Becoming Ijeoma the HR Professional

People often ask “Who is I.J?”

Ijeoma is a family-oriented first daughter. She is kind, generous, selfless, hardworking, dependable, motherly, loyal, honest, and humble. Ijeoma is God-fearing.

Growing up, my mother was and remains my inspiration. As a child, I wanted to be a teacher. In what form? I had no clue, but I believed that teaching was my opportunity to help people. I soon realised that teachers weren’t paid well so I quickly abandoned that career ambition.

For those who don’t know, I studied Biochemistry at the university and when starting my career, I delved into Administration. Working in admin, I began to learn about Human Resources. I learned that it goes beyond hiring, firing and being the employee conduct police. To be an HR professional is to be a people person. It is a role that requires your dedication to people and the organisation. It is a role of service and as I.J, I believe we are put on this earth to serve; hence I pursued a career in Human Resources, but believe me, it wasn’t that straightforward.

I joined the group in 2015, as a Client Relations Officer at Transcorp Hotels Plc. Working in hospitality and Africa’s leading business hotel at that, exposed me to various experiences and people from across the world. As my job required, I assisted all visitors with their needs relating to the business and other administrative work. Seeing that I worked in a hotel business, I learnt first to build relationships with guests and other internal and external stakeholders including CEOs across the HH Group. It allowed me to build a network across the Hilton team, HH People and partner companies.

I loved being able to resolve customer complaints. It was hectic but it built my ‘can do’ spirit. I then became an Office Admin Manager where I served as the bridge between the people and management. I learnt to manage expectations and emotional intelligence. Creative and strategic problem-solving was a skill I acquired within the business also to manage a crisis.

During this time, I worked closely with the then COO and Helen Iwuchukwu, now a Non-Executive member of the Board of Transcorp Hotels Plc. They were integral to my growth at the hotel and guided me in my role and served as mentors.

I’m sure you’re wondering how I became HR Officer at Transcorp Group. Well, I had expressed my desire to my President/GCEO, Owen Omogiafo and MD/CEO, Dupe Olusola. They have always and continue to encourage me to develop myself and yearn to do more. This time, I was vocal about wanting to learn more and build a career in HR. They were my strongest pillars of support. Having a President/GCEO with an incredible background in Human Resources and an MD/CEO that is a master in honing skills, I had the best people.

It wasn’t enough for me to just talk; with guidance, I began taking the necessary steps a day at a time. I began taking online courses on Human Resources, people development and more to gain knowledge on the profession and what it requires, and I am currently taking a certification course to advance my skills. I always want to bring something to the table and make the best of my opportunities.

In 2021, a vacancy for the role of HR Officer opened at Transcorp Group and I was given the opportunity to serve as the HR Officer and every day has been a learning experience. I find myself becoming a confidant to Humans of Transcorp and it makes it easier to drive employee engagement, development, adherence to policies and excellence. The HR community across the group welcomed me and I will say my growth over the years has been phenomenal.

The highlight of my day is hearing my Humans of Transcorp call me ‘Ije Pumping! HR too sure!’. It is almost certain that they are coming with a request they know I can help them with. This role has also helped me strike a balance between being firm and being a friend to all. The last thing you want to do is create an environment for indiscipline.

I am also thankful to our leadership. Our Chairman has redefined and democratised luck. I truly admire his dedication to our people and their development. Our leaders also make the office a fun place to come to, which isn’t usually the norm in workplaces. I have built trust to handle issues of confidentiality, and I have been exposed to more about HR, people development, organisational culture, recruitment etc. Plus, I have built my information security knowledge. I have leveraged this opportunity to get involved with projects concerning the wider group to learn from my colleagues across board.

Being at the group level has also given me the chance to learn about the other businesses in the group, their operations, growth, key drivers and more. I love the moments we come together as a family to let our hair down and scream “TGIF” or just celebrate. Seeing that everyone is well-fed and satisfied is just amazing. The three Es are important to me, my work and my life. Every day of work for me is an opportunity to serve people and I’ll say it’s a dream come true.