Nigerian Report On Team Oxford
Well, the major newspaper in Lagos - ThisDay - published an article on the Oxford students that worked there all summer. Below is the article that was published.
Oxford University/Access Bank Partnership: Courting the Knowledge edge…
09.03.2006
Glitt Personality
They are four MBA students from the prestigious Oxford University. A Chinese lady, Lijun Jiang; Michael J Mcfadden and Jayne Thorpe, both from the US; and from the home turf, Timothy Ojo. And what is the quartet’s mission to Nigeria? They are on an eight-week Oxford/Access Scheme with particular focus on leveraging the strategy and service delivery content of retail banking. While imparting ideas on brand strategy, service delivery standards and knowledge retail banking to Access Bank Plc., they are expected to take back home something of the work ethic, business philosophy, culture, socio-economic milieu and even political peculiarities of both Access Bank Plc and Nigeria. The scenario is expected to enrich the cross-Atlantic knowledge bank. Incidentally, this is the first such project between Access and Oxford. Actually, the first with any bank in Nigeria. Beyond this, it is also the first such project from the MBA class in Oxford to come to Nigeria. Obviously this scenario surely transcends retail banking. But then in knowledge acquisition projects, apparently setting too stringent boundaries may defeat the fundamental attraction of the quest.
Shaka Momodu encountered the four knowlegde ‘explorers’ to glean something of their quest within the larger context of Access Bank’s courting of the sector’s knowledge edge to move them to the next level…Lijun Jiang
We open with the the Chinese lady Lijun Jiang, bowing to the old English tradition of ‘ladies first’. What the ancient Chinese culture, which predates the English, has to say on this is a matter for another expose. She comes across as a very focused personality. She speaks politely but with the alluring unmistakeable lilt of her Chinese tongue. Who is Lijun Jiang?
“My name is Lijun Jiang. I come from China and I have worked with China commercial bank for more than 16 years. I graduated from Beijing University, which is one of the best Universities in China. I studied English Literature and Language for my undergraduate degree. I have spent 12 years working in the Foreign Exchange section of the bank and four years as a branch manager, I was also in charge of Marketing and Operations. I also worked as the General Manager of Commercial and Financial Department.”
Why is Jiang on this Oxford/Access scheme? She smiled, looking somewhat amused “We are very fortunate that Access Bank could offer us this precious opportunity to be part of this wonderful project in Africa. And one of the reasons that I am also interested in it is the fact it has afforded me opportunity to come Africa. Another reason is that I think that I can contribute to the Retail Business in Access Bank.”
Has Jiang learnt anything in the past seven weeks she’s been in Nigeria, especially concerning Access Bank? She took a deep breath, then paused. “This bank is young but very forward thinking especially its top management. They are set to lift this bank to the world class commercial - retail bank. The technology level is quit high, they have made a lot of investments in the technology which is one of the most advanced in the world, to increase their competencies.
“This is quite impressive, but in terms of Retail banking I think it is not just only Access Bank, all the other Nigerian banks are at the starting point, compared to China. We would help them develop strategies to their brands, especially retail brand, we also tried to develop a blueprint for Retail banking which I think it is one of the most important issues that the bank has to confront.”
Jiang seems to place a lot of emphases on retail banking. Is that her area of specialization in China? “That is what we are going to contribute, they asked us to do that Access Bank used to be very strong in proper banking and commercial banking, they have strong potentials to grow and they are quite passionate the future of the bank. And am impressed. Nigerian people we decent, they love new things, they people want to do business with the bank. I see great potentials here.”
The passion was clearly unmistakable, and the temptation to probe her further was irresistable. “I can come back in the future to develop matual business between Access bank and China bank, for now, I have to go back to my bank because I was sponsored by them, it is quite interesting because China bank is also undergoing very rapid growth and we must exchange ideas and experience. I would encourage my bank to her into a relationship with Access bank.”
Impressed by her sharp understanding it was naturally interesting to find out what she learnt about the bank, the people and culture. “We visited some cultural sites and we watched some events. We have made a lot of contacts with the Nigerian people and some are good in persons, such as the bank’s staff here. They are quite dedicated to their work, they have the strong ambition to make their bank the leading bank here but generally the living condition here especially the infrastructure, are quite backward compare even with China. They still have a long way to improve the whole country, investments environment and the peoples living standards. They must try to solve the problems of poverty and the health issues because a member of our team is down with a very serious high malaria.”Michael J. Mcfadden
He flaunts the usual American confidence. And with good reason. He has the professional track record and wherewithal to back it up. Who is Mcfadden? “My name is Michael J Mcfadden, a student at the University of Oxford, studying business for MBA. I am originally from the United States, from California, working for the food manufacturer, Head of New Products and Marketing. I came over to Oxford for my MBA to round off my marketing experience in finance and entrepreneural skills.
