In the dynamic landscape of FinTech, the voices and experiences of Black professionals resonate, offering a unique perspective that enriches innovation. Meet the individuals at FinanceIt, where excellence is not just a goal but a testament to courage, resilience and problem-solving prowess. From Grace, the Learning and Development Specialist weaving cohesion among diverse teams, to the collective call for intentional representation in hiring processes, each voice contributes to a narrative of progress. In this blog entry, we delve into the intricate tapestry of Black History and Excellence, exploring the nuances of challenges faced and victories achieved. Beyond the celebration of achievements, a call to action emerges — recognizing the need for diversity, authenticity, and a shared commitment to providing opportunities for the next generation.
Charles Nwufo, Salesforce Administrator and Business Intelligence Analyst
State your name, position and what your role entails
My name is Charles Nwufo, and I am the Salesforce Administrator and Business Intelligence Analyst here at Financeit.
My role is about enabling Financeit to get the most out of Salesforce Technology. I solve business problems by building, configuring, and automating technology solutions that streamline business processes and deliver business value. I bring innovation to life, taking out inefficiencies by probing the depths of the Salesforce ecosystem.
I like to say, I solve business problems users don’t even know they have.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black history represents, for me, the history of Black people who achieved remarkably great things in the face of difficulty. Black history tells me that with knowledge, practice, patience, and resilience, anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind to. As someone in the finance and technology space, I am inspired by Jesse Russell, Dr. Joseph N. Jackson, and Adebayo Ogunlesi, to name a few.
Jesse Russell was a pioneer in cellular and wireless communications. In 1988, he led the first team from Bell Laboratories to introduce digital technology in the United States. Prior to Russell’s work, calls were made over an analog system. Russell and his team developed the digital technology that transformed communications, and that was where the term “2G” was coined for the “second generation” of mobile phones.
Dr. Joseph N. Jackson is known for his over 5 patents for communications and fertility prediction inventions. Dr. Joseph’s first patent was for his contribution to the V-chip device that allows users to block selected content on cable television. This type of technology is commonly used for parental controls. He also holds a patent for television remote control devices.
Adebayo Ogunlesi is a lawyer and investment banker who started a private equity firm (Global Infrastructure Partners, GIP), a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. GIP owns the London City and Edinburgh Airports. In 2009, GIP acquired a majority stake in London Gatwick Airport.
In a recently closed transaction, Chief Executive Adebayo, along with four other founding partners of GIP, will join BlackRock in a deal worth about $12.5 billion.
Indeed, Black history is the history of everyone, and everyone should be given the opportunity to celebrate it.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Beyond a hashtag, Black Excellence means thriving in the face of sometimes unreasonably high standards and expectations of society. Anything less than excellence or perfection may be viewed as failure for a Black person. It’s about being courageous, projecting resilience, and confidence while embodying the zest to thrive every day.
How did you enter the fintech space? Did you experience any challenges in doing so?
Having spent a considerable amount of time in financial services, I was looking for an opportunity to learn how technology can be leveraged to optimize offerings by financial services companies and improve processes and service delivery to their customers. Through research and networking, I was able to land on Salesforce technology, obtained my certifications, found mentors, and interviewed for my first Salesforce role.
The challenges I faced were similar to someone pivoting into a tech role from an operational position. I had to overcome imposter syndrome by joining a community of Salesforce trailblazers and kept up to date with new Salesforce technology releases through regular practice.
What advice would you give to Black employees in Fintech who are thinking about growing in their role or career?
• Seek to solve more problems within your organization
• Join a community of practice, where you learn about emerging trends
• Have a structure for consistently improving on your skills
• Fintech is ever evolving, so you must find time to be mentored while training proteges. This helps you share your own experience whilst leveraging the experience of others. This may be within or outside of your organization.
Jeral Doyley, Risk Analyst
State your name, position and what your role entails
Jeral Doyley. Risk Analyst.
My team ensures the integrity and stability of my company by identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks. We collaborate interdepartmentally to implement effective risk management strategies and contribute to the development of robust risk frameworks and decision trees.
What does Black History mean to you?
To me, Black History is a cornerstone and anchor point for Black people today. It provides a poignant reminder of how far we’ve come, what we’ve accomplished, and what we’re capable of. It helps demonstrate that one pebble can cause a huge ripple in a pond and better the lives of generations to come. Black History inspires the Black people of today to continue pushing forward and recognize the opportunities we now have due to the contributions of Black individuals who never settled for less.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Black Excellence is the descriptor for Black individuals thriving, succeeding, breaking barriers, and paving the way. It’s an unapologetic statement of greatness. This is especially true when this is accomplished against all odds.
