Some people build brands. Others make history. Oreoluwa Atinmo is doing both.
From being the first female Automation Engineer at Heineken Nigeria to steering GBfoods’ marketing vision across 24 African countries, Ore has never been one to follow a script, she writes her own. And now, she’s co-writing one of the boldest chapters in Nigeria’s cultural story: the Gino #WorldJollofFest with culinary powerhouse Hilda Baci.
What started as a brainstorming session became an audacious attempt to make the world stop and take notice of something Africans have always known: that Jollof is more than food, it’s heritage.
For Ore, this is a way of reminding the world that Nigeria’s flavors, women, and leadership deserve center stage. Read the full conversation below.
Thank you for joining us today Ore, we’re thrilled to have you! In your own words, who would you say Oreoluwa Atinmo is — and. what makes her tick?
I would say Oreoluwa has a knack for excellence. Personally, it’s never about comparisons but about setting individual new standards. I think I naturally gravitate towards excellence and excellent people.
Awesome! How did your journey into Marketing begin and how would you rate it thus far?
All I can say in one sentence is “it’s been a fantastic journey”. I usually say that I am a proud chartered engineer turned chartered marketeer. The journey has been challenging yet rewarding. Moving from engineering, which is black and white, to marketing, which I think has a wider grey area, and if viewed with a deeper lens, reveals that all options are neither right nor wrong. It’s just from the lens with which you look at it.
In terms of how I transitioned, it was really a gut feeling. After spending some years in engineering, I wanted to challenge myself further into a role that drives social innovation and motivation for women globally through leadership. Because the universe aligns with our thoughts, I found an opening for a role in Marketing innovation. As an engineer, I was already working on various innovation projects, so I basically crossed from handling the technical to the commercial side. That was essentially my first transition, into innovation within marketing. From there, I eventually transitioned fully into core marketing.
If you weren’t doing Marketing, what would you be doing?
If I weren’t doing marketing, I think I would have continued to be an engineer because I am passionate about results all round. On the fun side, some might not believe this because of my geeky nature but I could have also been an actress, I used to love acting so much as a kid.
In your opinion, what are some common misconceptions people have about marketing?
A lot of misconceptions.
Some people think Marketing practitioners are not as thorough. They believe marketing is superficial, but you need to understand that, beyond the creative output people see, marketing in itself is both art and science.
Some of the strongest marketing professionals I know have solid science backgrounds. Just like anything in life, becoming a marketing professional requires analytical experience and buildup which marketing professionals possess.
Very well said. Let’s talk about the Gino World Jollof Festival with Hilda Baci — it’s happening today. How did the idea come about, and what are you hoping to achieve?
Honestly, it started off as a brainstorming session. We were thinking, how can we tell the Nigerian story of Jollof Rice in a way that the world stops? And we had different ideas, and then one day, Hilda calls me and says, why don’t we do this? The world’s Largest Pot of Jollof Rice!! I thought it was brilliant!
At GB foods, through all our products we are particular about Celebrating local Flavors. The idea to have this attempt alongside the Gino world Jollof festival was inline with our brand vision. We jointly fleshed out the concept to execution. During this process we thought of how we could infuse some of of newly launch locally flavored products, we recently launched some new products and recipes that celebrates local flavors, and we knew this was the right moment to infuse the Gino Asun Flavor in the historic jollof rice attempt showcasing the Nigerian culture.
Lovely! Still on Hilda Baci, Gino is collaborating with one of the continent’s most beloved female content creators and influencers. What do you have to say about the power of collaboration?
First of all, I would like to correct that. I think Hilda Baci is way more than a content creator or an influencer. And about the power of collaboration?
For me, this will be a collaboration that the world will talk about for many years to come. I think this is the best Nigeria has seen. I was looking at some old conversations I had with Hilda a couple of years ago. We were just doing some small events, what impressed me was the amount of dedication she had put into it. When the world was not looking, Hilda was building. When we were doing little things in little places, she was giving it her all. So it was a no-brainer that we would put whatever it takes, and create the right platform, which is the Gino World Jollof Festival for the joint attempt at the World’s largest post of Jollof Record Attempt.
One word of advice for women and girls who are daring to do the impossible?
What is really the impossible?
Let’s start from there, possibilities and impossibilities are just in your head. It’s never possible until someone does it. Be the one to make it possible.
Finally, one thing I always say is do it anyways. You think it’s impossible? Do it anyways.
