''I am part of that journey to make wearable technology accessible for everyone, everywhere''

Following on from our market research that those in their 20s working in the FinTech industry feel unrepresented, we decided to give them a platform to be heard and are publishing 20 articles with 20 people in their 20's...

As we are launching DiversiTech Hub, a FinTech memebrship community to promote diversity and inclusion, this is exactly what we stand for, the inclusion of everyone in FinTech for the greater good of the industry; after all we can only thrive in a thriving environment.

For today's 2020 article we speak to Dr. Olivia Ojuroye, a 25 years old Product Manager at DIGISEQ.

How long have you worked in FinTech?

I have worked in FinTech for almost 7 months now

Did you aim to work in FinTech?

Working in FinTech was a surprise for me and not one that I planned for. I come from an Electronic Engineering and Artificial Intelligence background. I have an Electronic and Electrical Engineering PhD focused on developing washable, mechanically deformable thin and flexible sensory circuits that can be integrated into textiles at yarn-level for wearables and industrial applications.

My PhD involved hardware but I was doing data acquisition and analysis so came to my FinTech role with transferable skills. I also worked on an EU-funded software engineering project and helped do initial product development for a stress-monitoring and measuring wearable called ‘ZENTA’ as previous work experience. So I knew that after my PhD research, I wanted to develop and commercialise wearables ubiquitously, and to do so I wanted to work on a no-brainer use-case, and one that will gain me new knowledge.

This is how my venture into FinTech began, through DIGISEQ. Contactless payment wearables gained mainstream popularity around 2015, when luxury brands entered the smartwatch market and since banks such as Barclays introduced their own branded contactless payment wearables.

So, I was somewhat aware of the potential of wearables in the FinTech and PayTech industries. The idea of using rings, bracelets, wristbands, keyrings, and any other fashion accessory as a surrogate to a contactless bank card is a really revolutionary concept from a behavioural point of view. Without technological function, fashion items can be perceived as dormant. Whereas with the thriving wearable technology industry, there is an increasing expectation for fashion accessories to be interactive – which is how engineering and fashion beautifully combine.

The payment wearables space is where FinTech is added. In this hybrid space, you get to interact with consumers – who are bank customers - but also building relations with banking service providers to show them the convenience and benefits of contactless wearable payment – especially to futureproof banking institutions for the Millennials and Generation Z.

What attracted you to FinTech as an industry?

I was attracted to the FinTech industry because it provided an opportunity to gain so much knowledge in an area that I had not ventured into before.

Ultimately, why I joined was because the potential of payment wearables is phenomenal and I wanted to learn how the payment system works to aid wearable technology development.

No matter what aesthetic tastes we have, we all have preference with what accessories and clothing we adorn ourselves with. The idea of enabling functionality in those items by enabling payment - which we all do every day - and to be part of that journey to make make wearable technology accessible for everyone, everywhere is what attracted me.

What do you do in your current role?

In my current role, I act as Product Manager. I work closely with the CEO and CTO in roadmap strategy for the business. This can involve deciding which fashion and product brands we should onboard to increase the diversity of our wearable device offering to service providers and also increase the popularity of wearable payments in general.

I regularly work with our Front End and Backend Development Team, and take part in their Sprint meetings to aid product development before I launch them to our B2B and B2C clients. I also work with Marketing and Design to ensure DIGISEQ’s products are aptly conveyed to our customers that will lead to business sales.

I make wireframes for our website pages and app products before they are built and commercialised. Create product and sales content – from case studies to product flyers – in addition to showcasing the wearable payment devices DIGISEQ enables at technology exhibitions to create new business contents, explain DIGISEQ’s platform, and demo the contactless payment wearables supported by our platform. My technical skills get utilised via wearable engineering and product analytics.

I think there is a power in analysing data to make more informed decision on products and monitoring customer satisfaction. Hence, I think there is potential to conduct a data-driven approach to product management for the wearable payment industry. This would use machine learning to evaluate product success exploring product analytics to gain more quantitative insight on how successful products and company engagement are received.

Do you enjoy your job?

I do enjoy my job as it allows me to oversee the business evolution, growth, and is at the core of technical development, sales, design, and marketing. It utilises my entire skillset of engineering, analytical thinking, networking, presenting, journalism, and creative thinking. It importantly benefits from my PhD knowledge and specialism whilst allowing me to gain crucial knowledge about payment and finance.

