the
challenges tend to be generic hence
my attitude is to approach this with
a positive mindset, to surmount these
challenges knowing that I have my
targets.
The sales function is viewed by many
as challenging, what has made you
excel in this role over the years?
The winning strategy for me is resil-
ience, determination, self-drive, com-
petitive spirit and willingness to learn.
My colleagues know that I never give
up on goals to be achieved and
sometimes humorously brand me as
a “Die Hard”. I take this very positively
because it summarizes my qualities of
tenacity, determination and striving to
be the best.
You lead a key part of the bank’s mar-
ket, how do you manage the pressure
that comes with your position?
There is pressure in all facets of life.
Since I realize this is inevitable as noth-
ing good comes easy, I give my best
in everything I do. To help me manage