How did you enter the fintech space? Did you experience any challenges in doing so?
Previously, I had worked in insurance, and the environment was fairly toxic, so I was looking for a way out. Upon interviewing with Financeit, I had a glimpse of the enthralling atmosphere and really wished I could work here. I’m grateful to the company for providing me with the opportunity to work here and grow/hone my skills. Luckily, I can’t say there were any roadblocks in me entering this industry. Financeit has a very multicultural and diverse workforce.
As we look to the future, what aspirations or goals do you have for the next generation of Black individuals? How can we collectively work towards creating opportunities for their success?
Don’t let your skin colour impact your drive to excel or your ambition. I’ve had numerous conversations with friends struggling with their identity in corporate environments. Your skin tone does not dictate your worth or how you should behave and operate. We can collectively create opportunities by not letting the use of AAVE measure intelligence. It’s quite dismaying to see Black individuals with huge potential stagnated because of where they grew up, how they communicate, or their culture.
Stella Naggenda, Technical Product Owner
State your name, position and what your role entails
My name is Stella Naggenda, and I am a Technical Product Owner on the Servicing Pod. In my role, I bridge the gap between stakeholders and the development team, connecting the dots between what is needed and what is built out within the Financeit platform.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black History to me is a vital part of acknowledging, appreciating, and celebrating Blackness while not forgetting the importance of learning from the past. It is also important to understand that Black History is not limited to the American experience. The contributions to Black History are diverse. It is a global narrative that includes the contributions and struggles of Black people worldwide.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Black excellence represents the achievements and positive impact that Black individuals have in the world. It is not about perfection; however, it is about displaying qualities that make me, as a member of the Black community, proud.
What advice would you give to Black employees in Fintech who are thinking about growing in their role or career?
There are three things I believe Black employees should focus on when trying to build their role or career. Firstly, build a strong network of other Black individuals both within as well as outside of your industry. Attend various industry events, conferences, and seek mentorship where possible. Secondly, never stop learning. The industry and technology are ever-changing and do so at a rapid pace. Stay up to date on industry trends, regulations, and the latest tech. Take the time to invest in and expand upon your skills. And last but certainly not least, set clear goals. Create a roadmap for yourself and the goals you want to achieve. Do quarterly and annual check-ins to ensure you are on the right track.
How can organizations better support and amplify the voices and contributions of Black individuals, to ensure Black Excellence is promoted and celebrated 365 days a year?
I think it is important to not just focus on the diversity hire but ensure that once individuals are in the door, you consider how to retain that individual through inclusion and equity. This is done well by celebrating achievements, having diverse leadership, implementing inclusive policies, ensuring proper representation in company marketing, making employee resource groups (ERGs) available, and having the right training and education in place.
Youssouf Ismael, Senior Manager Collections & Recovery
State your name, position and what your role entails
Youssouf Ismael. Senior Manager Collections & Recovery. I help minimize losses in our portfolio from defaulted loans.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black history, to me, means a lot of things. The first thing that comes to mind is the qualifier “Black,” because Black history is, in essence, just history. However, the need for that qualifier is indicative of the fact that not all histories are always told, not all histories are celebrated and highlighted. Therefore, this is bittersweet. It’s an opportunity to discover and rediscover a history that, to some, is alien, to others, is important. I hope for a day where Black history will not be something limited to just a month. It’s something that’s taught to everybody. Until then, Black history, to me, means ensuring that a significant portion of our community is celebrated as they should be. Black History is history.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Black excellence, to me, is as much a story about resilience as it is about success. Success in any context is difficult by definition, but when we talk about Black excellence, we highlight achievement in a context where there might be impediments, structural or otherwise, to that person’s success. Unfortunately, much of what we celebrate as Black excellence is a story of “firsts”—the first to do something, participate in something, or achieve something. These firsts are celebrated because it took so long for them to occur.
So, just like Black history, Black excellence has a bittersweet taste for me. While we want to celebrate achievements, it’s also a moment to reflect on why these achievements are celebrated, why it took so long, and how much longer it will take for them to be considered normal in the community or in society at large. That’s what Black excellence means to me.
What are some key contributions, events, facts or achievements from Black History that should be more widely recognized or accepted?
This is a tough question because there are obviously too many accounts. Something that’s always been a pet peeve of mine is that many achievements or contributions tend to be restricted to very niche or specific spaces, like culture, the arts, or athletics. It tends to put people into these very specific boxes or buckets. So, something I love to do, and I ask that everybody does this, is Google everyday items by Black inventors. You would be surprised at what comes up.
