Tenacity and Persistence is the Spirit of Chams – MD/CEO, Chamsmobile

Chams tech company anniversary

Achieving 36 years of thriving and impactful business is no small feat. If you’re not from around here, it might not mean so much but in a country like Nigeria that has its outlandish business challenges, it sure takes a lot to hit 5 years, not to say 36. Chams is a leading technology company in Nigeria that has been at the forefront of disruptive technological innovations in Nigeria.

Celebrating Chams at 36

We had a chat with the MD/CEO of Chamsmobile to gain some insights into how Chams Plc (our parent company) has evolved and thrived over the last 36 years. She also has a word for upcoming professionals.

What has kept Chams going in its 36 years of existence?

I will simply tell you it is the “Spirit of Chams”. We are so tenacious and persistent. Another thing that has helped is our understanding of the industry. Once you know that your industry is highly dynamic, you brace up and get ready for the challenge. When you’re at the upper level, see how you can sustain it and if it turns the other way round just make sure that you’re looking for the strategy to get back on track. We have done this for 36 years and Chams is fortunate to have been the leader of the industry in so many areas. Chams Plc is the first ICT Company in Nigeria to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

How has Chams evolved over the years and maintained relevance in the highly competitive tech industry?

Chams is highly innovative. We used to have a magazine that we call “Future Tense”. This publication projected technology ideas and trends that would disrupt spaces and impact our ways of life. The strategy behind “Future Tense” is to innovate the future. We pioneered the first electronic card that culminated in the setting up of Value card. We were also the first to deploy large scale POS terminals in Nigeria.

Chams - Future Tense2
What inspired the birth of subsidiaries at Chams?
Decagon by Chams

The subsidiaries were more of strategic moves to execute National ID and to comply with the regulatory policies. For some of the products that we provide, we cannot concentrate all the licenses in the same organization. For instance, Chamsmobile was established to facilitate the acquisition of mobile money licensing. For the National I.D. project we executed, we floated ChamsSwitch, CardCentre and ChamsAccess to manage peculiar aspects of it

Describe your journey in Chams

I joined Chams group precisely in 2008. I joined SuperCard, a subsidiary of Chams as the A.G.M Corporate Services. Two years down the line, Chams and SuperCard merged, so that’s how I came into Chams Plc fully. It has been a rewarding career experience. I’ve worked in almost all the units – finance, admin, operations, internal audit, special project and now a Director. It has been an awesome experience, God has helped me to be able to impact in one way or the other. 

What is your professional background and how has it helped you to successfully lead in Chams?

I’m an accountant by profession, specializing in business strategy. I started my career in an audit firm where I did a lot of processing, so I’ll say I’m a process person. Thereafter, I found passion in business strategy and did post-graduate courses on business strategy. All I need to do is to understand the concept and I’ll be able to deploy the appropriate strategy. So, I have been leveraging my process and strategy skills. That has been an advantage that has been helping me.

Mrs. Mayowa C. Olaniyan
MD/CEO, Chamsmobile Ltd.

One fun fact many people don’t know about Chams.

In Chams, we bond a lot. We call it the “strong bond between the past and present staff” Chams people can wine and dine till any time but that will never disturb or delay their work. 

The most demanding project you’ve ever pulled off at Chams.

The Osun Payroll project is the most demanding project I’ve executed in Chams. That was from 2012 to 2014. We were in a meeting and during that meeting it was discussed that certain people will have to go to Osun and that was how we left for Osun State. It took about 2 years to complete the project and later move to support mode, which is the second phase of it. 

Does gender discrimination ever come to play? Also, what can be done to promote women inclusion in decision-making in the tech industry?

I’m a “man-lady” as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never been in any organization where there is any form of gender discrimination. Many organizations are led by women. Country managers of big organizations like Google and MainOne are women. So, women are there already and I expect more women to join the tech industry.

Your advice to youngsters who are looking at setting up thriving companies that can stand the test of time.

 For me, I don’t think there is any challenging industry. Rather, I believe that each industry has its peculiarity. So if you want to go into any industry, do a thorough study of the industry – understand the terrain and ask yourself what exactly you plan to achieve, that is, your goal. Even if you sit and do nothing, there will be a challenge let alone that you want to make a landmark. So, all that is required is to understand where you’re going, put necessary plans in place, get a mentor, envisage what could be the likely ups and downs and then strategize in advance on the plan of actions. One certain thing is that the journey cannot be smooth always; have that at the back of your mind and be driven by your goals.

Celebrating Chams at 36 (Series 2)

We also had a chat with the Executive Director of Chamsmobile, Mr. Kayode Akomolafe who shared from his experience some core aspects of Chams plc operations and the lessons learnt over the years.