I chose Access bank to come and work in Lagos, Nigeria for a few reasons. One of those reasons I wanted to come and work with Access bank is that it is a growing company that has ernomous potentials operating in a highly competitive banking industry. The opportunity to come in and make impact over the weeks and to work with such a vibrant team are irresistible.”
Did he chose Access Bank on his own? And before now did he know about Access bank? “We chose Access on our own. Basically there are 50 projects which students go and work in different countries of the world. Some go for IBM in New Zealand, in India, working for government areas. Our perception and views on Access bank to become a world class bank.
“Throughout the year before I came here I have been aware of Access Bank. I came from the United States I was performing entrepreneur tasks at Oxford, England, getting to know more about the industry. We have six Nigerians on the project, so I was able to learn quite a bit about Nigeria and I got to come over here. So, I am here to learn and I am in the middle of the seventh week, I am spending eight weeks.”
According McFadden, choosing Nigeria was influenced by couple of reasons. “One, I guess there is a lot of options to coming into West Africa. Why did I decide to come to Nigeria? A country that has so much potentials and is moving in a very clear and delicate situation. Over the next five years it is going to be ten times greater, so to be here in the midst of that and to be a part and hopefully contributing to that moving forward was quite an honour.”
In his perception, what exactly does this programme aim to achieve? He wasted no time articulating the objectives of their mission. “We had a couple of objectives in coming down here, one is to help establish the Retails brand of Access bank so as Access is strong in commercial and corporate bank but it can also position itself in the marketplace as a retail bank. We are doing that to help bring marketing and consumer skills into the banking and into the group. They have a strong team there to help bring certain knowledge and we have certain experiences.
“The second aspect of our objective was to bring in some service delivery standard not only in the retail but in the bank as a whole. We have been doing that with several other sectors within Nigeria. You see what Virgin Nigeria has accomplished within their short stay here. One of the members of our team Lijan is from China and has spent 16 years working for a bank there. So, there is a lot of experience to kind of transfer down here.”
What is his assessment of the bank so far? Listen to him. “On a personal standpoint, I have being very impressed with the professionalism, the attention to details, and the vision of the team of managers for the bank. We didn’t actually appreciate what we were stepping into and so as we have spent 7 weeks and we have seen the DNA of the company. It has been fascinating to see the diligence, the hardworking culture, which is a culture thing within Access bank. There is hardwork and determination among the workers, we have been quite impressed at all levels. I am impressed with the Aig, the Managing Director, am impressed with all levels within the number of branches.”
What has he seen so far that is different from what he is learning in Oxford and where he comes from? “In the UK, their service is poor in retail banking. So, to come here and know that there is a striving for improved standard, striving to be world class is an thing amazement to me. There are still a number of parts that need to move and work together but I would that say that of the banking industry as a whole, especially, the consolidation of the past year which is still young. But it has made a huge start that would eventually lead it to a world-class company, comparable to any other in the world.”
How would what he has learnt here benefit the Business School in Oxford ? “I will tell you one thing that I will be taking away is seeing how running a business within a country whose political situation is where it is, coming up in an election year it is fragile. It has made a huge step forward but now we are coming into another part to see how a strong bank like Access is moving in a certain direction. On top of that, in such a competitive industry you can read case studies, you can look at the way businesses function in the UK, in Europe, in the US but to be in the middle of a Ground Zero is fascinating.”
What is he taking away from Access Bank? “One thing that I would take away for sure is the work ethics, there were days that I left the office at 11.00pm and I was not the last person to leave. Every day, I would get up at 6.00 a.m and you find people already working in the office. The workers there work extremely hard, I would take that away for sure.
“The other thing that I would take away is the youthful spirit, the energy, the excitement are the other things that I would take away from Access Bank. Then the pride in an healthy way, the people at Access Bank are proud to be there, you don’t necessary see that in every business across the world.”
If Access Bank offers him the opportunity to work with them, would he accept? “I would consider it, I brought my wife here for the first four weeks that I was here. She back home now in California, I would give it a big consideration.” Did he make friends? Mcfadden answeres in the affirmative.
Is this the first partnership work between Access Bank and Oxford University? “This is the first project between Access and Oxford and it is the first with any bank in Nigeria, this is the first project from the MBA class in Oxford to come to Nigeria. There have been few projects in South Africa, in Egypt, in Morocco, but this is the first project with any bank. We hope that the relationship continues, we have improved. We have learnt immensely.”