For myself, I remember the first time I did this, it was something that gave me pause and a little bit of shame, frankly, because the contributions are so numerous and great. Not knowing them felt like a kind of failure, a failure by myself, and a failure by the schooling that I went through that didn’t put a lot of emphasis or weight on these types of contributions. So, I implore everyone to Google everyday items by Black inventors. It’s a great read.
As we look to the future, what aspirations or goals do you have for the next generation of Black individuals? How can we collectively work towards creating opportunities for their success?
My deepest aspiration for the next generation is a life where they’re allowed to make mistakes. They’re allowed to stumble without those mistakes being seen through a biased lens, without those mistakes being used to define them or their community. I think a lot of things like stereotypes or the idea of a “model minority” or a not-so model minority comes from who we believe are individuals that are allowed to be who they are and who are a part of this group that we have to ascribe pathologies to. Growth and success comes from the ability to experiment, to try and to fail, and I think so much about being marginalized is not being allowed to fail and not being given as much of a margin for error. So I think if we operate in diverse organizations where people see others that look like them, they’ll feel safer to take bigger swings and ultimately they’ll succeed more often.
Sandrine Ngo Mbock Mbong, Manager, Concierge Service Team
State your name, position and what your role entails
My name is Sandrine Ngo Mbock Mbong, I am the manager of the Concierge Service team.
It is a team within the Lending department which provides personalized and high level of service to our high value merchants. We adjudicate loans to ensure they are in compliance with our policies.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black History for me is an opportunity to learn about the past, but also to explore history and discover events that are not taught in schools. It’s also a chance to learn about the achievements and contributions of Black individuals across the world and in various fields such as health, finance, politics, music, and technology.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Black Excellence can be summarized with the terms high achievement, success, resilience, confidence, leadership and role model. That’s how I would describe Black excellence, but I also acknowledge that it comes with pressure for Black individuals as it doesn’t give them a lot of room for mistakes; they are expected to be role models. There’s also a pressure where Black individuals may feel they always have to be perfect and don’t have the opportunity to express how they feel due to that pressure. I would want Black individuals and Black excellence to reflect normalcy and also just for them to rest, express gratitude, and be grateful year over year for their accomplishments.
What are some key contributions, events, facts or achievements from Black History that should be more widely recognized or accepted?
Yes, there are many, but for today, I would like us to learn about Gladys West. She is an American mathematician known for her contribution to GPS technology. While everyone uses GPS, not many are aware that a Black woman, Gladys West, played a significant role in its creation. Another notable figure is Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic light that we see everywhere. Additionally, you might be familiar with the movie ‘Hidden Figures,’ which tells the story of African-American women at the NSA who made crucial calculations during the space program. Arthur Zang, a Cameroonian, invented the cardio pad to help people in real-world communities. Lastly, Tope Awotona, a Nigerian and the founder/CEO of Calendly, has created a modern scheduling platform widely used by businesses and companies today.
What advice would you give to Black employees in Fintech who are thinking about growing in their role or career?
The main advice that we can give to Black employees in FinTech is to invest in themselves. There are many courses and training opportunities available; don’t hesitate to register for them. Some are even free. You can explore platforms like LinkedIn or utilize resources like the Toronto Library, where having a card grants you access to free courses. Investing in yourself is crucial.
Another piece of advice is not to be shy about asking for help. Many times, by speaking up and seeking assistance, you can find answers or guidance to help you grow in your career. Additionally, consider getting a mentor. As a newcomer, having a mentor can provide valuable challenges for your skills and help you develop soft skills necessary for your role and career growth.
Lastly, try to build a network. Attend events happening within and outside of your workplace, connecting with people. Building a network can be instrumental in creating opportunities and fostering professional relationships.
Grace Sakoma, Learning & Development Specialist
State your name, position and what your role entails
Hi there! My name is Grace, and I am a Learning & Development Specialist here at FinanceIt. Part of my job involves developing training and resources for our Operations department. Additionally, I collaborate with several teams within our organization, such as Tech, Sales, Marketing, and Risk, to ensure that we are all moving cohesively in terms of the projects and the work that we are producing.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black History means a lot of different things to me. Looking back hundreds of years ago, our history was one of power. Then with colonization, slavery caused a huge loss to our communities that we are still healing from today. Black History combines a history of resourcefulness, of subjugation, of resilience, and of community. While it’s so important to ensure that Canadians and Americans understand the impact of slavery and colonization, it’s also important to know that Black history isn’t a monolith. Every tribe, every country, and every community around the world has a unique, interconnected history.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
For me, Black Excellence is the recognition that we are natural problem solvers. We are creatives. We are community leaders. We are change makers. We are able to take any situation and make the most out of it, not just for ourselves, but for our families and our communities too.
