In last week's Scholar Spotlight, Ajibola Bolanle, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford Said Business School, reflected on her leadership journey and goals as Mentorship Lead of the Laidlaw Women in Business Board. In her spotlight, Ajibola expressed her admiration for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, particularly her resilience, pioneering spirit, and remarkable ability to break barriers locally, across Africa, and on the global stage.

This week, we reflect on Okonjo-Iweala's perspective on the importance of asserting oneself and not being afraid to take up space: 

A Trailblazer in Global Finance and Policy

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as of 1st March 2021. She is the first woman and the first African to take this position. Okonjo-Iweala specialises in global finance, economy and international development, with a career spanning over 40 years. She has worked globally in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.  Other roles include Managing Director of the World Bank, in which she supervised its Operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia and Europe and Central Asia. She led numerous World Bank projects, supporting low-income countries amidst the food and financial crises. She also served as Minister of Finance and head of Nigeria's Presidential Economic team, where she led the implementation of a comprehensive, domestically driven economic reform programme that balanced the macroeconomy and boosted the growth rate, tripling it to an average of 6% per annum over three years. 

Her accomplishments during her time as Finance Minister attracted global recognition for bettering Nigeria's financial stability and fostering greater financial transparency to fight corruption. She has been included in the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World multiple times since 2011, and as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Leadership Rooted in Resilience

Okonjo-Iweala's quote reflects her life and leadership journey, which led to her becoming one of the most influential and powerful women in the world, due to her impact on a global scale. Her achievements stem from a fearless relentlessness and refusal to step backwards: she did not shy away or believe herself undeserving. Her words are a reminder not to constantly overthink or worry about taking up too much space. Even if we lack seniority, she reminds us, we have the right to assert ourselves in the world. She encourages us to reach out to others and take up the space we deserve. 

Okonjo-Iweala's approach aligns with the Laidlaw value of being #Ambitious and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Drive. Being ambitious means dreaming big and not shying away from these dreams. Being driven means to stay passionate and to strive for the best you can and desire, regardless of your qualifications. 

A Call to Reflect 

We invite you to reflect on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's powerful leadership insights. Share your thoughts in the comments: What spaces in your life or leadership journey are you ready to step into more boldly?