We recently did some market research that suggested those in their 20s feel unrepresented in FinTech media and at events – do you think this is true?

I personally do not feel this – and this maybe because I have only been in the industry for 7 months – but for those in the 20s and do feel unrepresented in FinTech media and events then I hope more opportunities like this interview is made available to many more people.

Everyone has a journey to tell, and even if it is not through media or events there is always a willing ear to hear about a person’s story, career thoughts, and plans. Of course, if there is an opportunity to represent at a FinTech event, then in some occasions we must take the courage to apply! There have been many instances where I have come across an opportunity on social media, where I apply but also offer to share the opportunity with others. The industry needs to be more celebratory of all the voices within it, and for this, it needs to be more aware of all the diverse educational, cultural, and societal individuals which are contributing to it. I have optimism that we will all do our part in achieving this.

What can companies do to make you feel more represented?

I am not sure if companies can do anything that will make me feel personally represented in the industry, and I am at peace with this as I feel I define my own space. We should all feel this way as we are all unique. Therefore, to represent uniqueness must surely include generalisation in some form which dilutes the integrity of the individual. Therefore, the company should ensure that its staff broadly represents that its consumers/target market. This means, employing form different backgrounds, genders, socioeconomic climates, ethnicities, and cultures.

What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?

Diversity and being inclusive to me, means being a true reflection of the world we live in and how we should strive to be - respectively.

Do you feel you are included / listened to in your workplace?

Every company should listen to the younger generations as one day they will be taking it over. To future-proof a business, it is essential for the heritage and longevity to not only listen to younger generations but give them work experience and employment to help companies grow. Specifically from my generation, I would say do not be too strict on requirements, criteria, and previous work experience. So many talented young people slip under companies’ radar by not looking at potential but instead looking at pre-requisites. To rectify this, companies should instead, look at the person’s temperament, intellect, confidence, and ambition not only to succeed but to add value to their organisation.

Would you like a female mentor in the industry if one was available and if so why?

I would be happy to have a mentor in the finance industry whatever their gender. To me, it is more about what I can learn from that individual and do they have the character traits and morals that admire and would like to emulate. I have had a career mentor since I was 18, and he is not only incredibly accomplished and sound individual but has taught me how to methodically make career moves that benefits my short term and long term goals. Yet, I recognise that Finance is a different landscape and it is so powerful when females champion each other through mentorship. I have been mentored by females too, and they have become important people in my life. I recently attended a Women in Finance Award Ceremony and met so many amazing, accomplished men and women celebrating female achievements in their field. It would be great to meet more females in finance and FinTech who, no doubt, would impart some valuable life advice relevant to the industry.

What advice would you give someone looking for their first job?

Be focused on what you want to get out of the role, be determined in proposing a salary range you think reflects the value you will add to the company.

However, be flexible on how the job comes about or what it ends up to be. Make sure the company you work for invest in you - this can be through formal training, exposure to different networks/contacts, and responsibility to make an impact.

In your interview and touring around the office, be observant in the atmosphere of the working environment as it could be an indication on whether wellbeing is prioritised. Furthermore, in relation to training, find a way to determine whether the company act in their responsibility in ensuring their staff are gaining valuable skills for promotion and progression up the career.

Though, it is important to remember that each of us are ultimately responsible for our own success and the trajectory of it.

Therefore, make sure that in the role – even at the times where things are not ideal – to keep an optimistic attitude, retain self-confidence, and note down how things can be better to craft the role to what you want to experience. This is important, as I feel this can make the trajectory journey of a career goal as fulfilling as the end.

We love a bit of reverse mentoring, what advice would you give to someone at the top of their career about looking after their employees?

Be the leader and visionary you wish you had when you first started out. Lead by example, and ensure that the traits and skills you gained to become the top of your field, are being instilled in your staff so they can become leaders and visionaries too.

We have a 2020 coffee morning with 3 speakers talking about how to progress your career in your 20s - book your space here as there are only 20 seats available.

DiversiTech Hub is a FinTech community launching in September, promoting diversity and inclusion in FinTech. 2020 is the first in many series we will run to give everyone a voice and a platform to progress in their career with equal opportunity.

If you would like to join the community email here to find out more.