Hakeem Akiode: Head of Growth & Marketing, Youverify

Hakeem Akiode is the Head of Growth and marketing at Youverify, a leading identity verification company in Lagos, Nigeria. Hakeem recently shared about his early leadership experience and how it shaped his management style today. In a conversation with The Everyday Leader podcast host Chris Suzdak, he discussed how he became the president of a debating society in secondary school and had to manage people who were older and more experienced than him. This experience taught him how to collaborate, listen to all ideas, and solve problems quickly.

After completing his studies, he started volunteering and taking up campus ambassadorship roles on campus, which helped him develop his personal development and leadership skills. He learned how to sell products, understand his audience, and influence people. This experience led him to eventually become the Growth Lead at Youverify, where he has had to manage people in a fast-paced environment and provide support to them when needed. He has learned how to connect with people, provide direction, and influence them naturally.

Youverify builds software products for other businesses to onboard customers, verify their identities, monitor transactions, and discover fraudulent activities. Their products are useful to companies in the financial services sector and help keep them compliant with local rules and regulations. They offer services for KYC (know your customer), KYB (know your business), KYT (know your transaction), company search, and more.

Hakeem's experience has taught him how to connect with people, provide direction, and influence them naturally. He has an open door policy and encourages his team to approach him for support or advice. His leadership style is focused on collaboration, listening, and problem-solving. He is dedicated to supporting his team and helping them achieve their goals.

Hakeem has learned valuable lessons through his early leadership experience and has applied them throughout his career. His experience has taught him the importance of collaboration, listening, and problem-solving, which he uses to support his team and help them achieve their goals.