Lastly, would he consider settling in Nigeria and if not what would he take away from Nigeria as a whole? “I don’t know if we would permanently stay over a long time because of our families, maybe when we have a direct flight to LA, but it would be wonderful for both countries if we could restore direct flights. I will be leaving on Friday, August 25. I would take away the laughter, the smiles in the country are quite inspiring, I would take those things away. And interestingly, you could shop in the traffic, just anything. It is amazing.”Jayne Thorpe
She is the second American in the Oxford quartet. A lively fellow in all the senses who brings some precision to her talks. Hear her: “My name is Jayne Thorpe and I am from North Carolina in the United States, I am from a family of five children where everyone else is a doctor but I am the Black sheep, I am an Accountant. I decided to go to Business School because I wanted to get more of finance. I decided on Oxford Business School because I wanted to do a one year programme and of course I wanted the international experience.”
Why did she choose to come to Nigeria? “I had this thing in my head that I want to go to Africa and so when the offer came I saw it as an opportunity that would be just perfect. What we here to do but wasn’t my strength which is marketing but it involves Retail Banking. We had a very well rounded team.”
Why not South Africa and what has she learnt from this programme? “I wanted to spend the entire period in Africa so that I can get a grip of it, the other reason is that I came to introduce a project which has been very well received. I think that we came down here with a different perspective on what we are going to be able to achieve and what we have achieved. I think we have achieved a lot more than we thought we are going to achieve as far as helping to develop a retail banking is concerned. We helped develop new products including products that would hopefully be launched very soon and the ones that would be launched next year.
“We also helped developed financing models by making sure that the products are profitable or what actually is the goal of a particular product. If your new product is customer acquisition then we are not going to think of making some profits. Another thing about the bank is it quality service management and we are excited about what we have been able to do here.”
What is his assessement of the bank itself? Right now I feel very, very good. Their marketing skill is phenomenonal and their energy is incredible with everyone working so late in the night yet they will be at their desks by 7.00am the next day. I feel very inspired, I see the people as the member resource that the bank has.”
Tell me, if the opportunity to work for Access Bank presents itself, would she accept it? She laughs: “May be in the future, near future. I intend to come back to Africa.”
What has she learnt about Nigeria within the short period of stay? “They are very business-minded and sociable. I visited an orphanage here in order to see the real Africa not just looking at it from inside of a bank. Corporate responsibility make institutions leaders in their sectors and there is much more to be done to uplift the society.”
Can she make a bit of comparison between working for a bank in Nigeria and the United States? “I have worked with a retail bank before doing some other work but they did not work this hard. Banking in Nigeria, keeps bankers on their toes 24 hours a day. In New York city people work so hard, Access Bank would be a fine comparison to that. I have worked in Chicago, generally, Americans are hardworking people. But I have learnt here that Nigerians are just as hardworking. I really appreciate that.”
What is she taking away from Access Bank? “What I learnt was the way to work at strategy. And it is great.”
Timothy Ojo
The fourth member of the visiting Oxford MBA class is Mr. Timothy Ojo. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ife, He has over 8 years professional banking experience in between Nigeria and the UK during which he has garnered relevant experience across key banking functions which includes business development, product development, relationship management and core banking operations.
Prior to his MBA programme at the prestigious Oxford University, He worked with the Small Business division of the retail-banking arm of Barclays, where he was substantially involved in client relationship management.
While at Barclays, Timothy was involved in the re-design of one of the banks leading business products and prior to that helped set-up the Wealth Management unit at Skabol Finance and Investment Management Ltd. He has worked with a couple of Nigerian Banks amongst which include EcoBank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank and Equitorial Trust Bank.
He currently led a team of 4 Oxford University students to Access Bank Plc on a Strategic Consulting Project as part of the assessment for the MBA programme and building partnerships across international borders.
Timothy is a recipient of the University of Oxford’s SBS Scholarship Award.
Jayne Thorpe Update
Some claim Nigeria beat Jayne, others say the mosquitos were just too persistent, either way the fact remains Jayne Thorpe had to be admitted to the local hospital. After a week’s battle with Malaria the pain and headaches never ceased. So for 3 days and 2 nights Jayne was under observation at the Reddington Hospital.
It’s still not clear whether she had malaria, typhoid or some other sickness but she’s fine now. In fact, she was well enough to put in two 12 hour days on the final report so that we could finish before we left Nigeria. Jayne is a trooper.