What inspired the company name – Chams?

Chams started from being a computer networking hardware company and used to be the acronym: Computer Hardware and Maintenance Services (CHAMS). Later, it metamorphized from being a hardware company to being a networking, biometrics, payment and e-voting company. So, the name Chams is now all-encompassing.

Which solution brought Chams into the limelight?

Several of Cham’s products brought them into the limelight. So, we can begin to now categorize them. For instance, in the aspect of wide-area networking, Chams played a major role. However, I think the major one is the I.D., the identity management project that brought Chams into the limelight. The first sets of INEC cards were produced by Chams. During the project, the councils of the past presidents visited Chams plant in Abuja, where the cards were produced. About 1 million cards were produced daily.

Mr. Kayode Ayomolafe
Executive Director, Chamsmobile

One fun fact many people don’t know about Chams.

Chams family loves to party. Also, during TGIF, we would have the “soup kitchen” where we cook round the clock till Saturday. The prepared meals were usually donated to orphanages. As a form of CSR, Chams also organized theatre series like D.O. Fagunwa’s “Ireke Oni budo” and “Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irumole”. The theatrical performance was taken round theatre houses in Nigeria – Abuja, Akure, etc. This project brought all the actors together and starred the veteran Tunde Kelani as the producer. These performances were aimed at promoting our rich cultural heritage and unity.

How did Chams get listed in the Guinness Book of Records?

ChamCity, a department in Chams plc was established in 2008 at Ikeja G.R.A, where we have over 1000 PCs networked together in a single room. It was more like a cybercafé. Then, there was a similar infrastructure in the USA that had about 650 PCs, but we beat that by having over 1000 PCs at ChamsCity. So, we got listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world largest cybercafe for this. 

Back to back, we had another ChamsCity in Abuja, furnished with over 1000 PCs as well. This got recognized in the Guinness book of record, for 2009.

How can a company stay relevant despite unfavourable government policies?

First of all, we all need to be innovative continuously. Secondly, we must also be close to the regulator to have an understanding of policy-making. So that we are well informed about the policies and not run against anyone.  It is important to research and have foresight about the risk analysis and must be able to monitor the trends. 

When did you join Chams and how has the journey been?

I joined Chams on the 14th of July 2008 and it has been a good one. I’ve had a fair share of it. I’ve grown from many levels to where I am currently, as the Executive Director of Chamsmobile. I’ve learnt quite a lot all the way.

Your most memorable moment so far in Chams

When I was the Head of Support at ChamsCity, I was coordinating the data centre and customer service. I had about 80 staff reporting to me – 40 of them would work in the day, 40 would run the night shift. I had to wake up in the middle of the night to monitor the servers. It wasn’t a time where you’ll put your server in the cloud and you’ll go and sleep and somebody else is watching over it. 

At times, around 8 pm we would be in Netcom house in Marina and be turning the radio to align. But now, we have a lot of things in the cloud and all we need to do is to ensure that payment is made at the right time and things like that. I think those were times I can’t forget.

Your advice on scaling and thriving in a corporate environment

To thrive, one must be able to devote a lot to research, innovation and we need to watch the tide to know the directions of things. The M.D of Nokia said we didn’t do anything yet we went down. When everybody was moving into android and tablets phones, they were stuck to their design. So, I think we need to be focused and also dedicate time and resources to research and innovation. We should also look at what our competitors are doing right, what our strengths and weakness are and how we can leverage them. Then we have government regulations, we are regulated by the government we must study everything and be well informed about the policies so that we are not negatively affected at any time. 

Where do you see Chams and Chamsmobile in the next 5 years?

I see a Chamsmobile Kegow becoming a market leader and a household name among the youths, the market women, traders and artisans. I see Kegow dominating the e-Naira market as a major partner to CBN, promoting the e-Naira as well as becoming a Unicorn company. While Chams plc becomes a Holding Company providing the needed backing for its companies.

Post Views: 339

Related Articles


The Growth and Future of Fintech in Nigeria

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*


Don't miss out on updates.
Subscribe to Our Newletter and get timely update about industry news!
Get Exclusive News and Updates

Akinsanmi Adeleke

Business Mngr. and Enterprise Solution

Akinsanmi is a high-performing operations-management executive with expertise in optimizing organizational processes through system automation. His career accomplishments consist of more than 10 years of experience implementing technology projects, developing product requirements, and analysing support strategies and processes to facilitate improved operations and efficiency. A proficient problem-solver who designs solutions and assists developers with issues by envisioning business and technical perspectives to a problem. When it comes to completing a job from start to finish, the value of clarity and good communication can’t be overstated, his superior communication and problem-solving skills allow him to excel in driving teams through all facets of project life cycles and realizing improved efficiency and productivity.

