Why Eniola Chose to Work with Okra

Eniola Olatunde shares why she chose to join Okra after working as a relationship manager at a traditional financial institution.

Why Eniola Chose to Work with Okra

My name is Eniola Olatunde, and I am a Business Developer at Okra. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Babcock University. Prior to joining Okra, I worked with a traditional financial institution. I love speaking to customers and looking for different ways to solve client issues. Hence my choosing a career in business development.

Okra: A positive culture shift for my career

Making important decisions like accepting a job offer is a huge bet. It goes beyond the pay, as various factors at any job get to determine your life’s course. A job could place you on a depressing path, while another could put you in high clouds of fulfillment. So far, Okra has made the latter happen for me.

At my former company, a traditional financial institution, I had a job with a happy tag: Relationship Manager. On the surface, it meant I was happy and passionate about helping customers bond better with the company. But that was not the case for me. I struggled through each day and counted down to the weekends.

Gradually, things got worse, and I started to battle panic attacks. And somehow, I was meant to be the happy face for customers while a full-fledged battle took place in my mind. Finally, I chose to do better for myself and make a change.

May 2021: Okra made me love my job again

While choosing to leave, I decided on certain factors that would define the company I settled at next. I was in search of an exciting company that wouldn’t take away my peace again. Okra ticked all the boxes for me.

My first positive experience was with the People team, traditionally referred to as the Human Resources Department. I bet you’re with me when I say the former is warmer, but that’s for another time.

So, two weeks after my interview and consistent updates, I got to join Okra. Several things shocked me during my first week. In the past, I had to figure things out on my own. But with Okra, everyone is willing to help out. That felt comforting and helped me ease into my role as a business developer. Okra made the transition from relationship manager relatively easy.

Tech jargon

Joining a tech company like Okra from the traditional finance space can be a struggle. When I joined, there were conversations on APIs and webhooks. I was initially lost during meetings.

But in the usual Okra style, people showed up to help simplify things. The co-founder and COO, David Peterside, and the business development lead, Biodun Oni, took the time to clarify terms and help me understand the entire space. With more clarity, my appreciation for the good work that we do at Okra has grown. Let me tell you a little about that.

What does Okra do?

In a nutshell, we empower fintechs to build better services for their customers. For example, using Okra, a fintech gets to verify the identity of its customers and onboard them in seconds.

That is, we connect companies with the financial data of their customers with customer consent. With this data, companies now get to offer services that were previously limited due to poor data access.

What does the future look like?

I joined Okra to build a future for Africa’s financial system. One where mobile wallet users can qualify for loans even without having a traditional bank account. Honestly, the future is limitless as people keep building innovative products with Okra APIs.

On a personal level, I am excited about the clear career growth path. That’s something I craved for but never got to experience in the past.


Would you like to work with Okra or know anyone interested?

We are constantly in search of brilliant minds to work with us. Wherever you are in the world, we want to work with you. Get up to $1,000 when you successfully refer someone to Okra. To apply, follow these steps:

  1. Visit this page.
  2. Search for a role you love.
  3. Apply, and we'll get back to you.

Eniola looks forward to working with you. 💚

→ Read More: After working at several companies, Tunde joined Okra.