And to all the folks at Access Bank: thanks for your thoughts, prayers and visits. It was very heart warming to know that 10+ people from Access Bank (including the MD/CEO Aig) stopped by to see how Jayne was doing.
Welcome back to England Jayne. 
Golfing In Lagos: Some Good Shots And Better Shocks
Over the past 12 months I’ve been fortunate enough to play some of the best golf courses in the world ranging from St. Andrews to Muirfield, Carnoustie to Turnberry, and I don’t want to forget Royal St. George’s and Sunningdale. In my life I’ve played well over 1,000 rounds totaling more than 18,000 holes (I should mention I still don’t have a hole-in-one). That being said, this weekend I had one of the funniest experiences happen to me on the course in Lagos.
Ikoyi Golf Club is the best course in Lagos and some argue in all of Nigeria. Granted Nigeria is not known for their golf expeditions but that is quite the claim considering there is more than 130million people in the country.
I turned up to the clubhouse without a tee time, no clubs, and only the name of one member (imagine doing that at Augusta or Muirfield).
To the First Tee:
I meet the caddy master in the parking lot and he gives me a head nod and said he’d take care of me. I gave him my handicap and he proudly said he’d ‘get me a match.’ Next thing I know I’ve shelled out 2,000 Niara for clubs and 3,500 Niara for my green fee (that is roughly about $50). I stroll to the first tee, 6 different caddies come up to me and give me their name. I still figuring out what was going on when the caddymaster assigned me a vetren caddy with 14 years experience - Julius.
I took a look at my rental clubs - slightly dirty, well used, 1994 Lynx irons with an often-played Ping i driver. Not bad, I figured I was going to be using some Arnold Palmer blades or something.
The Course:
Not bad. First you have to remember I’ve been in an office for nearly 12 hours a day 5 days a week so just being outside was a blessing. The grass was similar to the crab grass style you find in Florida. Based on looks, the course was green, the greens looked smooth and the fairways were fine. After my first tee shot we strolled through the fairway and I asked my caddy if they ‘rolled the ball’ in the fairways. Sure enough they did. The fairways were patchy and not all cut but they served their purpose.
The greens on the other hand ate my lunch. They looked smooth and fast but they were the slowest greens I’ve ever played on it. They might have been slower than the fairways at Muirfield. Every putt I had to hammer and I still only got 2 balls past the hole.
Now, this isn’t a normal course in the sense that is highly secure - walled around the entire course with barbed wire and protection at every point.
The Shocker:
So if you read this long you deserve to hear this story. After a few holes of chit chat with my caddy I learned he had worked there for 14 years, he had many sibilings and was engaged. He knew I was American studying in England and was married with no kids.
Then on the 7th hole as we walked to the green he says “You want a Nigerian woman? You’ve got to have a Nigerian woman before you leave. I’ll bring a good one to you.”
Wow! I’ve had a few caddying during my playing days that did about anything for you, but to offer that service … wow. I told him no and then laughed. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe. By far the most shocking moment I’ve ever had on a golf course.
The Score:
I didn’t play well to say the least. I two putted every green (not good considering I only hit a few greens in regulation). Finished with a 44, 43. Worst round in well over a year, but who cares. This was an experience.
Malaria Hits Our Team. What About The Others?
This weekend Jayne came down with Malaria. She wasn’t feeling too well on Friday and Saturday so she went to the clinic and sure enough it was Malaria. Everything is fine but the medicine is taking a toll. We’ll keep you updated as time moves on.
Elsewhere around the world there are over 45 other Oxford teams working on projects. Check out some of their stories on the SCP (Strategic Consulting Project) News Blog.
Week 4: Kelly’s Last Week In Nigeria
So this will be my last post from Nigeria. Tomorrow (Tuesday the 1st of August) I fly out of Lagos, touch down in London for 24 hours and then head to California. I am looking forward to spending some time with my family, but am so sad to be leaving Mike. At the same time, I cannot imagine being here much longer. When you are not working, there really isn’t much for a gal to do!
Here is a peek at our last week here in Lagos, Nigeria.
We had decided before we got here that we wanted to purchase some local clothing to take home with us. We met with a lady in our home, but it was not quite what we were looking for…And VERY expensive. So we kept looking. We happened to go to a local craft market and came across a shop that had the PERFECT dress for me! The price was right
and within 20 minutes she and her staff had tailored it for a perfect fit. Then came Mike. There was nothing there he was crazy about, so the lady offered to make one for him. Mike picked out the material he wanted and Walla! We now both had authentic Nigerian outfits. Here is a picture of the market and the group making them.