While we celebrate Black Excellence, we should also acknowledge that Black regularness is just as good too!
As Black people, we shouldn’t have the unfair pressure of needing to be perfect all the time. It’s a double edged sword because while we recognize how amazing we are as Black people, the expectation of always being perfect can also be dehumanizing.
So in short, Black Excellence means celebrating our Blackness for what it is – a recognition of how we excel, but also permission to be human, and permission to be celebrated.
What are some key contributions, events, facts or achievements from Black History that should be more widely recognized or accepted?
Fun fact, Black History Month started being celebrated in Canada in 1996, and this was after decades of the Black community advocating for more accurate representations of Black history in the textbooks and in public education. So what started as a mission to teach has grown and evolved.
We can all start by unlearning what we thought we knew about African, Caribbean and Indigenous societies. From that point, we can understand that many developments in science, math, technology and literature originated from Black societies. As we expand on history as a whole, we see that Black individuals and communities have made countless contributions to better our quality of life.
The more that we learn about history and the more that we learn about Black history, the more that we are able to understand the countless contributions that Black folks have made to make our societies a better place to live for all of us.
As we look to the future, what aspirations or goals do you have for the next generation of Black individuals? How can we collectively work towards creating opportunities for their success?
When I think about the next generation of Black individuals, it is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. When we compare our parents’ generation and my generation, I can see the change. I can see how I’m able to show up in ways that our parents might not have been able to in their careers, and I hope the same is true for the next generation. I hope the next generation of Black employees is able to show up authentically, unapologetically, and just bring in the full wealth of our experiences into an organization without being judged but also while being recognized. As a collective, we need to ensure that Black community members and Indigenous community members are part of our interview processes and hiring processes. Sometimes, this needs to be a bit more intentional, reaching out to the communities directly. Ultimately, I believe that we should be properly represented, not just in our appearances but also in our experiences. When we think about creating opportunities, it is important to ensure that Black people are also part of that conversation. Asking us how we feel, inquiring about our experiences, and understanding how we entered into the field can provide the insight and perspective needed to make sure that we are truly hiring the best and producing the best.
Desiree Straker, Senior Manager
State your name, position and what your role entails
Desiree Straker, Senior Manager.
I lead a team of Underwriting Managers and Underwriters who are responsible for the review and adjudication of loan applications.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black History Month is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the resilience, accomplishments, and progress made by Black people in the face of adversity.
What does “Black Excellence” mean to you?
Black excellence, to me, represents the outstanding achievements, success, and brilliance demonstrated by individuals of Black descent across various fields. It’s about breaking barriers, overcoming challenges, and contributing significantly to society while showcasing the richness of talent and potential within the Black community.
How can organizations better support and amplify the voices and contributions of Black individuals, to ensure Black Excellence is promoted and celebrated 365 days a year
I believe organizations can better support and amplify the voices and contributions of Black individuals by implementing and promoting inclusive policies and programs to ensure equal opportunities and representation. This includes actively working to increase the representation of Black individuals in leadership positions within the organization.
Moreover, organizations should provide training to raise awareness about unconscious biases and microaggressions, fostering a more inclusive workplace culture. Additionally, supporting and collaborating with Black-owned businesses can create economic opportunities and partnerships, contributing to a more equitable business landscape.
Lastly, promoting ongoing education on Black history, culture, and contributions is essential to foster understanding and appreciation throughout the organization. This continuous learning approach helps build a more inclusive and supportive environment year-round.
As we look to the future, what aspirations or goals do you have for the next generation of Black individuals? How can we collectively work towards creating opportunities for their success?
My hope for the future generation in the Black community is to build generational wealth. We can initiate this process by teaching our young Black youth key concepts related to achieving ownership and financial literacy.
As we navigate the intersections of history, excellence, and the future in FinTech, FinanceIt’s journey exemplifies the ongoing commitment to inclusivity. From advice for career growth to reflections on Black Excellence, the voices here echo a call for authentic representation and intentional opportunities. The future promises to be shaped not just by achievements but by the collective wisdom and experiences of Black professionals. In embracing this diversity, FinanceIt envisions a future where the narratives of resilience, innovation, and success are not confined to a month or a specific history but woven into the fabric of everyday appreciation and understanding. The journey continues — a journey of celebrating Black voices, fostering opportunities, and crafting a future where everyone’s story is an integral part of the narrative.