For most parents, back-to-school season means uniforms, lunch packs, and the dreaded hunt for shoes that never seem to last a term. For Ayodeji Akinwande, Head of Brand Management at Heirs Insurance Group, it also means being a villain sometimes because rules need to be enforced.
But Ayodeji is more than just a dad navigating September chaos. In this interview, he talks about his early days as an art director in advertising to his role today, shaping one of Africa’s fastest-growing insurance brands, his journey has been one long lesson in creativity and reinvention.
Enjoy…
AF for HH People: School’s about to resume. Are you looking forward to it, or are you secretly wishing the holidays could last a little longer?
AA: I am glad it’s back-to-school season, because when my wife makes lunch packs for my daughters, I get to have some to take to work
.
AF for HH People: What does “back to school” season look like for you? Any funny rituals, meltdowns, or memories that always stand out?
AA: I have to make my daughters sleep early, so I will be resuming my villain mode. Oh, yes! The meltdown when I seize their tab? I loveet!
I also look forward to my first daughter wanting to fix my tie.
AF for HH People: What’s the one back-to-school shopping item you think parents dread the most?
AA: I’d say, shoes. Good shoes are expensive.
AF for HH People: If your kids were to grade you as a parent during school season, what subject would you ace, and what subject would you definitely fail?
AA: I’m acing all subjects. Common Nursery 1 subjects? Please.
AF for HH People: You’ve worn so many hats, from art director to creative lead, and now head of brand management at Heirs Insurance. If your career was a school timetable, what classes would it have?
AA: Art classes, history classes, pop culture classes, behavioural science classes, and design classes.
AF for HH People: If you could go back to school today, what subject (serious or silly) would you love to study?
AA: I am focused on the serious stuff for now so that will be an MBA.
AF for HH People: In branding and advertising, creativity is king. What’s the strangest or funniest “lesson” you’ve learned from working in the industry?
AA: Always listen to the critics but never drown in the criticism.
AF for HH People: If Heirs Insurance were a school, what would its motto be?
AA: You will learn today.
Quick Fire Questions
- Favourite subject in school?
Chemistry
- Worst subject in school?
Physics
- First brand campaign you ever worked on (and do you still like it)?
This would be the BRT Bus branding for NAT GEO WILD on DStv. I am proud of the outcome and I learned a lot about design process on that project.
- Tea or coffee?
Tea
- Complete this sentence: If my life had a report card, the teacher’s comment would be:
Ayodeji is a brilliant boy, never takes himself too seriously. This makes him open-minded and inquisitive.
As the school bells ring this September, Ayodeji reminds us that learning doesn’t stop when we leave the classroom. Whether it’s in parenting, branding, or life itself, the real lesson is to stay curious, keep reinventing, and, in true Ayodeji fashion, never taking yourself too seriously.