Grown through the ranks at Chams PLC, starting as Biometric Technology Support, Database Administrator, and presently a Business Manager, he has efficiently led diverse teams to oversee, manage and successfully deliver a number of technology change management projects for both government and private clients. Applying strong relationship and stakeholder management skills, he has ensured the utmost satisfaction of all clients. His expertise, experience, and achievement across projects includes Business Analysis, Process Improvement/Automation, Open Source Development, ERP, HR and Payroll Automation and Auditing, Data Analysis, Public Financial Management Automation.

Reinforcing his experience are credentials that include a Master’s Degree in Information Technology from the prestigious University of Lagos, as well as various other professional certifications including Certified Business Analyst from Imarticus Learning in India, Oracle Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and a recognised Odoo Partner.

Babatope Olulode

Head of Sales, VOTA & I’m Alive

Babatope Olulode is the Assistant General Manager, Sales. He works primarily on VOTA and I’m Alive Solutions for the Company. With working experience in a vast variety of industries in Nigeria and the United States, he leads the sales effort to ensure that Chamsmobile products are highly sought after and exceed the expectations of our clients.

Prior to Chamsmobile, Tope worked at NETCOM Africa and was on the Board of Management of John Holt PLC as General Manager overseeing assets worth over N10 Billion. He also worked in Logistics as the Chief Operating Officer of CFL Logistics and Head, Business Development at Flux Logistics, a member of the Superflux Group. He was appointed as MD/CEO of Sattrak Telematics in 2008 after working with Nextzon Business Services, a firm providing Business advisory, venture financing and management, outsourcing and consulting services. In the United States, he joined AWABCO as a Manager and later JWB Ventures as General Manager after receiving a 98.5% score in serve-safe certification.

A multi-disciplinary and lifelong learner, Tope holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, and is a member of the American Marketing Association AMA. He earned an MBA from the Louisiana State University in 2004 and was awarded the Don Wilcox Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Performance. He’s an avid Film critic and loves to travel.

Kayode Akomolafe

Executive Director

Kayode Akomolafe is the Executive Director, Chamsmobile. Before his appointment, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Chams Plc. He is an accomplished professional in project management with over 20years experience in diverse field which include Identity management, solution design, system architect, customer service, IT operations and infrastructure.

Sequel to joining Chams Plc in 2008, Kayode worked with Aeriel Link Communications, a public relation outfit in Lagos as Business Development executive and Mr Biggs Division of UAC as Operations Auditors and Compliance Manager. He has managed and led different teams to deliver several projects for federal, state and private institutions out of which are ChamsCity digital mall that got the Guinness world record, NCC SIM registration, Nigeria Airforce identity management and staff audit, Nigeria Custom identity management system, Osun state staff audit, including human resources and payroll solution, and the famous national identity project with NIMC.

He holds a Bachelor of Technology from Federal University of Technology Akure, a Master’s Degree in Information System Technology from University of Liverpool, UK and an Executive MBA from Lagos Business school. He is an Alumni of Nanyang Business School, Singapore. He is a certified Scrum Master, a Professional Member of British Project Professional Society, Scrum Alliance USA and Agile Practitioners Association of Nigeria.


Mayowa Olaniyan

CEO/Managing Director

Mayowa Olaniyan is a finance and management expert. She is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Chamsmobile Limited, an associate company of Nigeria’s long-standing indigenous technology company, Chams Plc.

Mayowa’s managerial and strategy expertise is sought after in the corporate sector. With an accomplished career of over 27 years that spans across finance, audit, automobile, and technology, Mayowa is a thoroughbred professional and resilient administrator whose business leadership is well recognized among C-Level Executives, Board of directors, Regulatory Authorities and other key Stakeholders for the many outstanding performances in delivering company’s business and financial objectives.

Until her appointment as MD/CEO of Chamsmobile, Mayowa oversaw Chams Plc’s finance, strategy and services as Executive Director. In this role, she led the refinancing of Chamsmobile and reengineered the company’s mobile money operations and positioned same to play alongside other big leagues in the industry and also drove the financial and business strategy that shot the Chams group back to profitability. Prior to that role, she served as the Chief Strategist and Financial Officer.

A chartered accountant of repute, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and Fellow of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), global body for professional Accountants, Mayowa holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, UK.

She has a degree in Applied Accounting and post graduate diploma from Oxford Brooks University, UK. She is an alumna of NANYANG Technology University, Singapore and the prestigious Pan Atlantic University (Lagos Business School), Nigeria.