Friday at work is casual day at the office. So Mike got to wear his new shirt and pants. It just so happens that he was also leading focus groups that day. 
That’s right! Mike’s SRG days came in handy in Nigeria. He is now an international moderator. He was running groups for the bank to help on their project.
As with the other weekends, we went out on Friday. We found some great live music. We had a great time at De Grotto, listening to the band play all the old hits. Let’s just say one of the first songs was Lady in Red and an hour later we were dancing to Madonna. Absolutely classic. We had a great time. Saturday was spent lounging, well at least for Mike and I. Since I am leaving we just took off by ourselves and sat at the pool at a local hotel. While we were there, Lijun and Jayne were stuck in traffic for about 5 hours trying to drive a few miles. We were glad not to be in the car. Instead we lounged, walked for ice cream and stopped off at an internet cafe. That night we also went to an Italian restaurant and enjoyed a pizza together.
Sunday was awesome. Mike, Jayne and I headed to church. The service runs from 9 - 11:30. There was singing and dancing and a few messages given. We felt right at home - mostly because we wore our new outfits. The message touched on letting God take care of life’s storms. That he 
knows the perfect mix for each of us in our lives. There will be joyful times and sad times, but the Lord is always there in the midst. So call on Him!
Here is a picture of all of us after church wearing our Nigerian attire.
Video: A Day In The Life In Lagos
| An Oxford MBA team is spending 8 weeks in Lagos on a consulting project with Access Bank. In the next 3.5 minutes, mcfaddenplace productions will take you to where the team, Jayne Thorpe, Lijun Jiang, Timothy Ojo, and Michael McFadden, are working diligently on their task at hand. Be on the watch out for a special guest appearance by Kelly McFadden. | |
Weekend 3: The Beach!
This last week was filled with some ups and downs. As with anything when you are working hard and abroad, the middle weeks can be the toughest. The long hours start to get to you, you miss the food you are used to and the adventurous spirit that brought you where you are isn’t quite as amped as before. For the most part, Nigeria has been wonderful. The people are kind and welcoming (except during traffic, but, hey, same as LA right? Traffic can make the nicest person an animal.)
Of course, we made it through the week, with the team working from early in the morning until late. I decided to mix things up a bit and spent a day at Terra Kulture enjoying the cafe and took another day to meet Mike for lunch. Mike and I also got a chance to see Superman one night after work and it was nice to get out and about just the two of us. But as with anyone working hard, it is the weekend that you most look forward to. And this weekend, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. Friday night we headed out to a newer place called “Soul Lounge.” We enjoyed ourselves at this trendy stop with friends from the Access office and a visit from Mike’s classmate Dapo (shown right with Jayne).
Saturday morning, Mike and I got up early and headed to a local cafe that we had found. We sat for a few hours sipping on coffee for him and a fruit smoothie for me. We played backgammon and chatted. It was a wonderful way to start the day. From there, we walked home and then hopped in the car and headed to Oba Elegushi Market (pictured on the far right). 
It is a local crafts market with tons of
African souvenirs. We had fun poking around and even bought a few mementos to take home. We spent the late afternoon lounging around watching the British Open, felt like home, before heading out for dinner and then meeting up with some friends for an Ice Cream at Chocolat Royal - the same stop we had had breakfast at that morning. The picture on the right is of some local kids playing football in the street on our way to breakfast. I love that they are using old tires for goals!
But the true highlight of the weekend was Sunday. Up early and at church at 8, we met some locals and joined them for Sunday School at a church just a block away. Sadly we had to leave early as
we had made plans to go on an excursion to the beach. But what a day it was. It was our first day since we have been here that had more sunshine than clouds. After taking a 30 minute boat ride, we spent the day on lounge chairs listening to the waves crash a few
feet away. At 1, we were called into lunch and enjoyed a delicious Nigerian meal with both surf and turf and sipped on ice cold cokes. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing volleyball, ping pong, swimming and Mike even got into a football game with some of the local children and other tourists who were with our group. Mike and I are a bit red today but we couldn’t be happier! It was a relaxing and wonderful day. Besides our group and the locals, there were only a few others on this island beach. It was remote and wonderful to be away from the honking and sirens that are non-stop all over this city. We feel refreshed and renewed for the rest of our adventure.
So now it is Monday. Mike is back to work, and I am working on my talks for YSSC, writing my monthly devotionals and getting a swim in a few days a week. I only have one more week left to be here, so I will make the most of it and be sure to do one last update before I leave next week.
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