Having spent over a decade working in the field of digital technology across a number of industries, Ebi Atawodi has had quite the career at just 33 years-what any person would dream of.
Today, Ebi Atawodi works as a Director of Product at Google; she builds for YouTube Studio. She is also an Angel Investor and Product Advisor at Origin.
She was the former Director of Product Netflix for Payments EMEA. She has also experienced working at Uber by leading an Amsterdam Product team.
Having been a part of Uber, she once got the chance to work with more than 120 talented product managers, designers, engineers, and data scientists to make each company experience even smoother.
She was formerly the General Manager of Uber West Africa, charged with scaling the business from 15 cars to a top 20 market within EMEA.
Ebi is also widely credited with devising the Etisalat Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious prizes in African literature.
Dratech International celebrates Ebi Atawodi as one out of the industry giants who, through influence from her work, changed and moved the Fintech sector to an enviable position.
This article gives insight into most of the accomplishments of Ebi Atawodi and just how influentially effective she has impacted the space of technology across Africa.
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Ebi Atawodi`s Background
At the forefront of driving this vision into action is the name of Ebi Atawodi, who stands tall in the African fintech landscape, bringing an innovative approach and strategic vision.
With a strong background in finance and technology, she has co-founded and led Paystack, a financial technology company, as CEO, and played a critical role in facilitating easy digital payments for businesses in Nigeria.
She contributes to wading through the challenges that beset the industry with her peculiar blend of knowledge in finance and technology.
She is passionate about financial inclusion and the empowerment of women in business, calling for equal opportunities in tech. Her leadership inspires lots of aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa.
Ebi Atawodi’s Impact on Uber’s Expansion in Africa
In 2014, Ebi joined Uber as General Manager for Lagos, up-scaling to become Uber’s General Manager for West Africa.
While at Uber Lagos as General Manager, Ebi was instrumental in the inclusion of cash payments for riders in Lagos, an important move in Uber’s penetration in Nigeria.
During her time at the helm, Uber Lagos witnessed the growth of the company’s supply by a factor of ten within six months, alongside demand growing a hundredfold.
Having held the position of General Manager for Uber West Africa, it oversaw the growth of the business from 15 cars on day one to a top 20 market in the EMEA region, acting as a pilot market for numerous product launches and passing the first-ever motion on ridesharing in Africa.
She was also Product Manager, Global Payments Growth for Uber worldwide where she has led the Amsterdam Money Product team, ‘a multi-disciplinary team of over 100 product managers, engineers, designers, data scientists and UX researchers making payments more magical for Uber customers globally’.
How Ebi Atawodi is Shaping Creator Experiences at YouTube Studio
If you have recently noticed new features in YouTube Studio, you probably have Ebi and her team to thank for those updates.
She’s shaping the future of how creators will interact with their audiences and making it easier for people to tell their stories in her role.
Her work at YouTube Studio feels like an organic extension of a career that has always been focused on creativity and innovation.
Ebi has always been committed to the project of amplifying voices. Now, at YouTube Studio, she is doing that on an international scale.
Ebi does have a YouTube channel, and she has less than 200 subscribers. Yes, you read that right. Less than 200!
For a woman of her visibility and clout, that number seems incredibly low. But the more one learned, the clearer it became that Ebi isn’t gunning for subscriber numbers.
She only focuses on passion projects; for the love of storytelling at its purest. And honestly, she would have millions of subscribers if she wanted to; she would get them with the snap of a finger.
Among all the shades of Ebi’s journey is an unyielding love for storytelling. It’s what has driven her through all her ventures and what continues to push her forward.
Whether it is behind the curtains at YouTube or silently making content for her channel, Ebi Atawodi is a woman who is always crafting narratives that inspire, challenge, and eventually connect us.
Next time you go to YouTube Studio and you see some cool new feature, remember the creative mind behind it all.
Ebi Atawodi’s Leadership and Strategic Vision in tech
Ebi leads in tech through her strategic vision and innovative approach at some key roles at Uber, Netflix, and now YouTube.
As a visionary, she has really driven major growth and product development-especially around major areas like payments and creator tools.
She also drives cash payments at Uber, which is key to market penetration in West Africa, while at YouTube Studio, as a Director of Product, leading teams to build and improve interactions between creators and their audiences.
Storytelling grew on Ebi, who, with a passion supported by digital technology expertise, keeps innovating digital solutions that are inclusive-a positioning factor for her to be among the pioneering voices in the global tech space.
Her work little has to do with product development per se but is giving voice to and democratizing technology access.
With her strategic vision, Ebi has continued to ensure the bars are set high, from the seamless experience that she built for Uber customers to developing the tools YouTube creators need to tell their stories.
She has driven inclusive leadership by being passionate about storytelling; hence, making quite an impact within both the technology and creative landscapes.
Ebi Atawodi has been instrumental in shaping the minds of future leaders in technology that a vision amalgamated with innovation and creativity can really make all the difference in an ever-changing world with each new digital development.
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The Broader Impact of Ebi Atawodi on Africa’s Tech Ecosystem
Ebi Atawodi has quite a bit more influence in the African tech ecosystem than perhaps her career trajectory might have suggested.
She has been able to lead the way into high-profile roles that helped shape the technology and innovation landscape of the continent.
At Uber, which she was leading, she had also tried to make the ride-sharing service more accessible by adding the option for users in Nigeria to pay with cash.
While this strategic move by Uber expanded its market share, it showed importantly how a homegrown solution could push against the peculiar challenges facing African markets.
The creative storytelling ethos by Ebi also nurtures innovation among Africa’s young entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.
She is very keen on innovation; thus, she invests in and advises on new products that the next wave of innovators actually must create. She keeps drumming in that mentorship and collaboration are really important in ensuring that more rapid progress is achieved in technology.
Ebi Atawodi is only the face of change in the technology ecosystem across Africa, leading this charge into the future where creativity and technology are bridled side by side to serve peoples and communities on the continent.
FAQs
What roles has Ebi Atawodi held in her career?
Ebi Atawodi has held several prominent positions, including Director of Product at Google for YouTube Studio, Director of Product for Payments EMEA at Netflix, and General Manager for Uber in West Africa.
How has Ebi Atawodi contributed to financial inclusion in Africa?
Ebi Atawodi’s leadership at Uber involved the introduction of cash payments in Nigeria, which significantly improved access for users who preferred not to use cards.
What impact has Ebi Atawodi had on African storytelling?
Through her work at YouTube Studio, Ebi has focused on enhancing features that empower African content creators to share their stories globally.
How does Ebi Atawodi support the next generation of tech entrepreneurs?
Ebi Atawodi actively invests in startups as an angel investor and serves as a product advisor.
Conclusion
Ebi Atawodi inspires and influences a wide impact on Africa’s tech ecosystem. Leading companies such as Google and Uber, driving innovation, fostering financial inclusion, and empowering African storytelling.
As someone committed to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, she is driven by the conviction that collaboration and mentorship are what will make them stand out.
Her life story is sure to inspire an entire generation of technologists and creators to come, showing that indeed meaningful changes are possible with a vision backed by dedication.
References
Ebi Atawodi: Reach for the Heights!
